Customer Service Advisor Review

My role involves answering the phones and assisting customers with any queries they may have at the first point of contact. It involves providing an excellent level of customer service. The tasks I do can range from simple things like giving customers their balance or more complex things like doing transfers for them.

I have learnt many new skills and also developed skills I already had. The main skills I have developed are my people skills, this apprenticeship has allowed me to speak to both customers and colleagues with ease and has improved my confidence. My teamwork skills have been improved as we have done various presentations in groups where we all had to work together and share our ideas. A new skill I have learnt is customer service as this has been my first job and I had never really dealt with customers prior to this apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship programme as a whole was a very enjoyable experience. The most enjoyable part was meeting various new people and also getting to do the role after being in the training room for a number of weeks. I also enjoy that I am earning money while learning instead of being in a school environment.

The programme is very well structured, everything is planned out and we know what we are going to be expecting each week as there is a schedule for both the work shifts and the apprenticeship side of things (portfolio). Also when we were in training there were certain days for certain topics and we were made aware of this by being told the objects at the start of each day.

Throughout the programme I have received as much support as I have needed. I received support from the trainer in training when I needed it. I also now receive support from my manager since I went into his team after training. My manager provides a lot of support and makes sure I am doing the right thing and if I am not provides me with feedback so I improve and don't make the same mistake again.

Currently there hasn't been much support from the training provider since I have started. The only reason for this is that I haven't been here for very long and I have only had one meeting with the training provider [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions]. They have provided me with a schedule though which shows what work I need to do for each week and they have given me a VLE login which I can do work on. They have given me a description of what we will be doing but I just haven't seen them enough to receive any support.

As said in the last question I haven't seen the training provider much as I haven't been here for long. But from what I have seen the qualification will help me perform better in my role as they focus on key aspects involved in my role; for example, customer service, teamwork and other skills.

I haven't had the chance to get involved in any extra-curricular activities, but I believe there are a variety of activities to get involved in within the workplace. Some of these activities include football competitions, charity days where they raise money for our chosen charities of the year which are Alzheimer’s Society and National Numeracy.

Yes

I would recommend this as Santander is an excellent company to work for, they make everyone feel welcome and provide a lot of support when you need it. Throughout my apprenticeship with Santander I have learnt and developed a lot of skills that can be used throughout my life. All the workers are treated equally and there are various things to get involved in and different networks you can sign up to if you want. Santander provide a high level of training for apprentices to make sure you are ready before you begin the actual role.

The tips and advice I would give to others applying for an apprenticeship at Santander is to apply for the job as it is a good company to work for and a very enjoyable experience. Also show the right attitude and behaviours while at Santander to ensure you are successful in your role.