Martin Potts, RMT Group Training Manager talks about his role at RMT and the role of the call centre operators, who he both trains and provides ongoing support to.
RMT offers complimentary appointments with Independent Financial Advisors across the UK. The aim of the appointments is to give members of the public the opportunity to have their pension reviewed by an FCA-regulated Independent Financial Advisor, who can assess whether their pension is performing for them and advise them of any course of action that will make them financially better off.
The first stage in this process starts will a call from an RMT phone operative who will provide awareness of the changes in pension legislation and explain exactly what takes place at an appointment and how it can be of benefit.
The majority of call centres operatives at RMT are home-based, giving them the flexibility to fit their work around other commitments. Their career at RMT starts off as office-based, where they receive training and support until they are ready to work from home.
“The training really centres around instilling the foundations and the knowledge in our new employees,” Martin Potts explains. “ It comprises of three, what we call, classroom days, where they are taken through the UK pensions market, the news laws that are in place and the changes to pension legislation.
“It’s important to remember that we are not training IFAs but our call centre operators do need to have a foundation knowledge of both the service we offer and the pensions market so that they can communicate this effectively to people.
“Following the training, employees spend around one month working in our incubation centre, working with myself and one other experienced office-based operator until they are confident in what they are doing and are able to work from home.
“And even when they become home-based we are still there at the end of the phone if they need our help or support. In addition, we continually monitor performance and listen to recordings of calls to ensure the quality of their work is always at the highest level and provide feedback as and when necessary.
“Our call centre operation is based in Spain and so when we look to recruit new employees we look for someone who is already settled and established in Spain. We look for someone who is experienced in working in call centres, someone who ideally has a background in finance and, most importantly, is confident in communicating on the phone.
“We can teach people all about the service we offer and the pensions market but the one thing we cannot teach them is how to be confident on the phone.
“Anyone receiving a call from one of our operatives can expect to speak to a professional individual. It’s important to remember that we are not trying to sell anything, so it’s not a case that they are going to be receiving a call from a sales person.
“Our role is to help people to understand that it is something that could be of benefit to them. We raise awareness of the new pension legislation, explain how this could affect them and give them the opportunity to speak with an Independent Financial Advisor.
“It is a complimentary review with someone who is professional, it is something that the UK Government recommends everyone should do to ensure their pension is in order.
“An Independent Financial Advisor will give you an hour of their time, review your financial situation and, in most cases, will be able to come back with a solution to your problem.
“On the flipside, if they review your situation and everything is fine, then they will recommend you leave things as they are, which gives you peace of mind that your pension is performing well. And who wouldn’t want to receive peace of mind about something that is so crucial to you in later life.
“Sometimes people expect that it will be a sales man turning up to their home for the consultation and they are pleasantly surprised to discover they are not. Instead, it’s a qualified and regulated advisor who provides honest and professional advice and anyone who has a meeting with an Independent Financial Advisor is under no obligation to take things further.
“They are simply presented with the options available to them and clear information on how this could benefit them. Any costs associated with any recommendations are clearly and transparently explained, leaving them with the information they need to make an informed choice about what to do with their pension.
“I actually really enjoy my role at RMT. It’s not a pressurised sales environment, it’s a professional office, with a nice small team and it’s great to work for an established, professional company with a bright future ahead.”
