Telesales training academy welcomes its first recruits

Fast-growing Handepay is investing in new recruits by opening its first training academy, launched for telesales employees at its Westway Park base in Haydock, Merseyside.

As a result of Handepay’s expansion, the academy triples the length of training and development available to new telesales recruits from one to three weeks, ensuring they reach peak performance.

Handepay, which employs 190 people, has now opened its academy to the first six recruits.

The focus is on developing knowledge, soft skills, system use, sales processes and improving confidence for recruits so they receive a better overall training experience.

Four new managers have also joined Handepay to support the academy and its new recruits.

Learning and development manager, Keeley Sherry, has 13 years’ experience and managers Paula Skidmore and Keeley Brookes have more than 20 years’ combined sales and management experience.

The fourth member of the team is Handepay’s head of inside sales, Sam Lord, who has more than 20 years’ senior management experience.

Handepay is a provider of merchant services, allowing independent businesses across the UK to take card payments.

With a maximum of eight telesales recruits at a time, the academy will ensure concentrated training, coaching and development, delivered by four core managers at Westway Park.

The academy is a separate training facility designed to simulate Handepay’s ‘real-life’ environment.

“It is a training environment where our new recruits can develop their skills, experience and confidence, whilst receiving full support and coaching from our learning and development manager and their managers,” said Keeley Sherry.

“We want to attract positive people to come and work at Handepay, where they will be supported and trained to be able to perform confidently in a sales role,” she added.

New recruit Martin Neate said: “This training will really help me as I start my new career with Handepay, it’s given me a good grounding in the product and the sales process.

“I feel like I’m already off to a flying start. I feel confident in what I’m doing, and I started a new customer application within three days of being out on the floor.”

Weeks two and three focus on practical application of knowledge and skills in a specifically designed training environment delivered via interactive workshops, group and individual practical exercises and scenario-based simulations.

Handepay is hoping to attract motivated individuals who are sales and performance driven and want to consistently earn commission in addition to their basic salary.

The academy enables people to achieve their optimum sales potential by equipping them with the skills and confidence to work in an outbound sales environment with side-by-side coaching and live call listening.

It means that Handepay can open up roles to those with less experience, but potential to learn.

The academy facilities will also be used for training and development of existing staff at Handepay.