Banking Customer Service Adviser
What is the work like?
As a customer service adviser or cashier, you would be the first point of contact for a bank or building society’s customers.
You could work in retail branches serving customers face to face, or in contact centres dealing with customers over the telephone or by e-mail. Your job could include:
- processing payments and withdrawals
- handling cash and cheques
- dealing with enquiries
- selling financial products and services to customers
- using a computerised system to update account details
- doing administrative tasks such as opening post and sending letters to customers
- issuing foreign currency
- helping customers with loan and mortgage applications.
With experience, you would handle more complex enquiries and may also supervise a team.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
Entry requirements can vary between employers. Some banks may ask for four or more GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths, others may not ask for any qualifications but will ask you to pass their own entry tests when you apply.
You will usually need experience of customer service or cash handling, so previous experience in sales or retail work can be an advantage. You also need basic computer skills, so previous office experience will also be useful.
You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
What further training and development can I do?
You will usually be trained on the job through an employer's detailed in-house training scheme.
Your training may include the chance to work towards a nationally-recognised qualification such as:
- NVQ levels 2 and 3 in Retail Financial Services
- NVQ levels 1 and 2 in Contact Centre Operations and Level 3 Contact Centre Professionals
- NVQ levels 2 and 3 in Customer Service
- ifs School of Finance Customer Service Professional (CSP) award.
With experience, you could choose to take further qualifications to develop your career into other areas, such as mortgage advice or financial planning.
If you are aiming for supervisory management jobs, you may help your career by taking advanced qualifications from the ifs School of Finance, such as:
- Professional Diploma in Financial Services Management (Professional DFSM)
- Applied Diploma in Corporate Banking
- Applied Diploma in Retailing Financial Services.
See the ifs School of Finance website for more details about their qualifications.
Where can I go for more information?
6th FloorYork House
23 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6UJ
Tel: 020 7520 5900
4-9 Burgate Lane
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2XJ
Tel: 01227 818609
London
EC2V 7HQ
Tel: 0845 257 3772
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
Alternatively, you can visit our website at: www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice
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What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Starting salaries can be around £11,000 to £13,000 a year.
- With experience and more responsibility, this can rise to between £16,000 and £23,000 a year.
Salaries are often increased by earning bonuses and commission for meeting sales targets. Other benefits can include subsidised mortgages, loans, pensions, shares and insurance.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
In retail branches, normal working hours would be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with Saturdays on a rota. Shift work is common in contact centres, which usually operate six or seven days a week until late in the evening. Part-time work is widely available, and temporary work is possible.
In a retail branch, you would spend some of your time working behind a glass screen in the front office. In a contact centre you would work at a desk with a telephone headset and computer. You would be provided with a uniform if your job involved dealing with customers face-to-face.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- excellent communication and 'people' skills
- the ability to work as part of a team
- honesty and reliability
- good mathematical skills
- accuracy and attention to detail
- the confidence to sell financial products to customers
- good computer skills
- tact and discretion, to deal with confidential information.
What opportunities are there?
You could work in retail bank branches all over the UK, or in regional processing and call centres. Jobs may be advertised in the local press, through employment agencies and employers' own websites.
With experience, you could progress to senior cashier, specialist customer service adviser, trainee manager, and then branch manager. You may need to move to another branch to achieve promotion. Larger banks may offer the chance to work in merchant or investment banking.
Contact an adviser
Email
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or phone: 0800 100 900
Bilingual advisers available
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