Fran Hudd

Where are you from?

Penarth

Where do you work?

HMPS, Newport

How long have you worked in a call centre and how has your career progressed?

I've worked in call centres for 12 years. I started my career working in Customer Services at Admiral Insurance. I was promoted to Team Manager within 2 years and then moved on to work for Conduit UK which was a Directory Enquiry company. When I left Conduit UK in 2005 I had worked my way up to Contact Centre Manager and was managing 300 people in the Swansea site. I now work for HM Prison Service working at the Shared Service Centre in Newport. Our customers are now prison staff who call for HR advice and guidance or suppliers who supply goods to the service. I have also been fortunate enough to win various awards for my work within call centres which for me has been the biggest reward.

What made you choose a career in a call centre?

In all honesty it was a stop gap before I decided what I wanted to do with my life! I was 18 when I joined Admiral and I loved the buzz of the call centre, my colleagues and the culture and I soon realised that I wanted to build a career in call centres.

What are the best bits of working in a call centre?

I really like the people. Throughout my career I have worked with some fantastic, eccentric and wacky people who all share a passion for customer service. I have also been fortunate to have some great managers who have supported, pushed and developed me.

Describe a typical day

A typical day for me is to check the previous day's performance of the centre and address any positives and areas for improvement with my team leaders. I then spend some time reading and responding to numerous emails I receive throughout the day. I regularly meet with my line manager to discuss any issues and assess current performance. Often I will have meetings to attend throughout the day and I constantly keep an eye on service levels for the various services that I manage and basically oversee the running of the department. A lot of my day is spent dealing with areas that you can't plan for whether it be people or customer management. It's certainly a busy day!

What would you say to someone thinking for a call centre as a career option?

If you like a fast paced, busy working environment which is challenging and rewarding then you should seriously consider a career in a call centre. I have absolutely no regrets about joining a call centre. I think I'm an example of someone who started his career at a young age, worked hard and am now managing my own call centre.