Customer Service Representative | Sarasota, FL | Mar 2, 2016
Old fashioned bank stuck in the past
BMO Harris Bank, is a large bank in the Central Nothern part of the country and of course Canada. They have started to branch out in the sunbelt area(Florida and Arizona) they have been in the banking business for over 130 years and have not since upgraded their technology. Software and technology is super slow you have to entertain customers often so they do not grow impatient as it's very common as it's apologizing for it. More accounts are closed daily then opened, since they are not competive enough and have very few locations not providing enough atms and making it an incovenience to customers. If it was not for it's "snowbirds" customers and the drive-thru this bank would seize to exists in the south, it would not be a surprise if it once again sold or merged like it did with it's Orlando,Fla branches. This not an opportunity growth nor does it embrace minorities type of employement.
You will be also accountable for referring prospects to Personal Bankers and other groups at least 15 to 20 outbound calls per day and at least getting one small business accounts.
There are unrealistic goals to try to meet you can work on referrals but at the end of the day, "cheeks in the seat" is all that mattters according to management that is very incompetent and selfish.
Providing professional, courteous and friendly customer service, greeting all customers promptly and pleasant is not hard to do most customers are very friendly.
Support professional bank image by ensuri
Identify, monitor, recommend and execute action on non-performing accounts. Must balance financial risks/rewards to Bank with working with and meeting the needs of the customer. Objective is to minimize loss and/or maximize return on investment through prompt and appropriate loss mitigation. Utilize strong negotiation skills and interpersonal skills, while adhering to all applicable guidelines, requirements and regulations. Maintain contact and follow-through to ensure appropriate resolution.
Non-Performing Account Resolution (60%)
• Analyze varying customer issues/inquiries and non-performing accounts to determine appropriate solutions
• Contact past due customers and execute established procedures for the successful resolution of non-performing accounts, adhering to all applicable investor guidelines, requirements and regulations
• Respond to past-due customer-initiated requests and work with customer to resolve delinquency in a manner beneficial to all parties
• Negotiate the delinquent account resolution by balancing the financial risks/rewards to the bank with working with and meeting the needs of the customer
• Apply skip tracing techniques and strong negotiation skills when required
• Keep management apprised of complex or high risk situations or issues
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with internal and external business partners, suppliers, vendors and regulatory officials
• Stay abreast of and incorporate changing regulations and procedures
Reviews of BMO within do contain a high degree of truth
I have worked in both the Retail and Mortgage divisions of BMO bank for 6 years. Their is a great deal of truthful information within the reviews of this company that are not to be considered written out of spite. The retail division of the Midwest has condensed in number of branches, employee base and clientele since expanding out of Metro Chicago. It would be beneficial to consider much of the info contained within the Indeed reviews before exploring employment with this company. As a retail employer you are going to be required to have 20 face to face interactions that generate a product lead regardless if you served 2 clients on that business day. All retail bankers will also need 50 voice to voice "cold calls" per week and that does not include "call night" which requires cold calling after hours. The barrage of solicitation the clientele receives whether at the bankers desk, at the drive up or at home by phone is disheartening. BMO seems to have a business model that is based on a theory of , too ignorant to recognize successful strategies of its competitors and too arrogant to do so. Each acquisition of another financial lender has lead to an enormous loss of client base and employee positions, while the competition increases market share as a direct result of this "business attitude". The mortgage dept suffers from the same business approach in that the agenda is set on a metro Chicago model without any economic consideration to individual market strategy. The area m
ProsYou meet nice people and make longtime friends
ConsIncompetent managment, working twice as hard for half the result
2.0
Customer Service Representative | United States | Jul 29, 2013
Take the good with the bad.
There are good and bad things about working for BMO Harris. Unfortunately for me, the bad outweighed the good by leaps and bounds. Much of the day was spent doing things unrelated to my actual job. When we did have work to do it was a competition to see who could scatter the fastest. "Lazy" is probably the best adjective to describe the work environment.
If you don't take the initiative you won't learn much, as is true for most jobs. This was especially true for me because my Service Manager was not interested in training or helping employees be their best. My Service Manager was more interested in surfing the internet and completing personal tasks on work time. My Branch Manger(s) were essentially non-existent and unavailable 95% of the time. Training is done entirely online with ineffective Power Point presentations and quizzes you can take a re-take until you pass.
My job title included the word "service" but service is a truly minimal part of this position. Make no mistake about it; this is a SALES JOB. Your worth is determined by how many customers you can convince to open new accounts, credit cards, loans and meet with the Financial Advisor. Cold-calling, disciplinary action and threats of call nights are punishment for not meeting sales goals. If you're a Service Rep you MUST have a stellar referral/hit record to even be considered for what they see as a promotion. Years of service are irrelevant. Education is irrelevant. Sales is the golden ticket.
What I enj
ProsGood insurance, opportunity to develop sales skills, easy job
ConsLow wages, lots of downtime, poor management, little opportunity for professional advancement despite insistence on promotion from within
4.0
Customer Service Representative | Madison, WI | Dec 13, 2021
Amazing benefits for part and full-timers, but work can be lackluster.
My location, despite being downtown, was extremely slow. On a "busy" day, I'd help maybe 60 people in total during an 8-hour shift, including the drive up. My location was sort of an oddball in that it was ancient (very cool building that also housed different high wealth client employees). One of my coworkers worked at a location by the mall and said their days were nonstop over there. Each person always struggled to meet our sales quotas due to there being few new customers and business runners.
My coworkers kept the place feeling alive so that plus the benefits BMO offered it was worth it for me. I liked how BMO offered pretty much the same benefits package to both full and part-timers. Between all the holidays off and paid for coupled with 2 weeks of paid sick leave and 2 weeks of paid vacation time, it really wasn't that bad of a starter job. BMO also made it a requirement to take at least 5 consecutive days off, which was very nice.
I was very happy to not get fired during the pandemic and that BMO adapted so I could continue to support my family. BMO also made it a point to give us extra befits during the pandemic, like extra PTO time to get your vaccine and extra mental health days.
As far as growth, maybe look somewhere else. Unless you're willing to move around a lot and take several years, it's unlikely that you will see a promotion within the first two years. My manager wished he could have made me a lead teller, but regional management didn't see a need for a
ProsCoworkers felt like family, getting to know regulars was fun, PTO was beautiful, good health insurance plans
ConsHigh turnover, 3 different managers in a little under a year and a half, always unorganized, Upper-level management could be a bit judgy on physical appearances, Limited options for if you want to move up and takes a long time to get promoted
Banking industry is in transition, companies want to outsource everything
BMO was a wonderful company to work for, but in today's workplace the trend is to move away from having support people on staff. BMO is no different in this regard. Technological advances are making most paper-handling and some face-to-face positions obsolete. The Agile culture is exacerbating the idea that employees are modular and the ideal situation is to hire them for a specific skill-set for a specific period of time. If you are flexible and don't care about being a vested part of a corporation's culture, this new reality is for you.
Daily work was mostly challenging, but mostly in stimulating and positive ways. I learned to use a variety of applications, skills that will transfer to other companies. Upper management was somewhat distant and not always aware of the true scope of our activities, or at least did not put a priority on seeing the full picture. But, when you could engage them, they were responsive.
In later years, the company adopted a "Being BMO" program, which was one of the most positive moves I saw there. Cross-border cultural differences sometimes caused friction between teams, but this program mitigated that issue pretty well. Overall, though, Talent Acquisition did a great screening job, so people hired tended to get along well with others.
The hardest part of the job revolved around process paralysis. Sometimes instructions were unclear or too open to interpretation, and people would get stuck not knowing what to do next. It could take weeks
ProsExcellent 401(k) match, interesting work, great business partners, bonus program
ConsOutsourcing and offshoring of some jobs, insurance is meh
1.0
Senior Customer Service Representative | Wisconsin | Feb 18, 2016
All about sales
I have worked for BMO for 8 years. I started with M&I which was a totally different bank and cared about customers and employees. Now all it is about is getting customers to buy more products from us. They expect huge sales goals and when you don't reach it you get no sales incentive pay.Then the bank manager gets on you for not doing better and tells you to ask every customer to get a credit card or other products. The computer software is so outdated we still have to use a DOS system and our computers lag so bad every day that we have to apologize to customers for the wait when our computer freezes up. They say there is room for advancement but unless you kiss up to higher management don't count on it! They keep cutting our staff and tell us we need to do more. But when we get busy with a line no bankers step in to help us. Constant pressure for sales. That is all management talks about. They randomly call customers to survey them to find out how their experience was and if the don't rank us with all 10's then you hear it from your boss. Yet one of the questions is if they would recommended BMO to their friends, which has nothing to do with the service we gave them. But we are still blamed when they score us low on the bank's bad reputation. But yet customers are complaining about how we give them a sales pitch every time they come to the bank. I have gotten yelled at for this many times. The raise you get once a year is barely .25 cents if you are lucky. I was promot
Originally when I started my initial manager was a complete nightmare. I dreaded going to work and the best part of the day was clocking out. During my exit interview though I told the higher ups some things my manager did and apparently some of the things management did was against company policy so they actually fired that person. Since I was going to leave because of that manager I decided to stay and am glad I did. My new manager is awesome and company culture is 150x better. Now I look forward to working and everything is going well. The pay for tellers is much higher than most other financial institutions and their benefit package is great. Their motto is to keep their employees happy which in turn help keep customers happy and makes for great business. Before it was so gloomy going to work and the customers noticed it. They would ask if the witch would be working. But now the witch is gone and the customers are much happier. My advice to others is to let the uppers know the reason for your leave if you leave and maybe they can fix it. Many times employees leave but don’t speak up so no one can fix anything. I’m glad I spoke up so I could keep the job I wanted. Also for tellers you have goals to refer customers to the bankers. It’s pretty straightforward since there are tools to help. If you’re ambitious you can also ask to role play with other employees to help you engage in conversation and overcome customers who decline the sale. Before, I would’ve given BMO one star
ProsFull benefits, excellent pay, 1 hr lunches, paid bank holidays
ConsDepending on management yours might be a nightmare or a saint
3.0
Customer Service Representative | Milwaukee, WI | May 7, 2014
Well respected company with some awesome coworkers
A typical day would consist of coming in the morning and if i am opening open the vault door and nightdrop if not just go get my keys and drawer then sign in to computer. On mondays and wednesday i am responsible for making sure to order cash for the branch and on Tuesdays we balance the cash dispensers and fill them with whatever availale cash we have in the branch. Most days when those arent happening its just all assisting customers making deposits, withdrawals, payments, answering questions, and helping bankers when need be.
I have learned to definitely muli-task and how banks operate; everyone doesnt realize there are alot of behind the scenes things besides just the basics you see when you come inside as a customer. I also learned some better customer service skills.
Management at my particular branch is pretty good; they try to work with you in all situations and especially when it comes to family.
I love my coworkers. I have seen quite a few come and go but the ones who are here right now are amazing, we all get along really well and work together as a team and help one another out.
The hardest part of the job is/can be referrals..alot of the customers we have are non customers who just come to cash their payroll checks and some have tried to open accounts and dont qualify and also there is alot of downtime somedays which isnt something i like; i enjoy being stimulated and having something new to learn constantly and having my time occupied correctly especially a
Typical day included inbound customer service calls from clients or prospective clients inquiring about products or asking for service. Directing new account clients to the proper department. Servicing demand deposit accounts, loan accounts, CDs. Researching problem issues and providing follow-up for the clients.
I learned all the fine points of customer service in finance and lending. Also learned the "one and done" approach to customer service - the goal being to get the issue resolved in one call - without the need for follow-up.
Management was approachable and helpful.
Enjoyed my co-workers. A nice friendly bunch of people from diverse backgrounds. Never encountered anyone that was difficult to work with. Formed a number of lasting personal relationships through my association at work. Nice cordial environment.
Hardest part of the job was working with individuals who were angry. Working with finances is a very sensitive area. Often people do not want to accept the reality or responsibility of an overdrawn account, late CD renewal, service charge for a late loan payment, etc. These kinds of situations require tact, patience, and the willingness to go the extra mile to get a satisfactory resolution for the client and the bank.
Most enjoyable part of the job was a successful call where the client got what they needed quickly, accurately, and to their satisfaction. I like customer service and helping people solve their problems is always a rewardi
ProsLots of perks. Jeans days as rewards for production or voluntary OT, catered lunches for special occasions, or sometimes just because.
ConsTook some time to adjust to the large corporate feel of BMO as compared to M&I.
Questions And Answers about BMO Harris Bank
How long does it take to get hired from start to finish at BMO Harris Bank? What are the steps along the way?
Asked Jul 7, 2016
It took me well over 4 months to interview and receive an offer for the position I am in. My company has a tendency to drag their feet during the hiring process.
Answered Sep 25, 2017
Goes through the HR process
The Managers further go through the list and reach out to HR if they have any selected candidates that they would like to interview
Answered Sep 20, 2017
How did you get your first interview at BMO Harris Bank?
Asked Jul 6, 2016
I went to BMO HARRIS Bank job fair and had an instant interview with two managers from different bmo HARRIS bank locations and also had interview with the district manager and had a job offer the next day.
Answered Jul 27, 2018
Job posting on Career Builder
Answered Oct 1, 2017
What benefits does BMO Harris Bank offer?
Asked Jul 2, 2016
Some sick leave / vacation time
Answered Feb 19, 2021
Excellent maturity and FMLA benefits open to all genders BMO is welcoming and supportive of all races.
Answered Sep 24, 2017
How are the working hours at BMO Harris Bank?
Asked Jul 2, 2016
In current role
10-12 hours per day / 50-60 hours per week
On call nights, weekends and holidays
Answered Oct 1, 2017
12 per week
Answered Sep 29, 2017
Do they drug test?
Asked Jun 27, 2016
Yes they did
Answered Sep 20, 2017
No they do not, It may depend on the department though.
