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. We’re looking for an experienced individual to join us as a Complaints Specialist. This role sits at the heart of our customer operations and requires a strong balance of customer service expertise, analytical thinking, and sound business judgement. You’ll focus on ensuring fair and consistent outcomes for customers by managing complaints in line with individual circumstances, regulatory standards, and company values. This role will also involve supporting payment reconciliation, chargeback processing, credit file disputes & fraud investigations. You’ll work closely with the wider operations team in our Milton Keynes office, this is a hybrid position, requiring 3 days per week in MK and flexibility on the other 2 days. There’s also a monthly trip to our Central London office (travel expenses covered). Who you are: * Experience: 3–5 years’ experience in a complaints handling role within financial services, ideally lending. * Knowledge: In-depth understanding of FCA regulations and UK financial regulatory frameworks. * Skills: Analytical and confident in resolving complex complaints, with a structured and customer-first approach. * Communication: Empathetic and professional in written and verbal comms, especially under pressure. * Detail-oriented: Meticulous with documentation, case logs, and root cause analysis. What you’ll be doing * Complaint Handling: Manage business-as-usual (BAU) complaints from start to finish, ensuring responses are accurate, fair, and regulatory compliant. * Customer Communication: Be the main point of contact for escalated customer complaints, providing timely, empathetic, and clear updates throughout. * Regulatory Compliance: Ensure your casework aligns with FCA complaint handling standards and any other relevant obligations. * Root Cause Analysis: Investigate complaint trends and root causes. Work cross-functionally (e.g. with Underwriting, Collections) to compile accurate responses and identify areas for improvement. * Reporting: Support complaints reporting and MI activities. Share insights with senior management and escalate emerging issues where appropriate. * Support Other Teams: While you won’t manage complaints escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) yourself, you’ll provide documentation and insight to the team responsible for those. * Documentation: Maintain accurate and timely logs for all complaints in line with internal procedures and system requirements. * Wider Ops Support: Support the operations team with occasional work in fraud handling, account-level queries, or other process-related escalations as needed. 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 * Team wellness budget to be active together - set up a yoga class, a tennis lesson or go bouldering

Allica Bank

About Allica Bank Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers. Department Description Due to continued growth, internal promotions and an ongoing need to support our expanding customer base, we’re excited to be hiring Customer Service Advisors. Operations in banking like in every other firm is established to carry out all the day-to-day transactions of the business. The Operations function within Allica has wide-ranging responsibilities supporting the customers of all product lines (Commercial Mortgages, Asset Finance, Deposits and Payment Account with aligned card activity), alongside our own internal stakeholders.  We are particularly focused on the following, ensuring that the bank adheres to all relevant Regulatory requirements and our own internal policies and procedures at all times: * Slick digital account opening, and in life servicing. * Customer contact via telephony, email and in-app communications. * Payment and reconciliation activity. * Treasury operations. * Customer due diligence through Know Your Customer, Know Your Business. * Lending pipeline management. * Quality assurance and control. * Issue resolution. * Effective record keeping and data management. * Support of all change initiatives. Role Description The Customer Service Advisor will be responsible for 1st line customer service support for the Bank’s Retail and SME customers via Chat (Online) and Telephony, together with Back Office activities to support the smooth running of the function. They will be the focal point for customers – delivering exceptional service whilst living our values and speaking a language our customers will understand and understanding the business and banking challenges our customers face.   Principal Accountabilities * To field inbound communications from customers – either over voice, chat or social media – to action their requests, resolve their issues and manage complaints through to resolution. * You’ll be responsible for case management, and this may include outbound customer communications, payments and letter writing. * Some of the key exceptions you’ll be dealing with will include KYC, complaints, vulnerable customers, deceased/power of attorney cases and SME customers who might have complex needs. * To proactively identify areas for process improvement and to seek new and innovative ways to better serve the customer. * To live and breathe the Bank’s values, representing the Bank to customers and speaking to customers in a way that resonates. * To support other teams as appropriate, where customer communication or engagement is required.   Personal Attributes & Experience * Strong customer service experience, having worked in customer facing and or telephone service roles. * Experience using core banking systems and familiar with the use and application of social media as a form of interaction. * Experience in dealing with complex complaints and in taking ownership of customer concerns through to resolution. * Experience of core processes (e.g. account opening, servicing and closing, payments processing, complaint handling, KYC case referrals, general enquiry management). * Experience in working with workflow / task management tools. * Knowledge of financial services rules and guidelines. * Excellent oral and written skills as they will be constantly communicating with customers. * Enthusiastic and articulate, whilst being motivated by a need to help people. * A problem solver and can create positive customer outcomes in diverse situations. * Conform to our ethical standards and conduct. * Perform administrative tasks related to the customer interaction. * Deliver outstanding customer service as measured through customer satisfaction KPIs. * Manage and monitor service providers for customer quality. * Drive customer service innovation and continuous improvement of process to deliver better customer outcomes. * Act as an ambassador/advocate for Customer within the Bank. * Adhere to quality control requirements and ensure compliance with policy. Working at Allica Bank At Allica Bank we want to ensure our employees have the right tools and environment in which to succeed in their role and in support of our customers. Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so our benefits are designed with you in mind: * Full onboarding support and continued development opportunities * Options for flexible working * Regular social activities * Pension contributions * Discretionary bonus scheme * Private health cover * Life assurance * Family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity leave Don’t tick every box? Don’t worry if you don’t have all the skills or requirements listed on the job description. If you think you’ll be a good fit, we’d still love to hear from you! Flexible working We know the ‘9-to-5’ isn’t right for everyone. That’s why Allica Bank is fully committed to flexible and hybrid working. Please let us know what is best for you and, if we can, we will do our best to accommodate. Diversity We’re a diverse bunch here at Allica, with all kinds of experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. Our openness and differences make us stronger, and we want everybody to feel comfortable bringing as much of themselves to work with them as they like.

Allica Bank

About Allica Bank Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers. Department Description The Operations function is responsible for delivering excellent customer outcomes across Allica's lending and banking products. Lending Servicing plays a critical role in supporting customers throughout the life of their loans, ensuring requests are handled efficiently, accurately and in line with regulatory requirements. The team is committed to delivering operational excellence through outstanding customer service, continuous improvement, effective risk management and the intelligent use of technology and AI. Role Description The Lending Servicing Officer plays a key role in delivering an outstanding in-life servicing experience for Allica's Commercial Lending customers. Responsible for managing a wide range of servicing activities across the customer lifecycle, the role ensures requests are completed accurately, efficiently and in line with regulatory requirements and internal service standards. Working closely with Relationship Managers, Credit Operations and other internal stakeholders, the Lending Servicing Officer takes ownership of customer requests, resolves queries, supports portfolio servicing activity and continually looks for opportunities to improve processes and customer outcomes. This role is suited to someone who enjoys working in a fast-paced operational environment, is passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and committed to continuous improvement. Principal Accountabilities * Deliver an exceptional servicing experience for Commercial Lending customers through timely, accurate and professional handling of all in-life servicing requests. * Take ownership of customer enquiries from receipt through to resolution, ensuring excellent communication throughout. * Complete a broad range of lending servicing activities including (but not limited to): * Early settlements * Redemptions * Product switch requests * Loan restructures * Bank account amendments * Customer maintenance * General loan administration * Review customer requests and supporting documentation, identifying any missing or inconsistent information and obtaining additional evidence where required. * Manage personal workload effectively to achieve agreed service levels, productivity and quality standards. * Work collaboratively with Relationship Managers, Credit Operations and Customer Support teams to deliver positive customer outcomes. * Maintain accurate customer records and ensure all servicing activity is completed in accordance with regulatory requirements, internal policies and procedures. * Identify operational risks, process exceptions and customer issues, escalating where appropriate and recommending improvements. * Support customer reviews and wider portfolio servicing activities by obtaining and validating required information within agreed timescales. * Build trusted relationships with customers and colleagues, taking ownership of issues through to completion. * Contribute to continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to simplify processes, eliminate waste and improve customer experience. * Participate in change initiatives, testing new processes and embedding operational improvements across the team. * Embrace the use of AI-enabled tools and automation to improve productivity, enhance customer responsiveness, streamline operational processes and support high-quality decision making, while ensuring appropriate governance and data security standards are maintained. * Share knowledge, support colleagues and contribute positively to the ongoing development of the Lending Servicing team. Personal Attributes & Experience * Previous experience within Lending Operations, Loan Servicing or Financial Services. * Strong customer service focus with a proven track record of delivering excellent customer outcomes. * Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. * Good commercial awareness and understanding of lending products and servicing activities. * Good understanding of Conduct Risk, Consumer Duty and Treating Customers Fairly principles. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills. * Strong relationship management skills with the ability to work collaboratively across multiple business areas. * Strong IT and systems skills, with confidence using digital platforms and operational systems. * Curious, adaptable and willing to embrace new technologies, automation and AI solutions to continually improve customer and colleague experiences. Working at Allica Bank At Allica Bank we want to ensure our employees have the right tools and environment in which to succeed in their role and in support of our customers. Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so our benefits are designed with you in mind: * Full onboarding support and continued development opportunities * Options for flexible working * Regular social activities * Pension contributions * Discretionary bonus scheme * Private health cover * Life assurance * Family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity leave Don’t tick every box? Don’t worry if you don’t have all the skills or requirements listed on the job description. If you think you’ll be a good fit, we’d still love to hear from you! Flexible working We know the ‘9-to-5’ isn’t right for everyone. That’s why Allica Bank is fully committed to flexible and hybrid working. Please let us know what is best for you and, if we can, we will do our best to accommodate. Diversity We’re a diverse bunch here at Allica, with all kinds of experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. Our openness and differences make us stronger, and we want everybody to feel comfortable bringing as much of themselves to work with them as they like.