Nationwide Building Society today announced it is making a substantial investment in its UK call centres in order to improve its service to customers. The Society anticipates opening a new call centre in Sheffield and has invested in a major refurbishment of existing centres in Swindon and Northampton which will make Nationwide’s call centres even better environments in which to work. This contrasts with a trend that has already seen the departure of over 10,000 financial services jobs to overseas call centres, at a cost to employees and local communities.
Nationwide’s main call centres in Swindon and Northampton are being officially re-opened after substantial refurbishment. The Swindon centre re-opens today and the Northampton centre next week. The Society employs nearly 800 people in these locations which handle, on average, 18,500 calls and emails a day. Further investment over the next three years will create nearly 200 new jobs in its customer call centres. The focus of this investment is on developing people, creating efficient processes and providing the best possible service for Nationwide customers.
Nationwide expects to open a new call centre in Sheffield in the Summer, initially employing around 60 people, but with plans to expand to 180 over the following three years. The Society also set up a call centre in Swansea in November 2002 which includes Welsh speakers who can service local people in their own language, if they wish.
Philip Williamson, chief executive said: "Nationwide is a mutual with strong links to the communities in which we operate and we have no plans to desert these local communities in favour of overseas call centres.
"Customers are joining and staying with Nationwide in ever increasing numbers. This is as much to do with our people and the great service they offer, as it is due to our better rates. Our customers can do business with us however they choose — using branches, telephone, internet or the post. Our call centres are at the very heart of our service offering. Call centres abroad may suit some of our competitors, but they are not the right option for Nationwide and we are aware of some commentators’ concerns that some countries may not have the same level of data protection for consumers that exists in the UK."
Tim Poil, general secretary of the Nationwide Group Staff Union said, "The Union welcomes this statement, which is a further endorsement of the service offered by our members working in Nationwide's call centres. With so much media focus on financial services providers switching jobs away from the UK, this news will remove any fears that our members may have had about their own job security. This is great news not just for Nationwide employees but for jobs in the UK as a whole."
