Laura Warr – Discovery Agent
Meet Laura, who joined Gungho in February 2020 following maternity leave. Having worked in telemarketing previously, Laura was looking for a role with flexible hours and was determined to continue her career. Here she talks about how Gungho offered something more important than just a job; the opportunity to balance family and working life.
What’s a typical day like?
My day starts pretty early, I’m up a 6:00am with my little boy and once we’ve had breakfast and got ready, I normally take him and the dog out for a walk. I spend all morning with him and drop him at my parents’ house at lunch time. I start my working day at 2:00pm and work until 8:00pm. At the moment I’m working from home so there’s not much of a commute!
I start my shift with the afternoon conference call with the team to discuss our priorities and what we’re focussing on that day. Once we’re all set, we start calling through our lists. Each week we have incentives and competitions where we can win prizes. If we hit our team target, we finish an hour early on a Thursday which is the end of our working week.
It seems like a long day, what was the adjustment like returning to work from maternity leave?
It sounds long because I finish at 8:00pm but it’s a 6-hour working day which isn’t bad at all. Working these hours fits around my family lifestyle perfectly. I was worried that I’d have to compromise my career to get the hours I needed and take something in retail or similar. Luckily, that didn’t happen, and I can stay in my profession but also spend quality time with my son.
I’m lucky because I have all morning with little boy so we can get out and do things and after some time with his grandparents, my partner can take over for dinner and bedtime. We also get a long weekend together because Gungho operate Monday to Thursday, so I have the time on a Friday to get jobs round the house done which frees up the weekend to see friends and family and do fun things together.
Did you have previous experience in the RegTech industry?
I didn’t have any previous experience. I’d worked in telemarketing, but it was a vastly different field. You get into it quite quickly though. I spent the first week listening to experienced Discovery Agents on the phones, learning and researching. I was given handouts and reference sheets to build my knowledge until it became second nature. Once you learn the lingo and get your head round the high-tech elements of the products and the industry, you’re away. I’m now making 100 calls a day and booking on average, one or two appointments each day. Because they are well-qualified, they normally convert to sales, so the clients are happy.
What’s the favourite part of your job?
Getting the appointments booked always feels great. It might be one of the last calls you make that day and so it’s a relief and an achievement. I’ve developed ways of getting past gate keepers as they can be the main obstacle. I normally build up friendly rapport and just say I’m calling to make an appointment. That level of confidence gets me through to the contact, who more often than not, is happy to have a conversation. We’ve all had to have much more persistence during the pandemic, but you just keep in mind that on the next call you could get that appointment booked. We also have really inspiring managers. They don’t breathe down your neck or pressure you. They are there to support and encourage. My biggest achievement since joining is hitting my target during COVID-19.
What would you say to someone thinking about applying?
Definitely do your research. It’s a specific industry and not something people are always familiar with, so looking through the website and getting an overview of the clients really helps. A full-time role is ten hours a day over four days a week so it’s not the traditional 9 to 5. Don’t let the hours put you off though. It opens up more time and allows you to enjoy quality time with friends and family. Gungho is also a really good company with great benefits so that’s a huge plus. Overall, I’d definitely recommend a career with Gungho.
