Customer Help Assistant Review

Item: Customer Help Assistant at Financial Ombudsman Service
Rating: 3.9
Author: Anonymous

at Financial Ombudsman Service

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Finance

London

Review Submitted: May 2021

Overall Rating

3.9 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

3.8/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

I am a customer help assistant, and i work in the new to conversion department of the service. My role is to collate the information provided by the consumers or representatives and to assess the current stage of the case and review if there is anything else we need before it came be moved on to an investigator.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

Its been going really good so far, I have a lot of support from my mentor and manager as well as others in my team who are always willing to give advice and share their knowledge. There has been a lot of information from other departments about new things happening in the service which is nice to see.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

I've developed on my time management skills as well as my ability to assess information against what we require. I have been learning how to conduct correspondence with consumers that seem personable whilst remaining specific to the end result. I've been adapting on my administrator skills also as i save a lot of correspondence templates that i used and tweak accordingly.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

I think its very well structured. I am given time frames to complete my apprentice related work and regular catch up sessions with the apprentice trainer. In the sessions we go through everything i've done in the passed few weeks and assess my competence and capabilities to move to the next stage.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

4/5

I receive a lot of support. I am very comfortable in going to my mentor or manager if I need help or advise or have any ideas on how I can develop myself and we set aside time to properly talk about things which really makes me feel very respected.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

4/5

My training provider is very resourceful and always willing to help me, they send me regular emails between our sessions to check I am doing okay and if I have any questions then I feel comfortable reaching out to her if theres something i dont understand or may be need to see in a different light.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

3/5

It can go in different ways, there are times where I feel the course is very retail based which is not exactly translatable to my current role. I do find the experience helpful and I do understand them, but there are times where they ask for me to relate the topic to my own work (which makes sense) but I don't encounter some of the situations the topics cover so it is hard to create a link with my work.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

4/5

There are many networking groups in the service for different races, religions, gender but you dont necessarily need to match up to any of those as a qualification for the support groups - you have the freedom to be in every network you chose to be in. I think its nice as it gives people the option to learn about others who may be different from you.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Financial Ombudsman Service to a friend?

Yes

Why?

From my experiences so far, I feel the service has provided me with a lot of support and shows an interest in your development and provides you with the tools to help you achieve your targets. It is a great platform for launching any future career path in the finance industry.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Financial Ombudsman Service?

An awareness of different types of financial circumstance is crucial. If you have not had much experience in any challenging situations yourself, then read up on any issues relating to credit/loans/fraudulent activity or even general financial complaints. It will be a big help in preparing yourself for your time at the service.

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