The boss of Darlington Building Society ditched the boardroom to go ‘back to the floor’ to meet customers and raise money for Butterwick Hospice.
Inspired by the Channel 4 show ‘Back to the Floor’, Colin Fyfe, the Chief Executive of Darlington Building Society, swapped his high flying position at head office to become a customer service consultant for the day at the mutual’s Stockton branch.
Colin stepped into the shoes of one of his team members to serve customers at the recently refurbished High Street branch, using the opportunity to discuss with members the Society’s future and new offerings. In the past Colin’s jobs have included stints as the branch manager of banks in Glasgow and Falkirk, so returning to work in-branch came naturally to the community focussed CEO.
District business development manager, Julie Bourne, and branch manager, Dawn Moore agreed to donate a pound each to Butterwick Hospice for every customer that Colin served raising a total of £100.
Dawn said: “We were delighted when we found out that Colin was going to be working behind the counter at our branch. It was great to introduce him to our lovely customers, many of whom have been loyal members of the Society for a number of years.”
Colin said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my day in the life of a customer service consultant. It’s been great to meet so many customers with something positive to say about the Stockton team and the Society as a whole.
“It’s very important to the Society that we are part of communities we serve and often that starts by providing excellent in-branch service by showing members that, although we’re professionals, we’re still approachable and care about our community and local people.”