Customer Service Specialist

Abound

About Abound We’re redefining consumer lending in the UK, and beyond. Using advanced AI and Open Banking data, we make fair, affordable personal finance available to more people. While traditional lenders rely almost entirely on credit scores, we look at the full financial picture - how much you spend, and what you can afford to repay to build a deeper, more accurate understanding of each customer's unique financial situation. And we've shown it works at scale. We’ve issued over £1.3bn in loans directly to customers while delivering market-leading credit performance - for every 10 defaults the industry expects, we see only 3. We also reached profitability just 2.5 years after launch. Backed by £2bn+ of funding from top-tier investors including Citi, GSR Ventures, and Deutsche Bank, we’re recognised as one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintechs (Sifted, CNBC). Now, we’re expanding into new markets and product lines - and we’re looking for ambitious people who want to learn fast, take ownership, and grow with us. What you'll be doing: The operations team support our customers throughout the entire customer journey, assisting with queries as they apply for a loan all the way to arranging a suitable repayment plan should they fall into financial difficulty. As a Customer Service Specialist you'll be expected to offer exceptional service at all times and provide tailored support to our customers, if and when they need it. At Abound we put our customers at the heart of what we do so it’s important that you do too. We're looking for individuals who consistently go the extra mile, exhibit strong work ethic, and treat colleagues and customers respectfully. You’ll work from our Central Milton Keynes office 3 days a week with the ability to work from home for the remaining two. Who you are * Extensive customer service experience within financial services (preferably personal loans but any lending experience would be considered). * In depth knowledge and awareness of the financial services industry and regulations. E.g. FCA Guidelines, experience of KYC/TCF principles. * The ability to handle and resolve complex customer queries and complaints efficiently and independently. * Strong attention to detail with a high regard for accuracy. * Ability to work confidently individually or as part of a team, you’ll be self-motivated, being able to  recognise your own strengths and weaknesses, being committed to your own personal development and actively seeking opportunities to maximise contribution. * A proactive mindset, with the ability to identify problems that may arise and suggest solutions. * Excellent communication skills whilst liaising with colleagues and other areas of the business. * Exceptional customer service skills being able to listen, communicate effectively and manage expectations. You’ll be expected to take ownership and accountability of your work on a daily basis. * Communicate with customers through multiple channels at one time. * Be results driven and have the ability to work well under pressure. * You should possess the ability to be flexible, being able to adapt quickly to changing requirements and business demands. * The ability to work with other members of the team to eliminate process waste which does not add value to the borrower or the business and provide clear and concise rationale for the changes. * The desire to progress and development their skill set. Joining a FinTech startup is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your expertise. The success of the business relies directly on your actions. * Experience working with vulnerable customers, complaints and financial difficulty. What skills you'll need * Minimum 2 years customer service experience in financial services. * Experience of handling customer queries and providing an exceptional level of service. * Excellent communication skills with the ability handle difficult conversations if required. * Innovative and creating thinking, you’ll be expected to solve problems and think analytically. * Strong self-management skills – use your own initiative, be flexible and open to any changes whilst working in a fast paced environment. * Contribute regularly to improve processes and ensure they remain up to date. * Good standard of education including excellent computer literacy skills. * Experience logging, investigating and resolving complaints. * You may be expected to support other areas if the business if required, this is a good opportunity to expand your knowledge in the consumer lending sector. * Multi-channel experience is preferred, telephony and email communication experience is essential. What we offer * Everyone owns a piece of the company - equity * Hybrid with 3 days a week in the office * 25 days’ holiday a year, plus 8 bank holidays * 2 paid volunteering days per year * One month paid sabbatical after 4 years * Employee loan * Free gym membership through WellHub * Team wellness budget to be active together - set up a yoga class, a tennis lesson or go bouldering

Lendable

ABOUT LENDABLE Lendable is on a mission to build the world's best technology to help people get credit and save money. We're building one of the world’s leading fintech companies and are off to a strong start: * One of the UK’s newest unicorns with a team of just over 700 people * Among the fastest-growing tech companies in the UK * Profitable since 2017 * Backed by top investors including Balderton Capital and Goldman Sachs * Loved by customers with the best reviews in the market (4.9 across 10,000s of reviews on Trustpilot) So far, we’ve rebuilt the Big Three consumer finance products from scratch: loans, credit cards and car finance. We get money into our customers’ hands in minutes instead of days. We’re growing fast, and there’s a lot more to do: we’re going after the two biggest Western markets (UK and US) where trillions worth of financial products are held by big banks with dated systems and painful processes. JOIN US IF YOU WANT TO 1. Take ownership across a broad remit. You are trusted to make decisions that drive a material impact on the direction and success of Lendable from day 1 2. Work in small teams of exceptional people, who are relentlessly resourceful to solve problems and find smarter solutions than the status quo 3. Build the best technology in-house, using new data sources, machine learning and AI to make machines do the heavy lifting About the role The Front-Line Operations Agent plays a vital customer-facing role, responsible for delivering high-quality support for a designated Lendable product, encompassing both general customer service and financial support. You will follow established processes to resolve a variety of complex customer queries, ensuring interactions are efficient, accurate, and empathetic—applying your cross-functional expertise across general service needs and more intricate financial support situations. By taking ownership of every enquiry from first contact to final resolution, you will not only deliver exceptional customer outcomes but also provide actionable feedback and insights to help improve our automated tools and AI-driven customer journeys. This role is key in ensuring our service continually evolves to better meet the needs of all customers. You’ll be based in our Chatham office, joining the team on-site three days a week. You’ll work two weekends a month, but to keep your work-life balance in check, you’ll get a day in lieu the week before to ensure you never work more than five days a week. Key Responsibilities * Deliver exceptional support for a designated Lendable product, expertly handling a full spectrum of customer service and financial support queries via multiple channels, efficiently executing established processes. * Listen actively and provide clear, accurate responses, adapting communication style to each customer's needs, including those in vulnerable situations or with complex financial queries including customers in financial difficulty to ensure appropriate support solutions are implemented. * Take end-to-end ownership of customer interactions, ensuring every query is managed through to effective resolution or appropriate escalation. * Build rapport and trust while maintaining control of conversations, ensuring positive and compliant customer outcomes. * Ask effective probing questions to understand a customer’s financial circumstances and identify appropriate support options. * Work flexibly within your designated product area, adapting fluidly between general customer service and financial support requirements, and responding to varying service needs and complex customer queries. Operational Excellence & Process Execution * Meet and exceed targets and KPIs related to customer satisfaction, quality, and compliance by consistently following key operational procedures and applying appropriate judgement to specific customer circumstances. * Effectively use AI and digital tools to streamline customer interactions and deliver faster, more accurate service. * Identify blockers, process gaps, or recurring issues and communicate these to relevant teams, supporting continuous improvement initiatives. * Log all interactions accurately and ensure data integrity for audit and learning purposes. Continuous Improvement & Feedback * Provide clear, actionable feedback from frontline experiences to enhance our knowledge base, training resources, and AI systems. * Participate in process reviews and contribute suggestions to enhance the customer journey, automation, and operational efficiency. * Remain up to date with ongoing system, product, and process changes, readily adapting to evolving procedures. Learning & Development * Respond positively to coaching and feedback, using it to improve performance and customer outcomes. * Demonstrate initiative in learning new tools, products, and procedures as they are introduced. * Share knowledge and support colleagues, helping to create a culture of collaborative learning. Experience & Skills * Previous experience in a contact centre environment, with demonstrated experience in both customer service and financial support roles (or a combined equivalent), particularly within financial services. * Demonstrated ability to handle complex queries with empathy, accuracy, and ownership. * Confident in following structured processes and able to identify opportunities to improve them. * Strong communication, rapport-building, and conflict resolution skills. * Skilled in using digital tools and comfortable adopting new technologies, including AI-driven platforms. * Organised and able to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced setting. * Proactive in offering feedback and participating in process and AI improvement initiatives. Behaviours & Approach * Customer-focused, with a passion for delivering consistent, positive outcomes. * Resilient, adaptable, and open to constant change and learning. * Collaborative, supportive team player committed to shared success. * High level of accountability and personal ownership for customer outcomes and process execution. * Constructive, solutions-focused approach with willingness to challenge the status quo. Perks & Benefits * More Time to Unwind Start with 25 days of holiday, plus extra days to reward your loyalty! Hit your 1-year milestone and get 26 days, or 27 days after 2+ years. * Own a Share of Our Growth We want you to have skin in the game. You’ll receive Company Equity, meaning as we scale, you directly share in our financial success. * Health & Wellbeing Peace of mind comes standard with comprehensive private medical and dental insurance from day one. * Smash Targets, Get Rewarded Earn up to a £4,000 annual performance bonus based on hitting key team metrics and KPIs. * Perks & Recognition via Reward Gateway Access hundreds of exclusive employee discounts, alongside our brand-new recognition programme tied to our core competencies. Plus, enjoy dedicated team budgets for ad hoc, monthly, quarterly, and annual awards! * Legendary Socials & Summer Events We love to celebrate our hard work! From team get-togethers to our epic annual Summer Day Event, featuring great food, a BBQ, and plenty of fun, there are always opportunities to connect and unwind with colleagues across the business. Our Interview Process We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us! Here is what you can expect: * Step 1: Cognitive Assessment A short, online assessment to help us understand your problem-solving style and cognitive strengths. * Step 2: Talent Screening Call A quick chat with a member of our Talent Acquisition team to talk through your experience, what you are looking for, and answers to any initial questions you have. * Step 3: Onsite Interview & Role Preview A 1-hour interview at our Chatham office. To give you a true feel for our environment, you will also have the optional chance to jump on a live call-listening session to experience the role firsthand! LIFE AT LENDABLE * Winning team: the opportunity to scale up one of the world’s most successful fintech companies * Flexible working: flexible approach tailored to each role. Hybrid roles require three days in-office weekly; fully remote roles include regular opportunities for in-person connection through socials and off-sites * Socials & connection: opportunities and events to come together, socialise, and get to know each other beyond the office walls * Health coverage: support for your physical and mental wellbeing, including private health cover * Retirement & savings: long-term financial wellbeing through retirement savings plans * Employee referral programme: earn a competitive bonus when you refer successful new team members * Office meals & snacks: enjoy a fully stocked kitchen, plus complimentary lunches prepared by in-house chefs on in-office days at select locations * Sustainable commuting: cycle-to-work and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes available in select locations Please note: The availability and details of specific benefits vary by location and role. For more information, please speak to your Talent Partner. Check out our blog!

Zopa

Our Story   Hello there. We’re Zopa.   We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward. Find out more about our fantastic offerings at Zopa.com!    We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and none of it would be possible without the amazing team here. It’s not just industry awards we’re winning, we’ve also been named in the top three UK’s Most Loved Workplaces.    If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa, so join us, and make it count. Want to see us in action? Follow us on Instagram @zopalife   As a Customer Service Specialist, you are customer-centric and a strong team player, with a collaborative approach that ensures the customer is always at the heart of everything you do. You can identify opportunities to improve the service we offer and make decisions aimed at creating an exceptional customer experience every time. Delivering first-call resolution by working closely with other areas and taking ownership of each customer interaction is essential to this role.   You will work 5 days out of 7, totalling 37.5 hours per week. The working pattern will consist of 7.5 hour shifts between 8 am and 8 pm, Monday to Friday, and you will work one weekend a month, 9 am – 5:30 pm.   This is a hybrid role. The team works in the office Monday - Wednesday.   You will be required to work some bank holidays each year, for which you will receive time off in lieu.