Customer Service Advisor Review

I am a customer service advisor, within a Bank. I work between different branches serving customers to a high standard wherever I am deployed in the branch - completing their stated need to a high and professional standard, whilst also looking for unstated needs. Working as part of a team, from your day-to-day colleagues to partners within the group you can refer customers over to. Aside from simply serving customers it is also part of my role to ensure I am fully compliant with all procedures, but when dealing with customers and following banks rules and regulations.

From the first day in my job I have constantly developed my existing customer service skills, whilst also gaining and improving my knowledge of the sector. We have constant training and teamtalks to improve our skillset and I have learnt much about utlising and using all of the systems available to us.

My apprenticeship scheme has been a mixed bag - from some exercises that have strengthened my knowledge within the role, to others that seemed almost completely irrelevant and pointless. I have enjoyed completing certain aspects that I've felt rewarding and been able to really sink my teeth into, such as a large case study.

Absolutely appallingly really. Towards the end of my apprenticeship scheme I was told that I would be moved from one apprenticeship provider to another, and one coach to another. Since being told this I have gone months without any correspondence from anybody. Prior to this, fitting the work into my work schedule was difficult, and doubly so when my coach would arrive late into the choreography slot we'd agreed.

My employer has generally done it's best to accomodate long hours and lots of study time into a busy working environment. Although never the main priority for the business, they did agree to enrol me in the scheme, and worked with me and my coach to try and make it work as best they could

Very little really, semi-regular visits from a coach would help initially. Although time always felt like an issue and subjects, I felt, were touched upon and skimmed over, rather than analysed in any real depth. The scheme would change on a regular basis - so one month I'd be told that I needed to do one thing, the next I was told that this would no longer be necessary, etc.

I think certain aspects of the work provided helped strengthen my knowledge. But nowhere near enough to justify the amount of hours required. The intensive training put on by my employer generally felt extensive enough on its own, and far more useful than the majority of that undertaken in my apprenticeship scheme.

At work we do charity work out of working hours, and this year I completed a 12 mile walk to help support our Charity of the Year. Other events, in which we can participate, are also held from time to time - such as visiting local schools to talk about careers, or educating general members of the public about financial crime.

Yes

I would definitely recommend my employer as a good company to work for, that trusts and empowers staff whilst also providing a lot of training to help you learn and improve. As a big company, it is also provides avenues to progress your career internally. Long-term benefits such as pension schemes also encourage you to stay and build a career with the group.

To be aware that it's a busy working environment, but one where you can gain a lot of satisfaction from serving members of the public. To be enthusiastic about the role, embrace every aspect of it, always working hard but taking your role and the specifics of it very seriously.