Career Profile: Chris Reed

Head of Management Information & Support, Bright Finance

Chris Read

My career in contact centres began after University. I got my first job with Careline Services who at the time were handling the nation-wide ‘How am I driving’ campaign. Like many ex-students, they spotted my strengths and I progressed quickly and was soon managing this project. After that, I joined Continental Tyres and it was there that I learnt the MI (Management Information) trade; one of my key tasks was calculating bonuses for all the sales reps on the road and working out new incentives schemes.

After a move to Sheffield in 2002, I started as a resource planner for Qjump who sold rail tickets, and it was here that I learned effective planning while improving my MI skills. I then spotted an opportunity with Bright Finance, a vibrant firm that was growing at a tremendous pace. I could see the Call Centre had real potential and that I could use my skills to make a real difference.

Bright Finance acts as a broker between declined credit customers and our extensive lender panel. We work introduced leads through our blended Call Centre and underwrite these in our Lending Department.

"Make sure though that the infrastructure can support this goal."

When I started, agents were under-utilised, were taking breaks at the wrong times and there was no way of measuring their performance. What’s great about Call Centres is that it is possible to measure everything as long as you have the right tools.

My team’s main priority was to understand our data (held on an SQL database) and extract meaningful information from it. Areas where we found an immediate improvement were in reduced waiting times, a greater focus on CRM and Data management and better communication across the Contact Centre.

So far it’s been extremely rewarding. I can honestly say there isn’t any part of my job I don’t like, although I do try to make sure there’s a clear boundary between home and work. I force myself to switch off from work and my battered VW camper helps me to unwind with a walk in the Pennines and beyond. Would I do anything else? Well, maybe run my own beach bar in the Caribbean”

Chris Read's CV

  • 2004-Present: Teleperformance Manager, Head of Management Information & Support, Bright Finance
  • 2002-2004: Resource Planner, Telecomms Manager, Qjump
  • 2001-2002: Sales Support Supervisor, Continental Tyres
  • 1999-2001: CSR & Project Administrator, Careline Services

Posted: 14th August 2006