I have worked at Shepherds Friendly for 25 years, during this period I have gained a great deal of knowledge across our product range and have had the privilege of speaking to many members about their time with Shepherds Friendly Society. I believe that the knowledge and experience I have gained over the years, in a variety of different roles, makes me qualified and confident in my brand new role as member and culture manager. I am proud to say that I genuinely do care about helping members, which is one of the reasons I have remained at Shepherds Friendly Society for so long.
My typical day at Shepherds Friendly
8.30am
My day usually starts at 8.30 am when I arrive at the office. I like to get in before 9am if possible as it’s usually quieter and is a good time to catch up on e-mails from the day before and prepare for the day ahead.
9am
Once it gets to 9am the office gets a lot busier and the work really begins. One of the customer service team asks me to take a call from a Shepherds Friendly member to explain the details of one of our plans. This results in the member asking to increase their plan – what a good start to the day! After the call, I sit with the customer service team to provide support and am always willing to listen; helping members is what I do!
In between helping our customer services team, answering emails and taking calls I make an effort to get in touch with some of our members to see how they feel about the service they are receiving from Shepherds Friendly Society so far. If we ever receive any negative feedback, (which is rare!) I try to resolve the situation for the member as much as I can. Often it simply stems from a misunderstanding. I love helping members feel that they are being looked after.
Next, I make a few more calls to members who have had plans mature to see if they would like to share their experience with Shepherds Friendly over the years. It is always wonderful to hear how people will be spending the money they have saved with us!
Throughout the day requests come through regarding system processes that may not be correct or need changing. I review these to see if they are in the member’s best interests and forward to the appropriate department. I also complete forms for audit purposes explaining why certain changes we have made are in the member’s best interests.
2pm
It is now after 2pm and can’t believe where the day has gone! I’m late taking my lunch and realise I have not made any drinks for the team again (I must try harder tomorrow).
After lunch I catch up on e-mails before I head off to a meeting focusing on what information our members may be interested in and the best way to deliver it to them. There are plenty of actions and ideas for us to look at.
5pm
It is now 5pm and time for home.
As member and culture manager, one of the best ways for me to improve the service our members receive is from regular feedback. By speaking me or any of the Shepherds Friendly team, you can let us know what you want from the Society and the ways we can improve the service we provide.
Part of my role is to call members to ask for their feedback at regular intervals, but if as a member you ever feel like there is something you would like to talk about, or have any ideas about improvement you think we could make, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I hope to speak to you all again soon!
Val
If you are a member who would like to speak to Val about your experience with the society or have any queries about your time as a member she is available Monday to Friday on 0800 526 249 or email her via vbrookes@shepherds.co.uk.
