Meet Aneil (Dialler Income Officer)

We spoke to Aneil to find out more about his role and the different ways the Dialler Income Team support customers who are worried about their finances.

Hi Aneil, what is your role and when did you start working for Midland Heart?

I started working as Dialler Income Officer as a temp in January this year, so I haven’t been here very long. But I was recently offered a permanent position which is great! I’m really excited to begin what I hope will be a long and successful career at Midland Heart.  

Why did you decide to work here?

I wanted to work somewhere where I could make a real difference and I think Midland Heart has some great values as an organisation.

So, how are you finding the role?

It’s brilliant! Our customers are very diverse so I get the chance to speak to different people from all paths of life and it’s really fulfilling to help them. I’ve been able to create great connections with my colleagues. Working alongside a team that truly has the customer's best interests at heart is really motivating and it’s a great atmosphere to work in.

What do you do on the average day?

When answering calls I’ll start by asking for the reason for the call. Every customer has a different reason for contacting us, it could be a question about our app, setting up a direct debit or because they’re struggling to afford their rent payments.

If they’re having financial difficulties I’ll have a chat with them to find out more about their personal circumstances. I’m used to dealing with a wide range of financial, health and personal situations so once I have the full picture I’ll look for ways to boost their income. This can include telling them about benefits, funds or grants that are available to them or signposting them to our Money Advice Team or external organisations.

We also take a proactive approach and dial out to customers who are in arrears. This way we can help them to resolve issues before they get worse. Sometimes customers don’t realise that they they've missed payments and other times they may have been too worried to contact us. Regardless of the reason, we’ll always work with customers to figure out the best solution based on their circumstances.

What’s the most rewarding part of your role?

For me the most rewarding part is being able to offer support to the people who need it most and seeing how it can have a positive impact on their lives. For example, I called a customer who was in arrears and she explained that a change in her health meant that she could no longer work and she was really worried about the drop in income.

I was able to give her a range of options which included referring her to our Money Advice Team. They made contact with her, did an eligibility check and found out that she was eligible to claim benefits that she was not aware of. We agreed on a payment arrangement based on her current income and eventually she was able to pay all the money she owed.

When I asked why she hadn’t contacted us she told me that she wasn’t aware that we offered so much support. She was really grateful that we had contacted her and even said that she wished she had got in touch with us sooner.

What’s the most challenging part of your role?

It’s difficult to beat the stigma and sometimes customers avoid speaking to us because they think that we’re here to pester them to pay their rent. It can be hard to make customers realise that we’re here to help and genuinely want to support them. 

I like to think that every customer I help is another customer that is aware of the services we offer. It’s really fulfilling to know that I’m playing a part in changing these perceptions.

If you're worried about your finances give us a call on 0345 60 20 540 and have a chat with our friendly income team.