Welcome to Cardiff: Meet our Customer Service team

Since opening our Cardiff office two years ago, we’ve hired almost 900 people, making us one of the biggest employers in the city. If you’re passionate about helping customers, we want to hear from you.

Here, we speak to Yaaseen Quraishi (pictured above left), Vicky Plenty (pictured above centre) and Olivia Beedell (pictured above right), from our Cardiff office, to find out what they love about being part of Customer Service at Starling.

Vicky Plenty, Customer Service Team Member

“No matter what job you’ve done before, what experience you have, your skills can be converted,” says Vicky Plenty. Before joining Starling in 2021, she worked as an Optical Assistant. “If you can hold a conversation and engage with and listen to customers, you’ll be able to do the job. The training is really good and everyone is there for each other.”

Vicky, 38, works as a Customer Service Team Member, answering questions from customers and addressing concerns through the in-app Live Chat, on the phone and by email. “I deal with anything from adding a card to your mobile wallet to helping a business apply for an account. There’s a lot to learn but you’re encouraged to ask questions and you can reach out to different teams to find the answer - there are no barriers. We help each other.”

Vicky particularly appreciates the way Starling supports her as a mother of two young children. “There are times when I need to pick them up from school or take a day off because one of them is sick - there’s never any judgement if this happens. Starling gives me flexibility and support.”

Olivia Beedell, Team Leader

Just over a year after starting as a Customer Service Team Member at Starling, Olivia Beedell applied to be a Team Leader. “I’d had a few months doing an apprenticeship for the Team Leader role, which helped me massively.”

Olivia, 22, now manages 15 Customer Service Team Members. Before joining Starling in 2020, she worked in retail, also as a Team Leader.

“There is so much support and everyone is so helpful - Starling genuinely cares about your professional and personal development and wellbeing. It doesn’t matter which role you’re in or which department - people are looked after here.”

As part of her role, Olivia interviews people applying to work at Starling. “We’re not worried about you having perfect skills nailed down - you’ve got to be passionate about Starling and someone that’s keen to learn. We look at the whole person.”

Yaaseen Quraishi, Customer Service Operations Manager

“We’re very agile and fast-paced,” says Customer Service Operations Manager Yaaseen Quraishi. “And we’re very customer-centric. We’re not like other companies that are very target heavy and tell team members to take 50 calls an hour. If a customer needs time, we give them longer, to help a resolution.”

This approach is what attracted him to Starling, as well as the diversity within the company. “There are people from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome - it’s all about inclusivity.”

Yaaseen, 27, previously worked for a car insurance company. He joined Starling as a Team Leader in 2020 and was promoted to Customer Service Operations Manager last year. He now manages eight Team Leaders, handles the day-to-day operations of Customer Service and works closely with other departments on new product launches or changes within the bank.

He also takes calls from customers or engages in Live Chats from time to time. “It’s really important - it means you know what customers want or what they’re having trouble with. It also helps you to understand what your team needs so you can drive that from the top.”