Going above and beyond vs simply doing our job

I was recently told by a previous employee of mine that they learnt compassion from me in the workplace. Interesting I thought, as my initial assumption was that it related to the staff (we were a close bunch) but as it stands it was about the way in which we engaged with our customers. Hmm, I thought as I asked why?

We all have clients and engage with people from all walks of life especially (I was in the Finance Industry -lending at the time), so I was intrigued with what their experience was to bring them to this conclusion.

My experience and lessons in this area that I am going to share came from my early Banking days when I was based in the branches many, many years ago. I began my lending career doing personal loans and in those early years, we door knocked when it came to collections (a little different these days), but what this taught me was that everyone has a story, everyone is an individual person and when approached with this in mind the outcome could be different.

Building a relationship, in these situations is no different to the way that you engage with new clients. I am not saying it was easy, it most certainly was not, and it was confronting as most of the time I was out on my own and did not know what to expect, definitely out of my comfort zone, but I listened and learnt along the way.

Yes following up helped but it was never just about “the missed payment” it was about family, work, the weekend just as you would with a new client and then we would talk about how it might be possible to make the payment (if not all, part).

This philosophy stayed with me when I moved into the Business Banking sector and dealt with peoples Homes and Businesses. The same process, the same way of engaging was used, perhaps not the personal visits but the turnaround and reduction in defaults was significant. Perhaps it was Hope that helped these clients through as someone listened?

In recent years we had a few clients (very few) who were in default but we engaged with them on a personal note, it was the culture that we created and worked within. It was in these moments where I truly understood the impact on not only the clients but on their families and in hindsight the impact on our staff too.

Looking at ways to manage our assets and position as lenders is important but the way in which we do it is just as significant. Of course, being discrete but being compassionate and listening to their story adds value to what we do and on the outcome.

There were two clients that came to mind when I was listening to my staff reflect on her experience; one was a couple who struggled to keep up but with some strategies they turned things around for themselves. The other was a more mature applicant who unfortunately made losses and was left with debt after the sale due to a downward market but who several months later came into money and called us to say “I have come into money and I want to pay you back in full”. This later incident was an act of kindness and honesty on his part, we would have been none the wiser of his situation and coming into money as it was from a family who had passed and left him proceeds, but over the years in talking with him, he felt he wanted to do the right thing.

So I guess when I reflect on these incidents, and the experiences shared by my staff, I ask is it going above and beyond, or is simply doing our job? I say it is simply doing our job. We all make choices along the way and it is important that as we engage in our daily business we look at ways that can provide the best outcome for all involved. Working collectively and with a vision that is shared will inevitably provide the optimum solution.

Supporting our staff in our journey is as important as supporting our clients. If doing our best includes reaching a little further than initially thought, then we will all succeed and leave a positive impact on those around us.