Lowes Magazine 122

SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight on Lowes people

Rob Earl Client Servicing Manager

Rob Earl heads up the Client Servicing team set up in 2021 to better help Lowes clients with their queries and as part of our development plans to enable us to provide Independent Financial Advice to more people who need it. Newcastle born and bred, Rob has had a long career in financial services, mainly in and around the North East, except for stints working for banks in Australia and Manchester. More recently he worked for 15 years for a large retail bank, latterly dealing with their PPI claims. Having day-to-day contact with customers of the bank was good experience for staying focussed and dealing with the issue at hand, he says. While he was at the bank, he started on his journey to becoming an authorised financial adviser, which included taking 15 exams. He is now just one step away from achieving his higher-level exams, becoming a Chartered Financial Planner, and adding to the number of highly qualified people we have at Lowes. Rob joined Lowes in June 2021 and as Lowes started on its plans to expand as a company, he moved into the Client Servicing Department and set to work developing the departments processes and systems. The Client Servicing team was set up to better serve Lowes clients wherever they are in the UK, especially those who are unable to come to the Lowes offices. Rob’s role is to help Lowes clients with any queries they may have or advice they may need, in between seeing their Lowes Consultant. He is based in Lowes’ Fernwood House office, and most of his work is done over the telephone, “but I do talk with people face-to-face when they want to pop into the building to catch up on something specific,” he adds. “No matter what the question is, clients can just pick up the phone or come into the office and we are there to help. “It’s important that clients can contact Lowes and get an answer,” he adds. “Advisers spend a lot of their time travelling and seeing clients, which means they are not always available when a client has a query. That’s when they can ring us.” The Client Servicing team consists of seven people at present. “We are a close-knit team and we’re always trying to develop our personal knowledge and understanding so that we can help clients as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Rob says. “Lowes aims to be recognised as one of the best Independent Financial Advice firms in the UK and to be able to offer advice to even more people around the country. That means the number of Lowes Advisers has to grow. Lowes has a very distinct philosophy of doing our very best for people and doing that on a personal basis. The Client Servicing team is a way to bring on new Advisers who already know and work within that philosophy.”

Asked if he enjoys the work he is doing, Rob says: “Having worked in a complaints department for several years, as much as that taught me, I am having much nicer conversations with Lowes clients. Being a qualified financial adviser and helping Lowes clients with their queries and giving them advice, you feel like you are helping people to improve their financial situation and achieve what they want in their lives. That is both satisfying and enjoyable.”

13 Lowes.co.uk