MARK KEATS
Starling Bank
Cardiff
11
years of professional experience
Experienced financial services and customer operations professional with deep expertise across collections, multi-functional operational teams, vulnerable customer support, quality assurance, complaint management, fraud identification, and customer outcome delivery.,Led and supported customer-facing teams, developed operational procedures to high standard, and managed operational risk across varied departments.,Seeking opportunity within growing organisation to contribute, expand capability, and take on broader responsibility.
Work History
Enhanced Customer Care Advisor – Vulnerable Customers
2 Years 5 Months- Achieved fair, appropriate outcomes for vulnerable customers by handling second-line inbound telephony, outbound calls, live chat, in-app messages, and email with tailored support matched to individual circumstances and procedures.
- Achieved 10+ calls per day, 90%+ QA scores, 90%+ quality check scores, 95%+ customer outcome scores, 95%+ scheduled adherence, and 95%+ attendance.
- Achieved support for 16-22 vulnerable-customer cases per day through case management, including gambling addiction support, financial difficulty reviews, income and expenditure checks, and referrals for financial help and external support.
- Achieved stage 1 complaint resolution above target, with current result at approximately 65%, while drafting responses, logging complaints, and escalating stage 2 cases for review.
- Achieved de-escalation of sensitive customer situations through analytical thinking, empathy, and decisive judgement, while supporting fraud controls through monitoring unusual activity, inconsistent financial behaviour, security checks, and KYC checks.
Welfare Support Advisor – Collections, Vulnerable Customers
3 Years 3 Months- Delivered fair, appropriate, and consistent customer outcomes through inbound and outbound telephony, emails, and letters, with tailored support aligned to procedures and guidelines.
- Drove practical forbearance decisions through careful assessment of customer circumstances, supporting flexibility while limiting bad debt.
- Achieved stage 1 complaint resolutions and managed complaint logging and escalation for stage 2 review, with resolution rate of approximately 75% against target of 50%+.
- Improved procedures and processes to support better outcomes for customers, business, and colleagues.
- Produced appropriate support recommendations through sound judgement and analytical review of individual needs.
- Maintained balance between responsible debt management and customer welfare through fair, consistent decision-making.
- Left due to job security concerns and strong interest in growth potential at up-and-coming fintech bank.
Specialist Support Customer Advisor – Collections, Vulnerable Customers
7 Months- I delivered specialist support to vulnerable customers experiencing financial difficulty, applying detailed knowledge of available assistance and tariff support. Achieved Targets include calls taken per day (10+), Quality Assurance Scores (90%+), Scheduled Adherence (90%+), Attendance (95%+).
- Assessed benefit entitlements and customer circumstances to help ensure customers received appropriate financial support.
- Applied suitable forbearance options to support customers while helping minimise bad debt.
- Provided feedback on existing procedures and processes to improve the vulnerable customer journey and overall service experience.
- Demonstrated empathy, sound judgement and attention to detail when supporting customers with complex financial circumstances.
- Left due to this being a temporary role following on from redundancy from the previous role.
Specialist Support Assistant Manager – Vulnerable Customers
2 Years 8 Months- Improved specialist support team performance through delivery of KPI targets and close alignment with FCA regulations, Vulnerable Customer guidance, and related updates.
- Achieved team targets across call volumes, quality assurance, schedule adherence, kept promises, and bad debt performance.
- Drove quality improvement through QA assessments, coaching on FCA Vulnerable Customer guidance, and reinforcement of consistent customer service standards, including stage 1 complaint resolution to ease back-office complaint pressure.
- Resolved escalated customer complaints from second line support telephony team members, investigated cases, drafted responses, explained outcomes, and managed live escalations involving vulnerable customers.
- Provided senior management with MI and RCA reporting on QA, bad debt, call answering, handling times, and after-call work.
- Managed performance improvement plans, sickness, grievances, and whistleblowing investigations.
- Implemented enhancements to vulnerable customer collections informed by Finance & Leasing Association guidance and industry-standard reports.
- Created and delivered training and competency framework for team members.
- Earned recognition from Virtual AI for identifying and proposing AI-driven automation to strengthen vulnerable customer identification and support.
- Left role due to redundancy and family reasons.
Collections Assistant Manager – Collections Customers
1 Year 10 Months- Delivered collections performance results by supporting KPI delivery while keeping activity aligned with FCA regulations and guidance, including CONC updates.
- Achieved team targets across 15+ daily calls made or taken, 90%+ QA scores, 95%+ scheduled adherence, 60%+ kept promises, and bad debt target performance.
- Improved customer outcomes through coaching, operational oversight, and reinforcement of consistent service standards, including stage 1 complaint resolution.
- Resolved escalated customer complaints from front-line telephony staff through investigation, response preparation, decision explanation, and live escalation handling for vulnerable customers.
- Protected team and customer standards by managing PIPs, sickness cases, grievance investigations, and whistleblowing concerns.
- Strengthened performance control by monitoring QA, bad debt, call-answering, AHT, and ACW, then presenting MI and RCA reports to senior management team.
- Supported process improvement and stakeholder collaboration to improve handling of sensitive customer circumstances.
- Maintained balance between operational performance, fair customer treatment, procedural compliance, and appropriate decision-making.
- Left due to internal career change move.
Education
ILM Level 3 - Management Leadership and First Line Management
NVQ Level 2 - Team Leading
BA - Psychology
GPA: Second-Class Honours
A-Levels - Business Studies (C), Psychology (C)
AS-Levels - History and Law
GCSEs - Nine subjects, including Mathematics (B) and English Language (C)
Skills
Supported collections and arrears cases with repayment plans and forbearance options.
Completed income and expenditure checks
including use of Standard Financial Statement
debt management
IVA
Debt Relief Orders
and bankruptcy processes.
Handled vulnerable customers with care
including involving TEXAS
CARERS
IDEA
BRUCE & BLAKE.
Managed deceased customer cases in line with policy and service standards.
Handled complaints and carried out investigations.
Applied FCA guidance
Consumer Duty
Conduct Rules
CONC
DISP
vulnerability guidance
and employment law requirements
including grievances
absence
and whistleblowing.
Supported good customer outcomes and managed operational risk
including handling and managing Fraud and AML concerns.
Carried out quality checks and supported people leadership tasks.
Timeline
Enhanced Customer Care Advisor – Vulnerable Customers
Starling Bank
06.2024 - CurrentRead More
Welfare Support Advisor – Collections, Vulnerable Customers
MotoNovo Finance
02.2021 - 05.2024Read More
Specialist Support Customer Advisor – Collections, Vulnerable Customers
Welsh Water
07.2020 - 02.2021Read More
Specialist Support Assistant Manager – Vulnerable Customers
Secure Trust Bank Group – V12 Retail Finance
11.2017 - 07.2020Read More
Collections Assistant Manager – Collections Customers
Secure Trust Bank Group – V12 Retail Finance
01.2016 - 11.2017Read More
City of Leicester School
GCSEs from Nine subjects, including Mathematics (B) and English Language (C)
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Leicester College
AS-Levels from History and Law
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Leicester College
A-Levels from Business Studies (C), Psychology (C)
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University of Wales
BA from Psychology
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National Skills Academy for Financial Services
NVQ Level 2 from Team Leading
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National Skills Academy
ILM Level 3 from Management Leadership and First Line Management
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