CHRISSIEWilson-David is one of a team of seven dedicated to handling the travel requirements of insurance company Aon.
Apart from the office junior, the team works in pairs and Chrissie’s partner is the section head Glen Surridge. When Chrissie makes a booking, Glen checks it and vice versa. That way, nothing is overlooked.
Each pair works one of three shifts, on rotation – 8.30am-5pm, 9am-5.30pm or 9.30-6pm. There are also set slots for lunch time, which is a strict 1hr.
The Aon team sit together at one desk, at the far end of an office which houses a total of around 80 people.
Some of these are dedicated to one account, while others work on a number of accounts.
At the opposite end to Chrissie, there is a team of 20 people working in an outplant, dedicated to the travel needs of CityBank.
The office is on the fourth floor and is served by a lift. It is light and airy, and there is a buzz of chatter as the consultants go about their business.
All are wearing headsets and tap away on their computer keyboards as they work.
Chrissie has opted for an ear clip style because she was uncomfortable wearing a head band. Each new member of staff is given a little kit which has a range of different ear pieces to choose from.
When calls come in, consultants hear a bleep, which is followed by a short pause, giving them a chance to end any conversation.
Chrissie says you have to be careful what you are saying at all times, just in case.
She gets a call from a secretary from Aon, whom she knows by first name. Each pair is dedicated to a certain department within Aon and therefore they quickly get to know callers.
Chrissie clicks her mouse to come out of the screen she is working on and opens another. Five screens can be open on her computer at any one time.
The secretary wants to cancel a booking and by imputing a number of codes, the transaction is completed.
The centre gets a total of around 950 calls each day from its clients and there are monitors on the walls to show how many calls are being dealt with at any one time, and how many are waiting to be answered.
In the hour that I spent at the centre, there was never a call waiting.