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FSS or Product Champion
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TALLULAH
- POST OFFICE
- Posts: 0
- Joined: 07 Jan 2009, 21:42
- Gender: Female
FSS or Product Champion
hey everyone. i wanted to ask if anyone was in the role of fss or product champion at thier branch and if they are finding its better than being on the counter or worse?
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TrueBlueTerrier
- FORUM ADMINISTRATOR
- Posts: 72288
- Joined: 30 Dec 2006, 10:29
- Gender: Male
- Location: On my couch
Re: FSS or Product Champion
Welcome to the site Tallulah and thanks for contributing so quickly. Hope you like the site and if you do spread the word.
Also I hope you don't mind I have amended the title of your thread to see if more people will view it and respond.
Also I hope you don't mind I have amended the title of your thread to see if more people will view it and respond.
All post by me in Green are Admin Posts.May use chatgp to generate posts
Any post in any other colour is my own responsibility.
If you like a news story I posted please click the link to show support
Any news stories you can't post - PM me with a link
Retired
Any post in any other colour is my own responsibility.
If you like a news story I posted please click the link to show support
Any news stories you can't post - PM me with a link
Retired
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TALLULAH
- POST OFFICE
- Posts: 0
- Joined: 07 Jan 2009, 21:42
- Gender: Female
Re: FSS or Product Champion
my manager has been asking people in one to ones if they want to train to be a product champ or fss. our fss is thinking about leaving as he says its to much pressure from above, so i definatley dont want to do that! but we have no product champs and i wondered what that entailed. the management give you the basics of the job but not much else.
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billyhayes
- POST OFFICE
- Posts: 455
- Joined: 05 Aug 2007, 00:50
- Gender: Male
Re: FSS or Product Champion
My experience of the 'product champion' role is basically OWNERSHIP.
For example they want one PC for bureau and telephony products.
Now with the bureau they want the champ. to be in charge of how you are going to reach your weekly targets, what percentage of trav. chex and trav. money cards will you sell against currency. They also want them to lead the bureau 'team'. This becomes the clerks role to tell the others if they are not doing the job properly, ie not having the 'correct conversations' etc. This takes the ownership away from the manager and plops it neatly into the lap of the clerk. For example, I know a couple of offices that have had visits from first rate representatives asking the managers why targets were not met, to be given the classic "go and speak to clerk X, they are the PC they can tell you" !!!
Same goes for the telephony PC. Not sold any/enough homephone, broadband or dual this week?... go and see clerk X!
This is the whole reason why the PSS role has not started. The company and union can't agree on the terms of the role. So management have created a phantom title, the PC, in the interim, so they can get people to do more work, have more responsibility for no more money...
If you are good on the bureau or homephone products, do not let them label you. If that is your strength stay at it, but wait until the PSS roles are agreed, look at the job description carefully then make an informed decision.
This was the failure of many 'first wave' FSS's. They did not wait until the full role was explained; maybe they were blinded by the extra £1000 to £3000, or wanted to please their masters, or were simply too naive to see the writing on the wall.
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As a side note, could you share with us what the managers have told you about the role/s?
For example they want one PC for bureau and telephony products.
Now with the bureau they want the champ. to be in charge of how you are going to reach your weekly targets, what percentage of trav. chex and trav. money cards will you sell against currency. They also want them to lead the bureau 'team'. This becomes the clerks role to tell the others if they are not doing the job properly, ie not having the 'correct conversations' etc. This takes the ownership away from the manager and plops it neatly into the lap of the clerk. For example, I know a couple of offices that have had visits from first rate representatives asking the managers why targets were not met, to be given the classic "go and speak to clerk X, they are the PC they can tell you" !!!
Same goes for the telephony PC. Not sold any/enough homephone, broadband or dual this week?... go and see clerk X!
This is the whole reason why the PSS role has not started. The company and union can't agree on the terms of the role. So management have created a phantom title, the PC, in the interim, so they can get people to do more work, have more responsibility for no more money...
If you are good on the bureau or homephone products, do not let them label you. If that is your strength stay at it, but wait until the PSS roles are agreed, look at the job description carefully then make an informed decision.
This was the failure of many 'first wave' FSS's. They did not wait until the full role was explained; maybe they were blinded by the extra £1000 to £3000, or wanted to please their masters, or were simply too naive to see the writing on the wall.
------------------------
As a side note, could you share with us what the managers have told you about the role/s?
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
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TALLULAH
- POST OFFICE
- Posts: 0
- Joined: 07 Jan 2009, 21:42
- Gender: Female
Re: FSS or Product Champion
they said to me that they needed a product champ for bureau and that if i wanted to do it i would lead bureau team to achieve first rate targets and that i can earn an extra thousand a year. not much else. but i think you are right. if i took it i'd be scapegoat if targets not achieved. think i'll stop as i am!
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saunders265
- POST OFFICE
- Posts: 49
- Joined: 24 Dec 2008, 21:20
- Gender: Male
Re: FSS or Product Champion
The trouble with this site is that I agree with everything Billyhayes says! Why anyone would want to put their head above the parapet for either 'Product Champion' or FSS roles is beyond me. In my part of the world FSS's resign the post faster than they can be recruited. The waste is incredible. Browse the Bank Of Ireland for news on the Internet, and it won't take you long to ask serious questions about how we will get any competitive Savings products to offer at all in the near future. Have you seen the terms of the Mortgage?
As far as the Bureau is concerned, we waste resources on Workshops, and Sales Managers who have no idea what the job entails, but offer an abysmal exchange rate - what a farce.
And how many people actually want what we sell? My personal record is 124 Credit Card 'conversations' before getting a 'sign up'. 21 yesterday without result.
The New Year message from the man at the head of the Crown Office Network was deeply depressing - in substance; "we have are heads firmly buried in the sand, we have a plan, and no matter how way off the mark it is, we are going to continue with it".
Happy New Year everyone!
As far as the Bureau is concerned, we waste resources on Workshops, and Sales Managers who have no idea what the job entails, but offer an abysmal exchange rate - what a farce.
And how many people actually want what we sell? My personal record is 124 Credit Card 'conversations' before getting a 'sign up'. 21 yesterday without result.
The New Year message from the man at the head of the Crown Office Network was deeply depressing - in substance; "we have are heads firmly buried in the sand, we have a plan, and no matter how way off the mark it is, we are going to continue with it".
Happy New Year everyone!