IN the My Kind of Spotlight this week is Barry Feeney from Click Energy NI.
What’s your job?
I am the team leader of the customer service team with electricity provider, Click Energy.
How did you get there?
I’ve been working in contact centres now for over 14 years, and this experience has been invaluable in terms of my career progression. I’ve worked my way up from agent level to team lead, developing my leadership and management skills along the way. The experience and knowledge that I’ve gained within each different sector, combined with hard work, has helped me progress to where I am today and I am always striving to do better.
Do you have a typical working day?
A typical working day at Click Energy starts with a team meeting for the customer service department, discussing any issues or information that will help us to deliver the highest level of support and customer service to our 30,000 customers. Then it’s on to the phones and emails to handle incoming queries from our customers. Every day is different in Click Energy HQ, talking to a wide variety of people and addressing any questions or requests they may have. I
What qualifications do you have?
Since school, I really focused on upskilling in terms of leadership and completed a Level 3 qualification in Leadership and Management. I’m also qualified in sage computerised accounts and have five GCSEs. In addition, we receive regular training both internally and externally at Click Energy NI.
What other skills do you need in your role?
Customer service roles require a wide range of skills, with communication skills being vital. The ability to communicate with customers clearly goes a long way toward helping to resolve issues and provide the assistance they require. In addition to this, problem-solving skills, diplomacy, patience and tact are essential in order to provide the highest standard of customer service.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is the team at Click Energy.As a whole, every member of staff delivers enthusiasm and hard work, creating a great positive atmosphere in Click Energy HQ, with a motivated and happy team that support and encourage one another and strive to succeed.
And the worst?
I try to eat healthily and I am a regular gym-goer, so one of the worst things about the job for me would be the weekly Friday fry-up in the office, which I also secretly love. Resisting the temptation can be torture (and not always successful).
What do you think are the greatest challenges/pressures of the job?
The greatest challenge of the job can be trying to assist customers with varying degrees of knowledge about the issue in hand. We supply electricity to our customers’ homes, but the hardware and power faults lies with the network. It can be difficult to explain this on the odd occasion as customers become extremely frustrated when they lose such a vital utility but that’s our role, to listen to customers, simplify problems, signpost customers and provide solutions.
What did you want to be when you were at school?
Since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a pilot. I am a massive aviation geek and in 2013 I decided to take up flying lessons at City of Derry airport. To date I’ve had nine lessons and loved every minute of it.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in your profession?
My advice would be to join a company whose values you agree with and who you are happy to become an ambassador for, after that it’s all about clear communication, respect and a friendly, can-do attitude and we at Click Energy pride ourselves on delivering the highest levels of customer service. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that the service your providing is of value to the company and its consumers.
What’s the most common question people ask when they find out what you do?
‘Do you work in a call centre?’
There’s a misconstrued perception that all customer service teams comprise of hundreds of people on phones, based in huge buildings. We’re based in Click Energy’s HQ in Derry along with the sales team, finance department, marketing team and the managing director. The customer service department is a small team, but we’re doing big things and delivering local service to local people
How do you like to relax outside work?
I love going to the gym, I aim to go at least five or six days per week doing anything from weight training to spin classes.
