More people and a new look for bank’s call centre

HSBC is about to start interviewing to recruit 70 more staff for its new-look call centre which handles calls from wealthy account holders.

At present the call centre, at Edinburgh Park, has 500 staff (FTE) who deal with its Premier Account customers.  To qualify for these accounts, they must earn £100,000 a year and/or have £50,000 in savings with the bank.

HSBC recently spent £5m on refurbishing the 12-year-old building — work mostly carried out by Wates Group — in response to growing customer demand for its products and services and as part of what it says is part of a long-term programme of investment in Scotland.

It says the call centre, which is open 8am-12midnight year round, is primarily focused on servicing Premier Account customers who can talk to HSBC at any time from anywhere they choose to live or work around the world.  Complementing the existing staff, the new roles are, it says, closely aligned to those of the bank’s branch-based relationship managers.

Jane Mitchison, contact centre director for two years, has spent her career with HSBC, previously in roles in retail, commercial and change management.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the news reinforced the message that Scotland was a key European financial centre.

HSBC, which has about 9,500 offices in 86 countries and territories, has 10,000 call centre staff in the UK.

Premier inbound magnetic message board	Exterior of the HSBC call centre in Edinburgh Park
Inside, showing new décor and motivational message	Reception area
Jane Mitchinson, centre director