SBM Bank Kenya is a leading and trusted financial institution with an international footprint, headquartered in Mauritius and positioned to offer an unprecedented banking experience in Kenya to niche Retail, SME and corporate clients. Following approval by the Central Bank of Kenya, the bank started its operations in Kenya in May 2017 and currently h...

Telesales Agent

Job Purpose

The role holder will be required to proactively engage prospective and existing customers through structured outbound calling and inbound enquiry handling in order to:

• Grow the Bank’s retail portfolio.
• Deepen customer wallet share.
• Promote adoption of digital channels.
• Ensure that every sale concluded is suitable, affordable and fully disclosed to the customer.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Delivery & Portfolio Management – 45%

• Manage the allocated customer and prospect portfolio and ensure full coverage of the assigned list within each campaign cycle.
• Conduct the agreed daily volume of outbound calls from approved, permission-based calling lists and handle inbound sales enquiries.
• Achieve monthly and quarterly sales targets for assigned products by volume, value and product mix.
• Prioritise leads and applications requiring immediate follow-up, including approved offers at risk of lapsing and partially completed applications.
• Secure customer commitments and follow up to ensure fulfilment through to account opening, drawdown, card activation or channel enrolment.
• Maintain an accurate and current pipeline, recording every contact, commitment, outcome and next action on the same day.
• Escalate complex, high-value or high-risk cases to the Team Leader for guidance or referral.

Customer Engagement & Suitability – 20%

• Engage customers professionally using approved scripts, product guidelines and disclosure standards, and maintain regular contact within the assigned portfolio.
• Establish the customer’s actual need and repayment capacity before recommending any product.
• Explain product features, pricing, the total cost of credit, fees, charges and key terms fully and in language the customer understands, and confirm understanding before proceeding.
• Identify and report early signs of customer affordability stress, including:
  • Reduced or irregular income.
  • Multiple existing facilities.
  • Reliance on borrowing to meet routine obligations.
  • Inability to meet the proposed instalment.
• Decline to proceed where the product is unaffordable.
• Respect a customer’s decision to decline and honour opt-out and do-not-call requests immediately and permanently.
• Handle objections and complaints professionally and log and escalate complaints through the Bank’s complaints process within the required timelines.
• Drive customer retention and reduce customer attrition through initiatives generated by product owners or business segments.

Compliance, Conduct & Risk – 15%

• Comply at all times with:
  • The Banking Act.
  • The Central Bank of Kenya Prudential Guidelines on consumer protection.
  • The Consumer Protection Act, 2012.
  • The Data Protection Act, 2019.
  • The Bank’s AML/CFT policies.
  • KYC requirements.
  • The Bank’s Code of Conduct.
  • Sales conduct policies.
• Make no false, exaggerated or misleading statement about any product, rate, approval outcome or turnaround time.
• Process personal data only for the purpose for which it was collected and only on the Bank’s systems.
• Never remove, photograph, forward or store customer data on personal devices or personal accounts.
• Confirm the lawful basis for contacting each customer and accurately record consent and opt-outs.
• Complete all mandatory training within the required timelines, including:
  • AML/CFT.
  • KYC.
  • Data protection.
  • Information security.
  • Product training.
  • Consumer protection.
• Report suspected fraud, suspicious transactions, data breaches and mis-selling immediately in line with Bank policy.

Systems, Records & Reporting – 10%

• Maintain accurate and timely updates in the Bank’s CRM and other designated sales systems.
• Record all customer engagements, commitments and outcomes, including disclosures made, to support subsequent audit, quality review or dispute resolution.
• Submit daily activity and weekly performance reports in the prescribed format.
• Ensure application forms and supporting documents are complete, legible and correctly submitted for onward processing.

Campaigns, Teamwork & Development – 10%

• Support campaigns and initiatives aimed at growing the portfolio, improving portfolio quality and retaining existing customers.
• Identify cross-sell and bundling opportunities within the existing customer base.
• Refer complex or high-value opportunities to the relevant relationship team.
• Work to the Bank’s Culture Code (ASPIRE) and the values of:
  • Customer centricity.
  • Trustworthiness.
  • Integrity.
  • Respect.
  • Prudence.
• Participate in daily huddles, coaching sessions, call reviews and product briefings.
• Take ownership of personal development through the Bank’s performance and development planning process.

Key Relationships

Direct Reports

None.

Key Internal and External Relationships

The role holder will interact with:

• Existing and prospective customers.
• Team Leader – Telesales and the Direct Sales team.
• Branch network and Relationship Management teams.
• Credit, Operations and Card Services.
• Contact Centre and Customer Experience teams.
• Marketing and Product teams.
• Compliance, Risk and Internal Audit.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Role Knowledge

The successful candidate should have:

• Knowledge of retail banking products, including:
  • Unsecured lending.
  • Cards.
  • Deposits.
  • Digital channels.
• Understanding of the lending process, affordability assessment and the total cost of credit.
• Working knowledge of consumer protection requirements under the Central Bank of Kenya Prudential Guidelines and the Consumer Protection Act, 2012.
• Working knowledge of the Data Protection Act, 2019 as it applies to direct marketing and customer data.
• Understanding of AML/CFT and KYC obligations.
• Customer engagement, objection handling and negotiation skills.
• Report writing and documentation skills.
• Computer literacy and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Familiarity with CRM or equivalent sales systems.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili, both spoken and written.

Role Experience

• At least one (1) year of experience in telesales, contact centre sales, direct sales or a related field.
• Experience in financial services will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrable record of meeting sales targets.

Educational & Professional Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Banking, Economics, Accounting, Marketing or a related field from an institution recognised by the Commission for University Education.
• Certificate of Proficiency (COP) and registration with the Insurance Regulatory Authority are required only where the role is extended to bancassurance products.

• Manage the allocated customer and prospect portfolio and ensure full coverage of the assigned list within each campaign cycle.
• Conduct the agreed daily volume of outbound calls from approved, permission-based calling lists and handle inbound sales enquiries.
• Achieve monthly and quarterly sales targets for assigned products by volume, value and product mix.
• Prioritise leads and applications requiring immediate follow-up, including approved offers at risk of lapsing and partially completed applications.
• Secure customer commitments and follow up to ensure fulfilment through to account opening, drawdown, card activation or channel enrolment.
• Maintain an accurate and current pipeline, recording every contact, commitment, outcome and next action on the same day.
• Escalate complex, high-value or high-risk cases to the Team Leader for guidance or referral.
• Engage customers professionally using approved scripts, product guidelines and disclosure standards, and maintain regular contact within the assigned portfolio.
• Establish the customer’s actual need and repayment capacity before recommending any product.
• Explain product features, pricing, the total cost of credit, fees, charges and key terms fully and in language the customer understands, and confirm understanding before proceeding.
• Identify and report early signs of customer affordability stress, including: Reduced or irregular income, Multiple existing facilities, Reliance on borrowing to meet routine obligations, Inability to meet the proposed instalment.
• Decline to proceed where the product is unaffordable.
• Respect a customer’s decision to decline and honour opt-out and do-not-call requests immediately and permanently.
• Handle objections and complaints professionally and log and escalate complaints through the Bank’s complaints process within the required timelines.
• Drive customer retention and reduce customer attrition through initiatives generated by product owners or business segments.
• Comply at all times with The Banking Act, The Central Bank of Kenya Prudential Guidelines on consumer protection, The Consumer Protection Act, 2012, The Data Protection Act, 2019, The Bank’s AML/CFT policies, KYC requirements, The Bank’s Code of Conduct, and Sales conduct policies.
• Make no false, exaggerated or misleading statement about any product, rate, approval outcome or turnaround time.
• Process personal data only for the purpose for which it was collected and only on the Bank’s systems.
• Never remove, photograph, forward or store customer data on personal devices or personal accounts.
• Confirm the lawful basis for contacting each customer and accurately record consent and opt-outs.
• Complete all mandatory training within the required timelines, including: AML/CFT, KYC, Data protection, Information security, Product training, Consumer protection.
• Report suspected fraud, suspicious transactions, data breaches and mis-selling immediately in line with Bank policy.
• Maintain accurate and timely updates in the Bank’s CRM and other designated sales systems.
• Record all customer engagements, commitments and outcomes, including disclosures made, to support subsequent audit, quality review or dispute resolution.
• Submit daily activity and weekly performance reports in the prescribed format.
• Ensure application forms and supporting documents are complete, legible and correctly submitted for onward processing.
• Support campaigns and initiatives aimed at growing the portfolio, improving portfolio quality and retaining existing customers.
• Identify cross-sell and bundling opportunities within the existing customer base.
• Refer complex or high-value opportunities to the relevant relationship team.
• Work to the Bank’s Culture Code (ASPIRE) and the values of: Customer centricity, Trustworthiness, Integrity, Respect, Prudence.
• Participate in daily huddles, coaching sessions, call reviews and product briefings.
• Take ownership of personal development through the Bank’s performance and development planning process.

• Customer engagement skills
• Objection handling skills
• Negotiation skills
• Report writing skills
• Documentation skills
• Computer literacy
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Familiarity with CRM or equivalent sales systems
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili, both spoken and written

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Banking, Economics, Accounting, Marketing or a related field from an institution recognised by the Commission for University Education.
• Certificate of Proficiency (COP) and registration with the Insurance Regulatory Authority are required only where the role is extended to bancassurance products.