provident agents [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

Beeincontrol

Taking the P is one thing, when I dropped to 7% after being on 11% its now a huge drop in wages, its lowest I have had in the years I have worked for them. the thing is, they had a cheek now to drop the threshold again, if I hit 10% now. I will earn what I had on 7% before, so I leave you guess what happens over January and February Collections. Looks like I be out of here, leave Crook and the gang that are enjoying themselves on our hard earned money, go collect it themselves.:mad:

jeanm_2

with the introduction recently of the loanApp, it means we now need to be internet connected whilst on the move. Ioverheard a very heated agents interview last week where the agent had bought a tablet to use when she had to for the clipapp but she has no idea if it will connect.
I voiced my opinion to my boss when this first came out as I was told I didn't need internet, just a tablet/device and upload when I got home. I was told we just needed to ask the customer for their internet password and use theirs to email them. I said anything that is password protected shouldn't be handed out and, when I asked several of my customers, most said they would prefer not to or simply refused completely. Last week, they said we cant ask customers and need our own internet to do it. so now, I have to change my mobile phone supplier and get a new phone. i'm a dinosaur and my phone makes calls and texts only.
I did tell my boss last week that 99% of my customers don't have email addresses so keep those LPIPs coming!

Smilla13

I'm a fairly new agent struggling to build my agency. Can anyone give me any advice on how to use the RAF's effectively? And any other advice on getting new customers on?

Cheers

jeanm_2

Ask your good customers if they know any friends or family. sometimes, if a couple and not both customers, one can recommend the other.provident change the rules frequently but currently NB count. No minimum value so if a wife recommends husband and he gets a loan or £100, she gets £30. it is a good selling point.

demoralised

Thought it was to good to last, the bullying has started again, apparently if you don't put on a customer in any 8 week period they will take your agency from you. Never mind that agents manual says you can work as long or as short as you wish, and that although they encourage you to grow your agency it is up to you. Considering that the company lost over 29% of its customer base last year and we have to contend with satsuma picking the best of the crop, they still think it is acceptable to do this, what a shower.

itsarichmansworld

As a DM I've had enough taking a pack of a agent because he only has small agency even though it runs like clockwork very little arrears works sells most week but it's 50 customers so he's gone.

Soon as I found that out I handed in my notice agents geta raw deal at provi. To get decent commissions aim for 9% not 10% if you consistently hit 10% you will get higher thresholds in the next qtr. my agents figured this out pretty quickly the company and management is a joke agents aren't seen as humans its a vile place to work

demoralised

itsarichmansworld wrote: »

As a DM I've had enough taking a pack of a agent because he only has small agency even though it runs like clockwork very little arrears works sells most week but it's 50 customers so he's gone.

Soon as I found that out I handed in my notice agents geta raw deal at provi. To get decent commissions aim for 9% not 10% if you consistently hit 10% you will get higher thresholds in the next qtr. my agents figured this out pretty quickly the company and management is a joke agents aren't seen as humans its a vile place to work

Itsarichmansworld tell your agent to consult a soliciter, print hard copy of agents manuel and quote section that says we can work as much or as little as we like and although they encourage us to grow our agency it is up to us how much we work. This manuel forms part of our contract with provident, so if an agency is taken away solely because of customer count this is a breach of contract, supply him with evidence of previous weeks collections, arrears etc. to show there were no problems with how agency performed. Hopefully an employment lawyer would be prepared to take this on, on a no win no fee basis, as it seems a clear breach of contract. Good luck to you for the future, you have confirmed what we all know, that as far as Provident is concerned we are the lowest of the low, someone needs a wake up call, without the agents Provident home credit would not exist. Problems within home credit only began when they decided to treat agents as expendable, they have lost so much expertise over the last couple of years, it is commen sence that you would want to keep an agent who runs his book well, however small, customers prefer a well organised agent and when they lose that, to be replaced with a succession of bad agents, that is when they either pay up because they have had enough of being messed around, or decide to stop paying and blame it on the disruption. What does it matter how small the book is? It will cost Provi the same if he runs it or if someone else does? Or is that the point they don't want to pay out 11% to a good agent and would prefer to pay 7% to a rubbish agent?

djjockey

New to provident and DM wants me to drum up new business already, any suggestions on how to go about this, Area Manager mentioned calling to estates pushing the vouchers....
I was told by a previous agent that there was help and money available to pay someone to do sales only, in an agency 1/2 days a week to built up the quality and customers. Wondering if this is true or if there is something else available, as I am been told very little about this.
The agency I got has around 190-220 customers, and a quality of 60%, which I have been told is bad, so any help, from current or past agents, etc, would be appreciated.
Cheers...

demoralised

djjockey wrote: »

New to provident and DM wants me to drum up new business already, any suggestions on how to go about this, Area Manager mentioned calling to estates pushing the vouchers....
I was told by a previous agent that there was help and money available to pay someone to do sales only, in an agency 1/2 days a week to built up the quality and customers. Wondering if this is true or if there is something else available, as I am been told very little about this.
The agency I got has around 190-220 customers, and a quality of 60%, which I have been told is bad, so any help, from current or past agents, etc, would be appreciated.
Cheers...

VOUCHERS!!!!! Is ours the only office to be told these no longer exist???? And you cannot canvass loans, against the law, you can leaflet drop, which is usually a complete waste of time, recommend a friend leaflets have the best results as customers like the chance to get £30. Have never heard of funds to pay someone to do your sales, however if it does exist in your office DONT DO IT, you need to control who you are issuing to, only you really know the customers circumstances, only issue to customers you are sure can afford it, that is why at the moment your clip collects at 60%, irresponsible lending is to blame, the only way to improve the quality is to keep a tight reign on who you issue to, and to make sure that you see every customer to collect, even if that means several visits to the same customer each week, eventually they will realise it is easier to pay you than dodge you. Any customer with genuine financial problems discuss excepting a reduced payment untill their circumstances improve, and make sure you get a waiver done. Good luck hope it all works well for you.

jeanm_2

We lost all vouchers in February. How many agents had their own voucher accounts? With commission plus agents discount, it almost eliminated the interest. At one stage a few years ago, we actually got more back so i seem to remember on one scheme( remember the IPP +4,+6,-4,-6). I think i paid £17.80 for a £20 voucher once. Not the same for loans so I bet loads of agents accounts are going to close.
Well, tonight's the night! -i lose my 1℅ bonus. I am an impressive 20 payers short tonight. I have been for the past two weeks and needed to hit threshold 2 this week and the next two weeks. So, decisions need to be made. A friend pointed out that my hourly rate at 7℅ still works out better than her job, and flexibility is a plus. So, for now at least, I have decided a 'work to rule'. You know the phrase-'you pay peanuts.....', well, crap commission= crap agent! One callback per customer, loans at my convenience and,as for this idea that we must put on one new customer per fortnight( yes,every two weeks in our office. That doesn't matter if you put ten on three weeks ago- they still want another one), they can just send me back out to try again. Whilst none of this will increase my commission, it will reduce my hours on the road by about a third and my fuel will benefit so it should at least make me feel a bit better