customer service representative

client advisor

software engineer

business analyst

banking advisor

Lloyds Banking Group

  I worked at the GI Contact Centre based in Bournemouth for around 3 years. When I first started, there was real focus on having 'great conversations with customers' and 'building telephony excellence' and the 6 weeks of training that we were given was fantastic. However, this is totally different now, the NPS (Net Promoter Scores) that they used to pride themselves on are no longer even recorded (along with many other figures), feedback for calls you have taken is few and far between and the official audits are extremely lazy. 

   The last few audits that I received were for very short calls (all under 10 mins) and were often processing payments or cancelling a policy which required very little of the regulatory scripting. This scripting is obviously a lot more substantial during a call which could take over an hour but I assume they would rather save time then check the longer calls. We used to require a certain pass grade from our audits in order to qualify for any bonus but as this was not paid to anybody last year it really hit morale hard as there is no other incentive to do a good job. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the better employees currently working there are now looking around and questioning why they should put so much effort into the job when others clearly aren't despite receiving the same pay.

   A new product was launched recently in which we received half a day's worth of training through as a group in a virtual meeting. It was evident that the colleagues leading the training were also going through this for the first time as they were unable to answer any of the questions that we raised. Furthermore, the trainers do not work on the phones and as a result are not familiar with the latest processes, system issues or real life scenarios. Previously, we would have needed our calls to be listened to and fed back before we were officially able to take a new type of call, but in this case there was no sign off period.

  It is not just there where corners are being cut - One of my responsibilities was to check my team's performance and also that of the contact centre as a whole. A lot of this data is missing or just not even being recorded which you would expect to be elementary, such as knowing if a colleague has been logged in at the right times to checking how many policies they have set up. Like most feedback, when reporting these issues, I was ignored.

   Those who have secured their jobs in upper management are totally detached from frontline workers and do not work in the interest of the customer facing employees. The culture is all very cliquey and you can tell if somebody is vying for promotion as their attitude changes in an attempt to match the generic, so called 'values' of the business.

 By far the worst part of the job was the awful computer systems that they have in place. The system which is used for storing and changing policies is shambolic - And it's only a few years old! Once every couple of weeks it just goes completely offline, It crashes regularly when it is 'working', it is very counter intuitive and long winded in how it works and it often creates issues with policies (Not cancelling, taking money when it shouldn't, not sending letters, etc.). Using this system makes the job 10 times more difficult and i'm amazed that the business hasn't scrapped it altogether.

   I met some really great people working here and will continue to stay in touch with them. My Manager and most of the other Frontline Managers were really friendly, helpful and understanding. However, I obviously would not recommend working here for all of the issues mentioned above and many more - Not that I think they will be recruiting any time soon. There is very little opportunity for development and with so many people leaving over the last year going unreplaced it looks like things are winding down in Bournemouth.

Working at LBG as a mortgage consultant is not a job to be taken lightly. It is difficult work that requires a lot of difficult training, much of which is dry, theoretical material that is forgotten after a few days of working the actual job. Many people drop out of the training groups on account of having trouble with the numerical tests that are done, and learning about how to assess different types of income is a long, arduous process.

The job itself involves spending the entire day on the phone in order to consult with mortgage brokers and, on occasion, solicitors and customers. This is hit or miss, as brokers, like all people, can either be lovely to speak with or downright abusive. Furthermore, they treat any hiccups in the application process as your fault, even though you are only doing the job that you were trained to do. This is frustrating and oftentimes colleagues will argue with brokers, which is perfectly understandable. However, the fact that it is necessary is rather disappointing.

Management is good, for the most part. Line managers will help to answer all of your queries, although some are frustrated that you do not know everything after an hour on the phones; trust me when I say that training does not cover most of what you need to know in order to perform your job efficiently. On-call experience is the real teacher, as are your fellow colleagues, who will do their best to help you with any queries or issues, in my experience.

Without splitting hairs, the contract situation with recruiting companies is absolutely despicable. This is the real sticking point for most workers, and the reason that so many wish to leave. The bank does not offer full-time contracts to many of its workers, who are instead hired by the recruiters and kept on renewable, six-month rolling contracts. As a result of this, salary is abysmal and other colleague benefits are nonexistent. If you have trouble with a paycheck or any other clerical issue, then you must phone the recruiters and pray that you can actually get them on the phone, which in itself is a game of chance. The union is pathetic too, with one organiser registering a group of us a week into the job and then never again contacting us with any details, welcome packages or further information. At least that wasn't charged.

All in all, LBG is a difficult employer to work for. You are able to dress casually, are mostly praised for your work and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are handling massive amounts of cash in order to help real people find their dream home. I was personally able to resolve some serious issues for various customers in my time there, which is a cathartic, rewarding experience. However, the job does not pay well, the situation with the recruiters is a mess and the job itself is tedious, requiring long hours and monotonous action that will drive some people around the bend before too long. If you are prepared for this and willing to work past your shift time (which is mandatory if you take a long call), then you may enjoy this position. Otherwise, think of it as a stopgap or even avoid altogether if you aren't good with calculations and computer systems.

I've worked here for over 10 years and it's always been fast paced, which can make your day go by quickly. However everything else nowadays is a complete shambles. 

- Bank advises that job opportunities, development etc is on a 'Fair and Transparent ' basis yet most development roles need to be endorsed by your line manager and if you want to try for any Team Manager cover roles then they are normally decided by your senior management.  It's more 'If your face fits' than anything else. 
- Management roles are given to people who talk the talk but certainly can't walk the walk. Half of them don't know what day it is let alone know how to manage a team. You get fobbed off if you have a query or need help. 
- Got an opinion? As long as its not seen as negative then you'll be ok. Management don't like to hear negative thoughts or opinions and if you do then you're then tarred with being a trouble maker. 
- If you're off ill, you have to call in every day (Unless you have a sick line or are Lkng Term Sick) and you get the joy of speaking to a different Manager each time. Some will question you thouroghly and others won't even pass on the message that you've called.  
-Senior Management will discuss your absence with all other managers at their team meetings (I know this first hand as I've been a manager) breaking all confidentiality. 
- Teams get rotated frequently and given managers who can't support them properly as they aren't skilled themselves. 
-Absences are covered up whereas others are managed out the business, there's no consistency and processes aren't followed correctly.
-Colleagues are constantly being upskilled to meet customer demands however this then leads to gaps in other areas which results in high call volumes and high wait times for customers. 
- Wait times are normally in excess of 1/2 hours resulting in customers taking out frustrations on colleagues. 
- 121's, time off the phone, team huddles etc  are regularly pulled and there will be nothing at the weekends. 
 
I could go on....bank is severely understaffed and don't care about their colleagues until the annual survey comes about. Then you start to get their attention and regular team meetings etc. Senior Manager in Fraud is manipulative and doesn't like not getting his own way. Lacks empathy and general management skills, slopes off work to others then takes the credit.

Bank needs an overhaul of its management team and needs to actually listen to the colleagues that work on the ground. Wouldn't recommend at this moment in time unless it's just temporary. 

A typical day at work would compromise of meeting another staff member usually the Branch Manager to open the bank. Once all security procedures have been followed and carried out I would then begin checking my diary for the day ahead. We would hold our morning meeting to discuss the weekly figures and performance and our plans and expectations for the day. On average I will see between 6-10 customers per day some walk in and others I have booked in to conduct full financial reviews and look to improve their circumstances, on top of this I would look to try and contact more customers via the telephone to arrange appointments whilst helping around the bank in other areas ie: serving on the help desk, coaching and developing new and existing staff and opening business accounts.

From this position I have learned that I can work under pressure, use my knowledge and experience to develop others, most aspects of the banking industry and the value of building strong customer relationships.

In this job I only deal direct with the branch manager and customer service manager, when the branch is in a good position and performing well the manager will leave us alone to perform our jobs, work on our own initiative and give us breathing space to enjoy the job, however when things are going in the opposite direction its the total opposite, in her defence the customer service manager believes we know how to and are capable of doing our jobs and should be left to do it.

The hardest part of the job is the requirement to work the relevant hours to do the job with no set contracted maximum and no overtime payments. The fact the company is to have distanced itself from sales and targets and moved towards customer service, however still have targets on sales whilst trying to provide top customer makes the job difficult and confusing as to which direction we are working in.

The most enjoyable part of the job has to be the people I work with and closeness and family like bond we all have, also up top with that is the customer base I have built and the people I have helped in all different kinds of situations and the satisfaction I get at the end of the day knowing I have helped someone out.

Having paid back over £6 billion to customers for the mis-selling of most products then that tells you everything about the Group I worked with for 17 years...when I joined it was a great place to work but the merger with TSB took the Company in the wrong direction and more and more key positions were filled by TSB Heritage staff.

So a culture of mis-selling arose and anyone who challenged the ethics were bullied and mis-treated at most levels within the Company.

I stood up to the practices as a Senior Manager and had my sales targets doubled and sales staff halved to put me in a position whereby at the end of a sales year it was decided I was not capable of doing the job I had successfully fulfilled for 10 years previously.

It took another 18 months before I could be finally be 'managed out' and in that period anything I raised with the HR or Compliance Departments regarding mis-selling to customers or the poor treatment of staff were 'swept under the carpet'

I find it amazing that you now see advertising campaigns from Lloyds where they talk about how they work with customers with mental illnesses and understand their plight and yet it was a Company that was rife with creating metal illness within its' own staff purely because they were not prepared to cheat or lie to loyal customers.

The present CEO talks about his own struggles with mental illness and has diligently carried out a review to eradicate future poor practices and ensured all customers were properly compensated for their mis-treatment.

However no similar review has been carried out looking at the staff who were mis-treated and that sums up the Group as it stands as at today....great online platforms...centralised processing with little or no customer contact/expertise at Branch level and experienced staff counting the days until they can retire.

Lloyds Bank today is a Company that cares a lot about its' corporate image but lacks the integrity to look back and look after loyal hard working staff who were so badly treated in the same period their customers were also badly treated.

It was forced to look after its' customers through legislation passed but its' staff was 'optional'...so it chooses to ignore them...

What is the best part of working at the company?
Lloyds Banking Group are not a bad employer, very flexible regarding working hours as long as you are flexible too, rate of pay was OK and case working was kind of interesting if you enjoy investigating.  I had to switch between departments several times when cases became low which for me was not great as I'm dyslexic and learning new systems constantly was painful but some colleagues enjoyed the varied work. Progression within the company is possible, the company promotes internally and two of my colleagues went into management, one is now lower middle management, the other is a team leader. Holidays are pretty generous with options to buy upto 1 week of holidays which can be paid from your flex benefits which is an additional benefit pot that can be used for many different things like life insurance, extra care for family with bupa (you have cover from the bank, I covered my partner). 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
For me it was target's as I'm dyslexic and the nature of what I did involved a lot of reading which is where I fall down. However the company recognises neuro diversity and offers a lot of help with help groups and tools to make things easier. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The company really promotes diversity, I had colleagues from different cultures and faiths, LBG and there us a good mix of male and female colleagues. With working from home we were spread across the country and my team meetings were via Microsoft teams, we also helped each other with case enquiries via teams and able to share screens to offer guidance helping each other. I would say the work environment was pretty good, always helping each other.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
After logging in I would check for any updates on my cases then prioritise which case needed working, allot times to make calls to customers and check for any work or system updates. Often I would get calls from colleagues needing help with a case fairly early, and then we have our team meetings .

I enjoyed working in Fraud a section of  Collections Department  In Hove and the team I worked with were brilliant they where the best people I had ever worked with, incredibly kind,  thoughtful, caring, clever, smart and a credit to themselves each and everyone of them.  It was a pleasure to work with everybody and I will miss them  all.   They did not hesitate to help you if you needed help and were very professional in the way they worked and always made me feel a part of their team and never left me out.  The Company itself was brilliant to work for, its own Starbucks, various TV rooms all around the building, Restaurant subsidised by the company, will miss the great range of food available, including the icecream trolley that went round the department throughout the summer months  the cake trolley, and the charity days and MAD make a difference days which were brilliant and encouraged not only to help charities but team building too.  Also there was the social club  which had regular monthly events, BUPA, and various other benefits for staff

My day was spent working through customers accounts, through being trained up thoroughly in the beginning and making sure I understood the procedures and adhering to the policies of the bank and abiding by the Financial Services code of Authority and ensuring that the customer received good customer service and a fair outcome for any fraud that had occurred on their bank account.  Each customer's account was worked differently and double checked to make sure that no errors had taken place before being submitted back to the customer.   I was trained to use the telephone and skilled up so to present an excellent service to the customer ensuring that the Bank had received good feedback too from the customer ensuring a good outcome all round. We used Microsoft Office amongst many other  bespoke computer software systems, which were used in each department I was trained up in. So not one department used the same software system each one worked differently

I worked for the group intotal 14 years across the West Midlands and I can say with all my heart that I hated every moment of it..the development opportunities are aweful and only if you are best friends with the hiring managers do you get a look in. The complaints department is a shambles-often complaints are not dealt with but money is thrown to customers to silence them. Aswell as the department being increadably clickey to a point that “bad behaviour is hidden” within the operation the management is more focused on what ppl are doing on a weekend than displaying the brand values. While I was there, 3-4 colleagues committed internal fraud and it was hid away from colleagues outside the department.

It tells you something when the MDs main focus is to bring in consultants on 6 months contracts, often at a rate of £400 per day than spending the money on permeant staff. I am so lucky that I have moved on and found an organisation  that I would recommend in a heart beat because it is everything that LBG isn’t.

LBG looks like a Ferrari but has a 1980s Skoda engine..temps are treated awfully (I saw a group of 24 temps be pulled out of training because the business no longer needed them and that was 3 days into training).

Don’t be fooled by the shares ( I got nothing after 3 years!!) or the pension or the smoke screen that is “you are developed based on your skills”- they don’t!! The management is not only over populated but driven by ppl that have no experience of formal qualifications to do the role, especially the PMs who project manage as though it’s a school play- no one takes the lead and if you do you have to check with 16 other ppl before a decision is made. 

Trust me you can do better than this “bank”. Everyone I speak to I tell them never to go to LBG as it will get you no where... I left on my own accord because I decided that I needed to make that leap after14 years, I stayed because like anything you fear change.. but I am so glad I did because the organisation I work for now is amazing and the grass is greener on the other side!

in a typical day at work i would normally be in for my shift 15 mins early as since it was in a fast changing environment i had to make sure i was always up to date with any changes and that i understood these changes. after that i would be on inbound calls, each call varying in requests since i was in the hub of telephone banking. i would receive anything up to 100 calls a day ranging from checking they,re bank balance to a customer complaint. we had to deal with as much as we could at first point of contact but in the case of a unusual call then we did have specialist areas. in this job i learned to be able to build rapport easy and quickly with customer to make it easier to talk to them. i also learn to be very organized, with they're being so many different procedures i had to keep my help sheets available and understandable for when i needed them. the management were always busy listening or marking calls or having side by sides with colleagues so sometimes it was hard to get help on a unusual call from them. in this case i would try ask a colleague but with the floor being so busy it was hard to get someone off the phone so i usually had to phone the specialist department. it was tricky as time to find the chance to bond with co-workers as all our scheduled time of the phone was at different times and if you got caught on a call also it made it difficult to be off at the same time as someone else. if a co-worker wasn't busy then they were always very helpful if i had any queries. the hardest part of the day would be having to take some many calls, as no two calls were the same and we didn't have a lot of time to create rapport. i had to always alert and stay concentrated even if i had had a bad call a had to quickly pick myself up for the next one. the best part about the job would be if the customer has phoned with a problem and i had resolved the problem and made sure it wouldn't happen again for the customer and i knew it was the correct outcome for the customer then this would make me happy.

No one day is the same working in head office at Lloyds banking group. There is a culture to work collaboratively as well as independently. I have had 18 successful years working within the organisation from Branch Network to Design Operations (HCD). Hands on experience with customers dealing with day to day banking needs to more complex and sensitive nature. Recognised for being highly collaborative building effective relationships with my excellent interpersonal skills having the ability to adapt, challenge, negotiate and influence accordingly. This is evident through the excellent relations built over the years with stakeholders internal and external to the organisation I am passionate about driving change and adopting new ways of working and to be at the heart of shaping how we evolve that through smarter and more efficient processes, systems that better serve and enable our colleagues to deliver for our customers.
Expert in root cause analysis, problem solving, finding new ways to work to improve processes, implementing change initiatives and experienced in risk management. Skilled in leading and coaching with proven ability of delivering through others, both within and across teams executing business objectives. Involved in innovating and shaping the future through strategic planning, introducing new operating frameworks and more recently adopting agile principles prioritising work flows and backlog using JIRA and Confluence.
There is opportunity to progress your career with a host  of learning available from online courses to workshops and external training. I have recently completed a diploma in Business Analyst Diploma, Agile essentials and Double Diamond to better understand business methodologies to support fulfil team requirements.

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