Meet the team: Victoria Shumba
For a growing platform provider such as HUB24, customer service provides the essential glue between delivering innovative solutions and customer satisfaction.
HUB24 Customer Service Manager Victoria Shumba believes it is HUB24’s proactive approach to customer service which sets it apart, giving financial advisers the support they need to focus on advice while HUB24 provides a seamless back-end.
“We are looking to provide an end-to-end seamless and positive customer experience. It starts with our platform and flows on into our day-to-day operations. It’s about solving that enquiry with minimum disruption for advisers and our mutual clients.”
Customer service ignites passion
Victoria joined HUB24 in 2019 following 12 years at Link Group. Here she had worked in a division that had initially transitioned from Russell investments where she had worked in the fund administration (superannuation) business. This experience gave her a strong focus on quality and the voice of the customer.
This work contrasted with her academic studies. While working as a Quality Manager in the contact centre, Victoria studied her double Masters degrees in Transport and Logistics, an interest she had prior to moving to Australia.
However following the transition to Link, Victoria was now ready to move into her planned career path. The eldest of seven children, her father ran a transport business in her home of Zimbabwe, however a mentor at Link had other ideas.
“She said to me, ‘I can see your passion for Quality and customer service. We have a role for you here. Why don’t you see where that takes you?’”
Leading not following
Today Victoria manages a growing team of customer service professionals, which is rapidly expanding due to HUB24’s continued growth.
Victoria doesn’t like to over-complicate things and believes great customer service doesn’t need to be.
“I do believe customer service is about keeping it simple. It’s about making it effortless, providing correct information and not having this over-complicated, bells and whistles, jazz hands type service which does not deliver in the long run. The team and I have a genuine desire to help. I am blessed to work with individuals on the same page as I am when it comes to customer service. We have a bit of banter too which makes it a great team to be part of.”
A call centre in action
HUB24’s contact centre manages inbound calls, a chat function on the HUB24 website and emails. Call volumes range from 30-40 calls a day per consultant, however events such as End of Financial Year and COVID-19 has increased both chat and call enquiries numbers.
Enquiries range from simple to complex. A simple one might be a financial adviser asking about cut-off times or a client looking for their account number. A more sophisticated enquiry would be working through trades and settlements or sifting through the impact of complex legislation changes.
The length and volume of calls reflect the extensive functionality of the HUB24 platform and some adviser’s preference for the chat function.
“We also offer clients direct contact through various business units, including our client executive team to get the best of the platform.”
Currently HUB24 is growing its contact centre because of growth across the business and the fact some team members have transitioned to other roles at HUB24 – one to platform administration, one to investments and one to the client executive team.
Victoria said when she interviews candidates, she is looking for the ‘customer service gene’, a characteristic she said can be detected from someone’s passion, can-do attitude, and desire to help.
“We have a great customer service team at HUB24 and we are all on the same page when it comes to the service we provide.”
Customer service: a force to be reckoned with
Victoria believes HUB24’s top down focus on customer service makes a huge difference, providing an organisational and cultural commitment for employees across the business.
“Andrew [Alcock] ran some town halls and reiterated that as an organisation we were committed to making a difference in customers lives and that customer service was firmly on the agenda. For me to hear that and know that in some way everyone has that as part of their KPI’s, made me feel like I was in the right place.”
She said over the years, more organisations have seen the importance of customer service and have realised it is not enough to just have a great product. Victoria wants to make a difference using customer service and she is passionate about using it to make good quality interactions with customers and having a positive impact on their financial journey with HUB24.
To do this, Victoria will be drawing on all her experience throughout the years as well as some of her academic studies.
“There are similar elements, particularly on the logistics side which brings together many elements in the operations or supply chain order to meet end to end customer requirements in the most efficient or best way possible, so I have certainly borrowed from those learnings. They have not completely gone to waste.”
Interested in hearing more about what we do, or joining our team? Check out our current open vacancies