Term: Permanent
Working hours: Full time/part-time hours considered
Team: Customer Engagement Team
Location: Agile/Northampton/Manchester
Equivo
We are the first nationwide provider of end-to-end debt and property recovery services, and we bring a huge wealth of expertise and experience to the market. Setting the standard for debt resolution by achieving what is right and fair while treating everyone we encounter with respect and sensitivity.
As a service business, our culture is based on a core belief in our greatest asset - our people.
We have a great opportunity for a Customer Engagement Executive to join our team here at Equivo.
The team
Equivo provides a complete range of debt recovery services utilising cutting edge technology and with specialists dealing with different debt types, all operating under a centralised management structure allowing us to deliver consistently excellent service. Equivo comprises three divisions (1) Legal Services, (2) Field Services and Collections and (3) Enforcement.
Within the Legal Services Division, we act for a wide variety of banks, building societies, other lenders, and debt buyers.
Our specialist teams are trained to deal with a variety of debt recovery activities. Within the Legal Services Division, this includes both Customer Engagement and Litigation teams under our Operational Delivery pillar who are responsible for the day to day delivery of services to clients. Our Client Relationship teams work closely with clients and with our Operational Deliver teams to ensure that we deliver our services in line with client expectations.
The Customer Engagement Team is key to our business, engaging with our clients’ customers through a number of channels to find effective and reasonable solutions for customers to repay their debt without the need for litigation or, where litigation is appropriate, to engage with customers to continue to seek suitable solutions.
The Customer Engagement Team manages each case and liaises with the Litigation Team to ensure that all activity is controlled and managed effectively, in line with client requirements, SLAs etc.
The role
To provide effective and competent engagement services to our clients’ customers both verbally, digitally, and by letter focussed on building rapport with customers, understanding their circumstances and finding appropriate solutions.
The role involves significant verbal communications with customers by telephone and the need to be competent in the technical elements necessary to provide a quality and comprehensive recoveries service with a client and customer service focus.
Main responsibilities
High Level
- To engage with customers through all communication channels including telephone, email, letter and online to understand customer circumstances and to find appropriate solutions for repayment of outstanding liabilities, or apply other actions, in line with regulatory and client requirements.
- To be an expert in initially one but ultimately be highly competent in all product lines, extending to Unsecured, ABL, Mortgage, or Commercial Lending and other creditor types as the business develops.
Communication and engagement
- To be able to take payments from customers and/or setting up automated payment method
- To identify early settlement opportunities
- To be able to effectively manage and support vulnerable customers Including, where appropriate to be a “go to” person
- To use your knowledge, skill and judgement to ensure all customers are treated fairly in line with FCA guidelines
- To identify complaints and attempt to resolve the complaint in line with firm policies and FCA requirements at first point of contact
- To communicate with third party agents to assist in recovery activities
General
- To be responsible and accountable for your workload including meeting internal and client SLA requirements
- To comply with client Service Level Agreements
- To be familiar with teams' policies, procedures and processes
- To comply with all of the companies' policies and all regulatory requirements
- To control and manage your workload effectively and efficiently using the relevant case management systems and IS resources and processes appropriately
- To be aware of associated areas of law impacting the team's delivery of its service
- To recognise any potential issues in cases and refer these appropriately
- To attend and complete any training in a timely manner
- To support with the implementation of any changes within the team
- To liaise with other internal teams and shares best practice as appropriate
- To understand and have an awareness of financial and commercial decisions
- To assist the team in achieving financial targets, other KPIs, management information and meeting budgets.
- To support and promote Equivo’s Quality Management System as guided by Senior Management.
- To answer and return calls in accordance with the firms policy and client's Service Level Agreements
- To maintain a professional manner within colleagues, clients and any other third parties
- To support the team with relevant business or client tasks when required.
- To assist with the compilation of client reports
Skills and qualifications
- Minimum English and Maths GCSE
- Extensive experience in customer engagement and customer service roles desirable
- Previous legal experience in Debt Recovery, Insolvency or Credit Control, or previous Paralegal experience within a Law Firm and, in particular in relation to financial services lending products, desirable
- Excellent customer care skills
- Self-confidence and ability to demonstrate initiative
- Ability to grasp things quickly and easily, self-motivated
- Enthusiastic with a positive, can do attitude, ,friendly and helpful approach
- IT literate with experience of using Word, Excel and the internet
- Develops skills to be very familiar with all technology relevant for the role and is able to share expertise with colleagues
- A confident telephone manner, and able to build a rapport
- Proven listening skills
- Ability to be empathetic
- Ability to deal with difficult telephone conversations with any of the key stakeholders confidently and calmly and refer if appropriate
- Good written, numeracy and oral communication skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Good negotiation skills
- Ability to prioritise, be organised and efficient, to ensure that the tasks are effectively scheduled within working time available, and that urgent work is completed and returned within the specified timescales.
- Able to handle pressure effectively
- Commercial awareness and thinking
- Flexibility with the capability to adapt to change, new practices and cope under pressure but with the ability to recognise when to seek assistance
- Able to integrate within a team and able to work on your own initiative
- Excellent organisational skills are required for this role
We would love to hear from those with recent experience in Customer Services or Debt Recovery.
You will need to be used to working from different document management systems. Our ideal candidate will have good communication skills and an ability to be adaptable.
We identify with candidates who are team players and show a strong work ethic.
We pride ourselves on having a culture and the technology that lends itself well to agile working practices and in this role we expect to offer a mix of office and home working.
We are a values-driven business – our values are at the core of the company and we evaluate how we behave in accordance with these values.
Equal opportunities
Equivo is a committed Equal Opportunities employer promoting equality of opportunity. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
Pre-Employment Screening
Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. These checks will include employment references covering the last 5 years, proof of ID, proof of address covering the last 5 years, Personnel Vetting credit search (which will only highlight insolvency or County Court Judgments - should any adverse data show on the Personnel Vetting search then any offer of employment made will be withdrawn). Terrorism Check (against data supplied by the Bank of England) and a DBS check previously known as a Criminal Records check.