Zoe Hood was 23 when she joined BT in October 2017 as an apprentice. She is currently working in a resolution team where she deals with billing inquiries and telephone line fault complaints.

For Zoe, the daily mission is not only about resolving customers’ issues but building her own knowledge.

“You always know you’re going to be pushed to the best of your ability every day,” she says. “Every enquiry is different. I monitor ongoing issues and work hard to fix problems so each and every customer is satisfied.

“There’s lots of variety in my role as I’m working across different areas – so you never know what each customer will come in with and want.”

The focus of Zoe’s department is providing help and support to business and public sector customers who have existing products and services with BT.

She says: “Our main aim is to have one great conversation with our customer in order to help fix their issue as quickly and simply as possible, whether this is a billing or product concern.”

Zoe chose an apprenticeship because she wanted to gain a qualification. She has friends who had worked in BT and who personally recommended the company.

So, what are the best bits about her role and the contact centre sector in general?

“This job is all about getting customers’ issues resolved and knowing that customers are happy gives me a real sense of satisfaction. I love the fact I’m helping to recover a customer’s experience – moving from what has been a bad experience and getting them to trust the company again.”

Zoe particularly enjoys working in what is a fast-moving tech industry and says she is learning all the time.

“The future of the industry is bright with the roll-out of 5G and the migration of customers to new digital products and services. I’ve also found the workplace really supportive as we forge ahead with new technologies.”

For Zoe a typical working day can mean working through calls from customers from all across the UK.

“Depending on your call queue, you may take one or more types of calls,” she says. “You never know until you get each customer what they will want. I mainly deal with billing and phone line faults calls.”

Initially there were challenges.

“I found it hard to navigate around all the systems. It took some time. But it’s important to realise that you won’t know everything instantly and that you can get support from people, such as your coach or team manager.

“Customers can sometimes be difficult or unhappy and, yes, they can be challenging at times when they are frustrated. But by listening and demonstrating ownership of their problem, you can persuade customers you really are there to help them.

“Although I had previous experience of working in customer service at a vet’s surgery, having never worked in a contact centre before I found it was quite different to be in a fast-moving environment.”

In terms of qualifications and training Zoe says it’s important to have maths and ICT core skills but, above all, it’s vital to be able to demonstrate you can work with others.

“I spent two weeks in the classroom beforehand receiving training. I then began working in a training environment with supervisors there to support me and then moved on to further training in billing. In total I received around 12 weeks of training and support.”

As well as technical know-how, what would Zoe say are the top skills you need to bring to the contact centre role?

“Be adaptable, be organised, use your good communication skills and be a team player.”

Having completed her apprenticeship in June 2019, Zoe’s long-term career plans are to work in the Global team at BT – looking after large corporate and global customers – and perhaps moving on to project management.

“The best career advice I’ve ever been given is to do something you enjoy and excel in,” she says. “To get the best out of yourself, you should do something that gives you satisfaction each day in a role where you can see results. If you have the right attitude and apply yourself, you will achieve your goals.”

What advice would she give to anyone who’d like to take up a similar job in this sector of customer service?

“Be patient! You can’t do everything straight away. And when you’re new to the job stay calm and think about things from a customer’s perspective.

“Also, remember that the great thing about having a customer service apprenticeship is you can you use it in any job…the opportunities are endless!”

If meeting Zoe has inspired you to look more closely at a customer service role or apprenticeship, check out the latest vacancies on [site_name].