Hear from Timothy.
Who do you support as a Customer Service Advisor?
This call centre is for asylum seekers – they’ve come through to us for advice, guidance and support. What we will do is we’ll signpost the person to the relevant authorities that are going to help them get what they need.
What do you love most about your job?
The thing that appealed to me about joining Maximus was the chance to work with disadvantaged people.
Working in a call centre before, it wasn’t the type of job that I was actually feeling fulfilled from. Whereas here you can actually tell yourself you’ve made an impact on someone’s life.
What challenges can arise during the day, and how do you overcome them?
Some of the calls can be quite challenging, so you need a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, empathy.
We’ve never been through any of these situations that the service users have been through, but to be that ear on the other end of the phone, it’s going to mean the world to them.
What support do you get from your manager during the day?
The support that is available to us to deal with these challenging phone calls at Maximus is great. Whether it’s just a case of checking in with a manger or we can actually have counselling sessions to make sure our own mental health is being treated.
What advice do you have for a new colleague joining your team?
There’s service users who really need help, whether it’s a case of you’ve just told them how they can get a solicitor, or you could have potentially stopped a suicide. When you go home, you can say I’ve made someone’s life better.