Rory Bell

Financial support professional with a proven track record across fintech, financial services, dispute resolution, and operational optimisation. Experienced in leading customer-focused initiatives that improve service quality, increase operational efficiency, and deliver measurable business impact across fast-paced, high-growth environments. Currently working within financial support at Lendable, managing complex customer situations, vulnerable customer conversations, and tailored repayment solutions while maintaining strict regulatory and compliance standards.

Previous experience spans the Financial Ombudsman Service, Royal Bank of Scotland, GoCardless, and MPB, with deep expertise in customer operations, onboarding, AI-enabled support tooling, process improvement, and performance analytics.

Financial Support Agent - Lendable - Chatham, Kent

(2026-01)

• Deliver high-quality customer support across the loans product via phone, email, and live chat, managing complex financial support and servicing enquiries.
• Support vulnerable customers and individuals experiencing financial difficulty by delivering empathetic, compliant, and outcome-focused solutions tailored to individual circumstances.
• Take full ownership of customer cases from initial contact through to resolution, ensuring accurate follow-up, escalation management, and positive customer outcomes.
• Use effective questioning techniques to understand customers' financial situations and identify appropriate repayment and support solutions.
• Maintain consistently strong performance across customer satisfaction, quality assurance, and compliance KPIs.
• Utilise AI-enabled systems and digital support tools to improve operational efficiency, reduce handling times, and enhance customer outcomes.
• Accurately maintain customer records and interaction histories to ensure audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
• Identify recurring customer pain points, operational blockers, and process gaps, providing actionable feedback to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to customer journey and process improvement reviews to enhance service delivery across the wider operation.
• Share best practice knowledge across the team to support collaboration, coaching, and continuous development.

Onboarding Specialist - GoCardless - London

(2024-03 - 2025-07)

• Acted as the primary point of contact for new merchants, guiding businesses from sign-up through to successful activation on the GoCardless platform.
• Conducted outbound engagement with new sign-ups and existing leads to promote payment processing solutions and increase merchant conversion rates.
• Built strong relationships with merchants and business owners by delivering consultative onboarding support tailored to customer pain points and operational needs.
• Helped businesses understand the value of GoCardless products and successfully onboarded merchants onto the payment collection platform.
• Identified customer requirements and communicated product value effectively to improve activation and engagement outcomes.
• Managed objections confidently and delivered practical solutions to customer concerns during the onboarding journey.
• Collaborated cross-functionally with internal teams to maintain detailed product knowledge and ensure a seamless onboarding experience.

Customer Experience Readiness Specialist - MPB - Brighton

(2021-10 - 2023-12)

• Played a key role within the Customer Experience leadership function, optimising UK, EU, DE, FR, and US operational workspaces to improve SLA performance and customer outcomes.
• Produced daily, weekly, and monthly reporting for senior leadership teams, including dashboards covering NPS, SLA performance, customer sentiment, and response times using Chattermill analytics.
• Led optimisation workshops with team leaders and communication managers to improve Intercom and Aircall workflows and operational efficiency.
• Built and optimised Intercom workspaces including automation flows, inbox management, escalation visibility, SLA rules, and multilingual self-service help centres.
• Developed tagging and reporting frameworks that identified customer trends and feedback patterns to support product and engineering roadmap decisions.
• Delivered onboarding and training sessions alongside the Learning & Development team across platforms including Intercom, Aircall, Stripe, Braintree, Sprout, and Chattermill.
• Successfully implemented five multilingual AI chatbots across UK, US, EN-EU, FR, and DE markets, increasing chatbot deflection rates from approximately 15–16% to more than 30%.
• Partnered with marketing teams to redesign chatbot experiences across all regions in line with MPB brand standards.
• Delivered major Aircall optimisation initiatives that increased global phone pickup rates from 50% to 94%, reduced wait times from 90 seconds to 20 seconds, and ensured 95% of missed calls were returned within 24 hours.

Customer Experience Advisor - MPB - Brighton

(2021-04 - 2021-10)

• Managed inbound customer enquiries across live chat, email, and telephone channels within a fast-paced customer experience environment.
• Provided expert guidance and product recommendations using in-depth technical knowledge of cameras and lenses.
• Reported recurring customer trends and operational issues to regional leadership teams to support service improvements.
• Managed customer returns, exchanges, and transit-related claims efficiently and professionally.
• Coordinated collections for part-exchange and cash purchase orders.
• Produced proforma invoices for B2B customers and provided updates relating to repairs and ongoing service cases.
• Took ownership of the full customer journey from initial enquiry through to successful resolution.

Photographer / Videographer - Asten Photo Video - London

(2019-04 - 2021-03)

• Delivered freelance videography and photography services specialising in live session recording for bands and musicians.
• Built an additional revenue stream through independent photography and videography projects alongside full-time employment.
• Operated a fully equipped studio environment using professional-grade recording and production equipment.

Head of Customer Services - Camera Jungle - London

(2017-07 - 2019-04)

• Led customer service operations and produced weekly performance reporting for senior management covering CSAT, NPS, and Net Sentiment metrics.
• Recruited, onboarded, and developed customer service team members across support, trade-ins, returns, claims, dispatch, and operational processes.
• Worked closely with Product, Operations, and Senior Management teams to support company targets and wider strategic initiatives.
• Conducted regular 1-2-1s and performance reviews to support employee growth and development.
• Cross-trained team members across operational areas to improve flexibility, efficiency, and service resilience.
• Managed TrustPilot reviews and social media customer interactions to strengthen brand reputation and customer engagement.
• Increased the company TrustPilot score from 4.1 to 4.8 within a 20-month period through service quality improvements and customer engagement initiatives.
• Tested and assessed customer equipment to support trade-in and resale operations.

Customer Support Advisor (9-Month FTC) - Allianz Worldwide Partners - South Croydon

(2016-07 - 2017-05)

• Delivered high-quality customer service while resolving customer enquiries and complaints efficiently across multiple channels.
• Worked alongside travel and fraud teams to assess support claims fairly and accurately.
• Contributed customer feedback insights to support product and service improvement initiatives.
• Assisted with onboarding and training new team members on customer support best practice.
• Analysed customer interaction trends to identify opportunities for operational improvement.

Adjudicator (FTC) - Financial Ombudsman Service - London

(2015-07 - 2016-03)

• Investigated customer complaints relating to financial institutions in line with regulatory standards and dispute resolution frameworks.
• Conducted detailed case investigations to establish facts, assess evidence, and determine fair customer outcomes.
• Worked collaboratively with stakeholders to support best practice approaches to complaint resolution.
• Produced clear, concise case reports and recommendations to support decision-making processes.
• Monitored complaint trends to identify opportunities for service and process improvements.

Case Handler (Packaged Bank Accounts) - Royal Bank of Scotland - Chatham

(2014-10 - 2015-07)

• Managed packaged bank account complaint cases in accordance with FCA regulations and internal compliance standards.
• Reviewed customer account histories and supporting documentation to determine fair complaint outcomes.
• Communicated regularly with customers regarding case progress and resolution decisions.
• Maintained accurate case records while ensuring compliance with banking procedures and service standards.

Administration - Interiarna Ltd - Rainham, Kent

(2011-07 - 2014-09)

• Provided administrative support across day-to-day business operations.
• Managed documentation, customer records, invoicing, and internal communications.
• Supported scheduling, operational coordination, and general office administration.

National Diploma - Music Technology - Canterbury College (2009-09 - 2011-07)

AS Levels - Music, Photography & Biology - Rainham Sixth Form Consortium (2008-09 - 2009-07)

GCSEs - Howard School for Boys (2003-09 - 2008-07)