A person who wants to work as a phone banker must usually take a short training course to become familiar with the company. This can be followed making calls under supervision for additional training, and then independent phone banking. It’s important to note that this term can refer to two distinct professions. When a bank’s customers have questions or concerns, telephone bankers help them over the phone. Another type of phone banking is used in advertising and political campaigns to encourage people to vote and support a particular initiative or political party.
When it comes to telephone banking, the bank will usually hold a seminar to familiarize customers with the policies and procedures. There may be scripts to follow in customer interactions once someone has become a phone banker to ensure consistency. Because the job may entail handling sensitive information, it may be necessary to pass a background check. Aside from that, there are no specific requirements, though prior financial industry experience and a degree in a subject like communications may be advantageous.
Telephone bankers must be able to quickly and effectively resolve customer service issues. Staff learn about the various situations that can arise and the various options for resolving them while undergoing phone banker training. For example, if a customer has a good credit history and has made a genuine mistake with a bill, a bank may have a policy of waiving late fees upon request. For more complex issues that the telephone banker cannot resolve, escalation of calls to supervisors may be required.
Completing a short course for the organization is usually required for political phone banking, but this is not always the case. Some people volunteer to work as phone bankers. They may be able to begin phone banking going to a website and accessing phone numbers as well as a script to use when calling. A political science degree and campaign experience may be beneficial to someone who wants to work as a phone banker. When applying for job openings, these can be beneficial.
For someone who makes political calls, being personable and having good communication skills are important. Parties and causes want their elected officials to make a good impression on voters. Training to become a phone banker may include discussions on how to handle abusive calls or situations involving hostile voters, as well as how to quickly defuse and resolve such situations so that you can move on to the next task.