Profile: Paul Claassens, ING Direct

Paul Claassens
Contact Centre Manager
ING DIRECT

Number of years in role:  2 Years

What do you do?
As Contact Centre Manager Tuggerah I am directly responsible for   the centre’s performance, operation and service we deliver to our customers.

ING Direct, offers direct Banking to it’s customers via Internet and telephone banking. We are an inbound call centre taking calls from both clients and potential clients in relation to our products.

I manage a team of ten team leaders, who manage teams of up to 13 Direct Associates.

Describe a typical work day.
A typical day for me is ensuring I keep my finger on the Pulse and there are no surprises. This would involve continual communication with my management team and all other areas of Business that impact the service we deliver to our customers.

It is my responsibility to ensure that all our teams, have the tools, resources, skill, knowledge to provide Excellence in Customer service to our clients.  Coaching and Developing my team is a daily priority.

What results are expected in your position?

• A centre that provides excellent Customer Service, maintains service in line with service level targets.
• Highly motivated employees who demonstrate and support our company values and vision, which as a result complements our culture.

Of course I need to do these things within budget, without loss and risk to Business.

How did you get here? What has been your career path?
Fifteen years were spent working for State Bank.   I started off as a clerk at the age 15, and finished as a Branch Manager. Five of these years was spent working in HR.  I was retrenched when State was taken over by Colonial. [ thank you very much ! ]

I then spent 5 years with Optus, working in their Mobile Call Centre.  I started as a Customer Service Rep and finished as a Team Leader, looking after their High Value clients, providing differentiated levels of service.

Then my true calling - a combination of Banking and Call Centre work.  I commenced with ING Direct in May 2002, as a Team Leader in the newly opened Tuggerah Contact Centre. I was promoted to Call Centre Manager in June 2003. Currently, I’m acting in National Contact Centre Managers role, responsible for our Call Centres in Tuggerah and Sydney.

What's your career highlight?
Winning the ATA Award for Best Call Centre in NSW.

What's the most unusual thing that's happened to you at work?
Participating in Lock Up Your Boss Day for charity. I was chained to the electronically operated carpark gates, and went for a ride when anyone wanted to enter or leave the carpark.  Anything for a laugh, and the money raised was going to charity.

What's the best and worst thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is working with my team and everyone within the centre. The worst thing about my job is that I can’t control everything but would like to.

How important is it to plan your career? Have you?
I think it is very important.   You’ve got to plan where you want to go and what you want to do. Then you work to aquire the skills, knowledge and experience to get there.  I have definitely planned my career with ING Direct and am still planning.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Sadly enough I wanted to work for a Bank. I wanted to be a banker! I also wanted to be tall, but that didn’t happen. One out of two isn’t bad.

What is your dream job?
Retirement! Within ING Direct, it would be head of all operations, and having complete control over the entire customer service experience.

What is the most important factor in a successful career?
Achieving in line with your full potential.

Any tips on how to get and stay ahead?
Don’t forget the basics.  Get the basics right and everything else will follow.

How do you maintain balance between your work and personal life?
It gets harder all the time, but I make the time to ensure I do. Example, once a week I take my daughter to kindy. Weekends, my family receive my undivided attention

How do you encourage loyalty with your staff and clients?
It’s all about relationships, open honest communication and culture.

What are the important qualities required to be a good manager?
Energy, communication, humour, honesty, don’t forget your people and to interact with all levels of staff. Lead by example.

What do you think the biggest issue in your field is - and what should be done about it?
The biggest issue is improving already high levels of Customer Service in a ever increasing competitive environment.

The customer experience has to be number one, and all other areas of the business have to work with customer experience in mind as being number one.

If you could invite five people, living or dead to dinner, who would they be?

• Kerry Packer – he may want to adopt me.
• Kylie Minogue – I’m sure she would like me if I met her.
• Bruce Lee – because he is a legend.
• Alyssa Milano – Just in case Kylie doesn’t and she does.
• Jessica Simpson – For intelligent conversation.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? And who do you admire the most?
My wife, for pushing me. I admire anyone that has achieved to their full potential without stepping on people.

What or who are you incapable of working without?
My team. Irrespective of what role you have, your people are most important.

What do you think employees want from their employer? And what does your company do for its staff that you feel is different from what other companies provide?
Employees want to know that what they do is appreciated irrespective of importance of role. Our company knows that ability to do the role is not the most important. How our people demonstrate and support out values and complement our culture is.

We walk the talk, not just talk it when it comes to values and culture.