Morses Club agent - Sean

How long have you been an agent?

About 18 months now.

How many hours a week do you work on average?

I'd say about 25 hours a week – this is my only job.

How many customers do you have?

At the moment I've got around 150

What did you do before you became an agent?

The list is endless really, I was a HGV driver for years. I've also worked for Halfords in customer service as well as for Betfred which was a customer facing role among lots of other jobs. I've done all sorts of things, but I've always been used to working with people.

What was it about the agent role that attracted you?

I'd been off sick for about 10 years when I applied for the Agent role. I needed to find some work and wanted something that wasn't too stressful which I could plan around myself and work to my own time and this seemed like quite a good fit at the time, and still is for me now.

What does an 'average' day look like for you?

When it's a normal collection day I usually go out at about 11am until about 2pm then go back out for a couple of hours at about half past 3, I've found that it works for me . You've got to plan your visits for when it's convenient for your customers and when they'll be in as well. A lot of people won't be in until after school so from about half 3 onwards is the busiest time. I also come in every Tuesday for a Business Review with my Business Manager and picked this time as it was the most convenient time for both of us.

What is your favourite thing about being an agent?

I would say meeting everybody and customer relations, that is definitely the highlight for me. I see the same people week in week out so you do become part of their lives in a way.

What are the biggest challenges you face in the role?

Honestly I don't think any parts of the role are that challenging, even the paperwork and banking are quite easy and they're probably the most challenging part but it's really not that bad. I think that if you're quite self-motivated you won't face too many big challenges.

What are the qualities you think people need to succeed as an agent?

You definitely need to be organised for this role. You've got to organise your route and how you want to work it before you set out but once you get used to doing that you generally get on OK. You've also got to be good at communicating with people and be polite as people respond much better to that.