Officially a Very Good
Company to Work For
Officially a Very Good
Company to Work For
Officially an Outstanding
Company to Work For
Officially an Outstanding
Company to Work For
Officially a World Class
Company to Work For
Officially a World Class
Company to Work For
Officially a Good
Company to Work For
Officially a Good
Company to Work For
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First Response Finance Ltd helps customers with previous credit problems buy their next car, van, or motorbike – and simultaneously enables its vehicle dealer partners to thrive. Clients have voted it the country's leading vehicle finance company on the Review Centre website.
The business has 288 employees working collaboratively to achieve one common goal: providing great credit solutions and customer service. As well as taking care of clients, First Response also looks after its people, which is why it is among the Best 100 Companies to Work For.
Nottingham-based First Response was formed in 2000 when Itochu Corporation became its sole parent. Senior leaders refocused the culture in 2007 from profit to service, and putting people first. Four years later, targets were again adjusted to allow staff to concentrate solely on the customer experience. Investment in technology in 2014-15 helped drive expansion by creating an online dealer portal and a new consumer-direct website. In 2018, clients started being able to make payments online.
First Response employees were enabled to work from home from March 2020, with an increased focus on company updates and wellbeing checks. Communication was perceived to be key in ensuring people felt secure in their roles. However, some people asked to go back to the office for a variety of reasons, so the company introduced a track-and-trace rota system that also allowed for a deep clean between team attendances.
I believe I can make a valuable contribution to the success of this organisation
Ordinarily when people are in the office First Response has recycling schemes in place to help reduce its carbon footprint. It uses information security company Shred-It to destroy confidential paperwork, which is then 100% recycled. With 100% home-working, the goal of being 100% paperless is even closer.
My team is fun to work with
When it became apparent that some departments were struggling from home to keep up with customer demand – because of additional checks and conversations required in response to the pandemic – all teams with capacity stepped in to divert calls, deal with what demand they could and, in some cases, people retrained to better support each other.
My organisation encourages charitable activities
The company contributes to numerous voluntary employer boards at local colleges and sixth forms, where businesses take part in the co-design of the curriculum on offer. First Response feels this ensures that students leave college with robust and up-to-date skills that are applicable in industry.
Companies where at least 40% of the staff have worked there for more than five years.
Companies offering a final salary scheme to all employees, or one in which the employer's contribution is at least 5%.
Companies offering private health insurance to all employees.
If you like what you see and are interested in exploring any opportunities, please visit the organisation's careers page for more information.
