Every month, we share some of the highlights of what’s been happening in and around KBA. This month, we have three pieces of news to share and celebrate.
Open for business: a new office in Bury
In exciting news, KBA has opened its fourth office, this time in Bury, Greater Manchester.
The venture extends our team by at least four at the outset. It’s an exciting extra location closer to lots of our clients in north Manchester, making it easier for them to come in and see us.
In a similar way to Nantwich, this one has a Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) agency in it which we are also responsible for.
The relationship with the YBS means we can offer savings products as well as financial planning for our clients, and financial planning for their customers. It will be a while before we have a permanent adviser at the Bury office and, for the time being, our other advisers will support it.
Watch this space for the pictures of the office once the signage and set-up are complete.
Laura Jones has been with KBA for 5 years
Laura is our client manager, responsible for managing the operations for new business.
How long have you been with KBA, and how many positions have you held?
I’ve been with KBA for five years and have probably held about four roles.
Then I was briefly involved in generating reports and reviews and handling mortgage administration before being promoted to trainee paraplanner for pension and investment business.
Now I’m client manager and responsible for managing the triage process for all new business coming in.
What were you doing before you joined the KBA team, and what do you recall about your interview?
I worked at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) for around 15 years in various roles and branches.
I didn’t really have an interview. I knew Sarah when the job opportunity arose, and I happened to be looking for a change in career at the time. We had a conversation over the phone where she told me what she was looking for. We talked about my previous experience in customer service and that was that.
What do you remember about your first day at KBA Financial?
My first day was at our previous office at Oakland House in Leigh. I was introduced to the admin staff, Beccy, Karen, and Sarah Tate, and the advisers, Dave, Garry, and Elysia.
I started work at KBA before I’d left my previous job at RBS as I needed to learn the job role from Sarah Tate who was due to go off on maternity leave.
Because I had to learn the role very quickly, I wrote down every little detail and Sarah (Tate) left me notes to refer to in case I needed them.
Throughout December 2016, I worked three days a week at RBS and two days at KBA. I started working at KBA full-time from January 2017.
What do you love most about your job?
It would have to be the people that I work with as we are like a little KBA family.
I love the pensions and investments side of the business as it is very interesting, and you come across new scenarios almost every day.
I also enjoy completing the pension and investment analysis and analytics and feeding the results back to the advisers so we can see how best to help our clients going forward.
Favourite memorable moment?
My favourite memory would have to be the team trip to Chamonix. It was amazing from start to finish.
We ate at some fabulous restaurants. We also went snow shoeing – I’ve never seen snow like it, it was so fluffy and deep.
The best night was when we crossed the border into Italy to do a trip called “the Italian Job”. This involved us taking a giant cable car halfway up a mountain in the Alps, we then got on a Skidoo and were driven up to the top of the mountain. At the top, we got a glass of champagne and enjoyed a four-course meal in the restaurant with drinks and dancing.
We finished the trip with a spa and wellness experience in Chamonix, the infinity pool was absolutely amazing with a breath-taking view of the Alps.
We welcome Mandy to the team
Mandy has joined the KBA customer services team as one of our customer consultants.
What were you doing before you joined KBA Financial?
My previous role was in hospitality. I was the senior barista at Enzo Nantwich.
Can you tell us a bit about your role and what it involves?
Now I’m one of KBA’s customer consultants. The role involves completing transactions, opening new accounts, dealing with customer queries, and problem-solving.
Everything needs to be done with the utmost accuracy whilst delivering exceptional customer service.
How was your first day at KBA Financial?
It was very exciting and was great to meet the team who all made me feel very welcome.
Being new to the industry meant learning all the processes and procedures was going to be a challenge, but something I really enjoyed.
So far, what do you love most about your new role?
I’m a people person and love interacting with customers.
Customer service to me isn’t just about meeting expectations but exceeding them and I take great pleasure in knowing the customer is happy.
Working as part of a small team who all work well together is really satisfying too and, thankfully, the KBA team is fantastic.
What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
I’m looking forward to fully understanding and having extensive knowledge of all our products and services so I can provide our customers with excellent advice and guidance.
I feel really proud to be part of KBA Financial Services, and I’m really looking forward to meeting the entire team.
Merry Christmas from everyone at KBA Financial Services
The whole KBA team would like to wish you a merry Christmas and a healthy, successful, and prosperous 2022!
