Meet the team: Davinder

Renowned for our products and services, we are just as proud of the people and skills that make IRIS exceptional. Here, we invite you to get to know a crucial member of our team a little better. Davinder is our Tax Team Leader in IRIS Accountancy Customer Support. She joined IRIS four years ago and hasn’t looked back; building a career she loves from giving customers outstanding support.

What brought you to IRIS?

I had worked in customer service for 20 years, in a variety of face-to-face and service desk roles, before life took me in in a different direction for a while, running a family business and raising two children. I took my time in deciding my next career move, and joining IRIS brought me back to my customer service roots, but in a whole new way that felt more meaningful and satisfying giving me a renewed sense of direction and purpose.

What has your journey through the company been?

I’ve been pushed to better myself and helped to progress since day one. I started off as a Level 1 Analyst in the IRIS accountancy tax team, worked my way up to Level 2, and was in training to reach Level 3. Then an opportunity came up as a Team Leader and my colleagues urged me to go for it. I became the Tax Team Leader in February 2019 – and my journey continues to be about progressing and developing myself, as well as bringing out the best in my team.

What led you to an Apprenticeship?

As I moved into the Team Leader role, I started seeing things differently and from a new perspective. An Operations/Departmental Manager Apprenticeship was suggested and I went for it – and I’m really glad I did. I am a quarter of the way into a two-year course, which is equivalent to a degree. I’m really enjoying it and grateful for the opportunity; it’s given me the motivation to take operations management further in my career. I’m excited to see how I can bring about practical enhancements based on my learning.

How is your Apprenticeship helping you and the team?

Some modules I’m learning are areas I’ve already trained in at IRIS, such is our commitment to skills and development. Other areas I’m covering are exceptionally helpful, especially in learning about relationships and mentoring, which has opened my eyes to see potential in each team member. The Apprenticeship has also helped me understand my role in the team, where I fit in within the whole organisation, and how I can make a positive difference.

What is the role of your team, for customers and within IRIS?

My team is the first point of contact if any of our customers are having issues or queries relating to our tax products. Each customer call is thoroughly investigated, and we aim to provide first call resolutions. This is a skilled team; a support team needs to know the product from the inside to effectively support customers, and ours certainly does.                     

What is the typical customer experience/journey when they contact support? 

Typically a customer calls the support number and one of our agents will investigate and hopefully provide a resolution. If a solution isn’t immediately apparent, the agent will request information from the customer for further investigation and set a timeframe that both the agent and customer agree. 

What kind of issues do customers get in touch about?

It could be about any feature on the software, such as how to populate a specific box on the property pages of the tax return, where to enter employment data, information not showing on computations, submission errors etc.  Anything that impacts the customer using the product, we are there to help and work with them to provide guidance.

Do customer comments get fed back within IRIS?

All customer feedback is reported back within IRIS and all comments matter.  After each call, a customer will receive an NPS survey regarding their recent experience, this looks at the performance from the agent and company. This feedback plays a huge part in our objectives as a team, as customer satisfaction is our top priority.

How did the team adapt to home working?

The team adapted amazingly and find themselves more productive.  We have the tools to work from home, so our customers are not disrupted more than they must be during this pandemic. As offices closed last year, customers also found themselves working from home and we made sure that we were available. Despite the challenges, it was very much a case of business as usual from a customer service perspective.

You had a particularly busy ‘busy season’ didn’t you?

Every tax year end the team is there to assist right up until midnight on 31^st January – and we work incredibly hard ahead of that. We were well prepared, with a plan that included everything from staff, hours, software, telephony, customer communications, and resources from other teams to support us. We followed the plan, stuck to it, and it worked. We were able to support our customers to successfully submit their Tax Returns on time and took over 14,000 queries!  At the end of each busy season we reflect on what can change to make the next one even better, so the planning is already well underway for the next one.

What differences do you see IRIS software making to customers’ working lives?

We know that our products and services make customers’ lives easier, quicker, and more efficient.  We have seen that a lot, especially over the last year or so, which has been a challenging time for them. More people are working remotely, and our products have adapted to suit their needs and supported them as their needs have changed.

What has been your proudest moment at work?

It is a privilege to watch my team progress and adapt to change so quickly.  They trust and respect each other and work in harmony. Everybody supports one another on this team and nobody is alone.  They also have a strong work ethic, which has earned them many recognition awards that they thoroughly deserve. I’m proud of them!

What would you like your future to look like?

I am really enjoying my time as Team Leader and the skills I’m gaining. I’m always learning and developing; I’d like to master the new skills I’m acquiring and then hopefully progress along a management route. I feel exceptionally well supported by my team so I’m excited to see what my future holds!

For more information on our customer support, visit our Help Hub.