Customer Adviser Apprentice Review

My role day to day is to provide Newcastle Building Society customers with a full service for their banking needs. This involves taking cash deposits and processing withdrawals for customers, as well as admin such as opening accounts, checking work to make sure it is correct, and phoning customers to try and generate business. I am also trained to carry out the appointments for the customers, so when opening an account, providing estate planning services such as funeral plans and also providing home insurance quotes to customers.

This job has enabled me to hugely improve my customer service skills as in this role, you have to deal with a huge variety of customers as there are people who have lots of knowledge on banking and finance and people who have very little knowledge. Also you can speak to customers of all ages, including with hearing and learning difficulties so having great customer service and communication skills are vital. My general communication skills have also improved as being able to communicate well with colleagues is important in order to make sure all tasks are completed correctly.

I have always wanted to work in the financial sector so this role is the perfect way to introduce me into the world of finances. Being able to help customers with their finances is great and many of our customers are very grateful for the service that we provide. This role has also enabled me to learn a lot about the banking world and what financial institutions can offer, not only with savings accounts but also financial advice, mortgages and estate planning.

My program is very well structured because as well as doing the actual customer adviser job and being given the time to be able to boost my experience, I am also given the suitable amount of free time to be able to complete my tasks set by my tutor at Riverside training that count towards my qualification. I have also been supplied with all the materials I need in order to sit my exam at the end of the program.

I receive a huge amount of support from my employer as I have been given all of the materials I need for my qualification and to progress my career. In addition to this, we have monthly check ins with our manager as well as quarter year reviews where we look at our performance at work and if we have any complaints about our work or any procedures. I also receive a massive amount of support from my colleagues as they have a huge amount of experience between them which is great for my development.

I receive lots of support from my training provider when it comes to my qualifications as we have a meeting once a month where we talk about whats happened at work, any training I have done, as well as a particular topic which I will then do a written task about. These meetings also consist of any feedback that the trainer may have from the task I had submitted that month. Similarly, we do a quarterly review to track my progress.

Through my training provider I have been able to develop my knowledge on areas surrounding the banking and finance sector, such as money laundering, fraud prevention, developing positive working relationships and customer service skills, especially dealing with customer complaints and problem solving. These tasks have enabled me to develop my understanding and experience in these areas, all of which are very important when it comes to carrying out my role correctly and being able to maintain good customer service.

There is lots of training opportunities while you work at Newcastle Building Society such as understanding mortgages and financial advice, to learning how to sell home insurance to customers as well as being trained on how to correctly carry out face to face appointments in branches. These training events often contain a group of people in a similar situation to yourself so it is relatively easy to build working relationships. There is also an annual Christmas party to which every staff member is invited.

Yes

In my experience, I have found Newcastle Building Society to be an excellent employer, especially for an apprenticeship as not only do they pay an excellent salary for an apprenticeship, they also encourage you to branch off into other sectors of the business when you finish your qualification such as financial advice or mortgages. You also get lots of support throughout your qualification from colleagues and your manager and there is always someone to turn to if you have any issues or find anything difficult.

If you are thinking about applying for a role at Newcastle Building Society, especially as an apprentice, if you are lucky to be invited to the apprentice assessment day, you must ensure you try your hardest in every task you are given and try to make yourself stand out amongst the other candidates. You are assessed for your confidence and communication skills while in the team task, and for your own knowledge and ideas in the solo task, so making yourself stand out in both scenarios is essential.