ZAF Close Brothers

Overview

The role of a Customer Support Executive within early arrears is to engage with customers at the earliest appropriate point, understand their individual circumstances, and agree a suitable way forward. This will include discussing missed payments, assessing affordability, identifying vulnerability or additional support needs, and agreeing appropriate arrangements such as payment plans or other forbearance options in line with policy and regulatory expectations. This is a customer service driven role requiring empathy, sound judgement and strong communication skills. You will be expected to support customers in a fair and consistent way, while helping the business manage arrears effectively and within agreed key objectives and service level agreements. The role requires colleagues to exercise sound judgement when supporting customers experiencing actual or potential financial difficulty. Advisers will be expected to balance customer circumstances, affordability, regulatory requirements and business objectives to achieve fair, sustainable and appropriate outcomes.

Qualifications

Education and Specific Training

• Matric or equivalent

Work Experience

• Minimum 12 months experience in one or more of the following: collections, debt recovery, credit control, financial services customer support, banking, insurance or consumer finance.
• Collections, credit control or regulated financial services experience are essential.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in a regulated financial services environment.
• Experience supporting vulnerable customers.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Engage with customers in early arrears to understand the reason for arrears, current circumstances and ability to pay.
• Ask appropriate, open and probing questions to build a sufficient understanding of the customer’s financial position and any support needs. Agree fair, affordable and sustainable repayment arrangements or other suitable next steps in line with policy, procedure and delegated authority.
• Identify vulnerable customers or customers requiring additional support, taking appropriate action and recording relevant information accurately.
• Review and action early arrears cases in line with the company’s collection principles and customer outcome expectations.
• Effectively handle inbound and outbound customer contact, ensuring conversations are clear, supportive and outcome focused.
• Maintain accurate customer data, account notes and arrangement records in line with policy, procedure and data protection requirements.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of delivering good customer outcomes and ensuring customers receive support appropriate to their individual circumstances.
• Consider customer vulnerability, financial difficulty and potential barriers to engagement when assessing appropriate next steps.
• Escalate situations where customer harm, vulnerability concerns or operational risks are identified.
• Taking the time to understand each customer’s circumstances, asking the right questions, and agreeing fair, affordable and sustainable solutions that support positive customer and business outcomes. That’s why we’ll encourage you to be yourself in our fast-moving, fast-growing business.
• Manage early arrears accounts in line with agreed policies, procedures and FCA conduct rules.
• Working in a finance-related field requires a high level of responsibility, trust, honesty and integrity, with a strong focus on treating customers fairly and identifying where additional support may be needed.

Skills and Attributes

• An excellent communicator, both written and oral, with the ability to explain options clearly and sensitively. Self-motivated and able to manage a varied workload in a structured, timely and accurate way.
• Passionate about learning and developing confidence in collections, customer support and regulatory expectations.
• Outcome focused, with the ability to balance customer needs, affordability and business requirements.

• Polite, co-operative and friendly, with a professional and welcoming approach. Strong customer focus and the ability to deliver an excellent customer service experience. Proven ability to listen actively, identify important information and ask appropriate follow-up questions.
• Ability to build rapport with customers and bring a human touch to conversations that may be sensitive or difficult.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, emotional intelligence and resilience when supporting customers experiencing financial difficulty or vulnerable circumstances.
• Strong negotiation skills, with the confidence to agree appropriate payment plans or next steps.
• Ability to confidently manage difficult conversations whilst maintaining professionalism and positive customer
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills with the ability to agree sustainable repayment solutions.
• Ability to challenge appropriately and obtain sufficient information to support effective decision making.
• Computer literacy, including the ability to use systems, dashboards and Microsoft Office applications accurately.
• Curious, Team Spirited and Big Hearted.
• A positive mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.
• Ownership, accountability and rapport building.