Welcome back to Inside IFP – the series where I sit down with members of our team over a coffee and chat about their career journey. This week, I had a coffee with Lydia, one of our Client Services Administrators, who joined IFP around two years ago. From initially expecting the role to be more like a call centre to becoming a key point of contact for clients and getting involved in projects across the business, Lydia shares what she’s learned, what she enjoys about Client Services and what makes IFP a great place to build a career.
Lydia, you’ve been with IFP for around two years now. How did you first end up here?
I was unhappy in my previous job, and I was just looking to see what else was out there. I read up about IFP on Indeed and it sounded almost too good to be true. I had a phone interview the next day, then came in for an in-person interview. Someone else actually got the job but it didn’t work out, so they came back to me a couple of weeks later asking if I was still interested. Of course I was, so here I am!
What attracted you to a Client Services role?
I love being the ‘sorter outer’ so I thought this would be the perfect role for me. I came from an admin background; it was a slightly different environment, but a similar sort of field.
I just love dealing with clients and being the middleman. I have a good relationship with Josh, but also with his clients so it’s really nice.
Before you started what did you think the role would involve? Was the reality what you expected?
I feel like I get more out of the role than I expected to! Honestly, I thought it was going to be a bit like a call centre, and I didn’t know if I would enjoy it.
But I’ve ended up with more responsibilities, and it’s more hands on than I thought it would be. I’ve learned so much technical knowledge that I never expected to. I was terrified because I’m not good with numbers, and I remember thinking “what is everybody talking about?”, but it does all just click.
For someone who might be looking at our Client Services Administrator vacancy and wondering what the job involves, what does a typical week look like for you?
I always start my days with clearing my emails and dealing with anything that comes through over the weekend/overnight. We have review packs that are allocated every week, so I like to get them done early in the week. A review pack covers an overall value of the clients’ investments, what they’re invested in, any charges that are applied and whether we have any recommendations to make. It’s the Client Services team’s responsibility to pull the figures off.
I do any submissions that come in, which are on an ad-hoc basis, but they usually follow the Adviser’s presentation meeting. I also book in client meetings and deal with any ad-hoc client queries.
There are sometimes opportunities to be involved in project work. I’ve recently been involved in the implementation of our new booking system, and subsequently the training and support of the CS team with any problems or questions.
What do you think people might underestimate about the role?
The relationships that you’re able to build with clients. You’re not just hiding behind a phone call, you’re directly client-facing, and a lot of clients will come to you with a queries. Josh has asked me into meetings before because the clients want to put a face to a name. You are so client facing and involved, which is really great, but it isn’t what I expected.
When I came back to work after my dad passed, I remember calling a client who had recently lost her husband and we sort of bonded over our grief. At the time it was just lovely, and it still is lovely. You do get to build really nice relationships with our clients.
That’s such a heart warming example, thank you for sharing. You work directly with Josh, our Managing Director. What is that working relationship like?
We have a great relationship, and we work well together. We get on really well on a personal level too; I could, and I have been to him with any issues I’ve had personally or at work. I know he’s always there to support me. Whenever I mention my goals to progress within the company, I feel like he’s my number one supporter, which is really nice.
I think my working relationship with Josh is slightly different to other CS/Adviser relationships because he has additional work as Managing Director to coordinate, too. So that involves booking external professional meetings, arranging one-to-ones, organising strategic planning days and other similar tasks.
You mentioned earlier about having more responsibilities than you expected – you helped with planning team building day this year. How did you find that?
It was nice to get my claws into something different, because that usually sits with the leadership team. I don’t usually get involved the organisation of the social side of things at work, so it was a nice change. It was refreshing to work on something different to my normal role. I found it really rewarding to see how much everyone enjoyed it!
How has your confidence changed since starting in the role?
It has developed massively. I remember being in my first CS meeting and there were all sorts of acronyms flying about and I just didn’t get any of it.
But since then, I have done one exam and I have another one coming up, so obviously through revision my knowledge has developed. But even just day-to-day, the more you work on something, the more it just clicks.
And there’s so much support around you; no question is a daft question. There isn’t one person at IFP that I wouldn’t go too, to ask something.
Me too, I think we have a really great team! What skills do you think make someone really good at a CS role?
Being a people person, being approachable, and being able to work as a part of a team. That last one is massively important, especially in the CS team. Also having integrity – you always need to have the client’s best interest at heart; you can’t just do something to make your life easier.
But I think the key thing for me is collaborating. We have to train each other on different things, work together, pick stuff up for each other. It makes for a nice working environment when everyone is on the same page with that.
What do you enjoy most about working in Client Services?
I love dealing with clients and building relationships. There are some people that I speak to every day without fail; I speak to some clients more than my friends and family!
I do also like working with the client services team, the people really make the role. We have a good dynamic; we all get on and do things outside of work together. We go for team lunches, and we have a nice little support network.
What do you think IFP does well when it comes to helping new people settle in?
There’s so much support and IFP do anything they can to help people – putting on training sessions, one-to-one support. You have a training plan when you first start to ensure every area is covered, and you’re never just signed off for the sake of it. They make sure you’re fully competent in that area, and they’ll see it right through to the end.
Even now for me, if something technical comes up and I’m unsure, I know any of the Paraplanners will make the time to go through it with me, and that’s the same across the company with any questions.
What would you say to someone considering applying?
Do it. If the job description falls in line with your values, go for it! Even if you’re not 100% sure, I think it’s worth having a conversation with us – we may be able to twist your arm!!
Thank you, Lyd. You’ve shared some really lovely stories and advice for our readers! I just need to ask you my quick fire questions before we finish up…
Describe IFP in 3 words or less – Supportive, family feel.
Tea or coffee? Coffee.
Office or remote? Office.
Early start or late finish? Early start if I can get up!
Quick lunch or long lunch? Quick.
Smarter or more casual style? Casual.
If Lydia’s experience has inspired you to find out more, head to our Careers Page to see our current vacancies. We look forward to welcoming you back in a couple of weeks for another edition of Inside IFP!
