By Jessica Leshnoff • October 2021
Customer service featuring real, live people seems increasingly rare. But even rarer? Receiving it wherever you turn.
That’s business as usual for OneMain Financial customers. Online, over the phone or in a branch, we’re proud to provide our customers with personalized service – however they want it, in every community we serve.
That’s because human connection is in our DNA. We build relationships with our customers. They talk to us, and we listen.
It’s how we’ve thrived for over 100 years. And how we’ve become the nation’s largest lending-only financial institution.
Building relationships across multiple platforms
With approximately 1,400 locations across the country, OneMain branches provide a physical space for customers to connect with loan specialists. But that connection continues over the phone and online.
The personal connection OneMain loan specialists deliver is still “hugely important,” says Bianca, a district manager in Indiana. “People still like human interaction. They really enjoy customer service with a personal touch, and that’s what we specialize in.”
Shahryar, vice president of centralized sales, agrees.
“I think that’s what differentiates us as company,” he says from his office in Tempe, Arizona. “Our whole notion of building relationships…has been the crux of our business. It’s been the backbone of how we’ve operated.”
As for branches, they’re based in communities and staffed by the people that live there, and that makes a real difference when it comes to comfort and communication.
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“We know the actual community,” Bianca says. “We’ll bump into our customers at the grocery store, maybe at a soccer game or church. Naturally, they’re going to be more inclined, because they have a personal relationship with us, to open up during financial difficulty or when they need help with certain financial situations.”
“These are the same people who will refer their aunts and uncles and friends to us,” she says of branch regulars. “The relationship-building process here, the ability for us to do that, it goes a long way.”
When COVID-19 limited customers’ ability to travel, personal service continued into the digital space.
“I’ve been amazed that we’ve been able to keep up the relationship to walk customers through how to [close a loan] digitally,” says Tim, a district manager in Dallas, Texas. “We can walk them through the whole process.”
Bianca’s also been thrilled with OneMain’s personal approach to digital loan closing.
“If customers choose to not come into the branch and they want to deal with us digitally, we provide that platform,” she says. “Many of our customers can do full-digital [close]. They can call us on the phone, and we’ll walk them through the process, or they can come into the branch. I just love the fact that our company’s been so proactive in providing different avenues that continue to help us connect with and remain engaged with our customer base.”
‘Not something an automated system can do.’
It’s the human element that’s often missing from the financial services industry, and OneMain loan specialists fill that gap.
No matter how sophisticated technology gets, there’s no substitute for service provided by an actual person. Someone with emotions, explains Bianca, “that has understanding, that can partner with you. That goes a long way.”
“Our company is a human-based lender,” she says. “We have a very long legacy of building great relationships with our customer base, and the reason for that is we still have people. That human touch and that human aspect and that interaction is still very, very important.”
It’s especially important when customers encounter financial difficulties, says Tracey, managing director for servicing.
“Just hearing somebody on the end of the phone, to show some empathy to the customer. I think it goes a long way,” she says. “Not only for our business, but for our culture.”
“We have genuine relationships with customers,” adds Tim. “There’s a comfort level there that builds trust. It’s not a surface relationship.”
The trust established between loan specialists and customers enables the open communication needed to determine exactly what customers need – and how to get there.
“Our job, as a company, is to understand where customers are in their journey and to try to help them figure things out in their time of need. That’s not something an automated system can do,” Shahryar says. “The relationship-building aspect of what we do as human beings, having a live person on the other end of the phone, or someone that can sit down with you and talk to you to understand your primary need. Those are things that come up in a conversation.”
And that trust and easy conversation leads to the type of empathy – and humanity – people aren’t accustomed to when it comes to the financial industry.
“When someone is behind on their account, it can be embarrassing, it can be frustrating, it can be overwhelming,” Bianca states. “Just being able to talk to customers, as a human being, and let them know that I understand life happens and I have options here for you. I’ve found that customers are really, really appreciative of that. I’ve had several call back and say, ‘Thank you, Bianca, for being kind to me during a very difficult time.’”
“I tell my team that no matter what the situation is, we always want to partner with our customers,” she continues. “Whether we’re doing lending or providing solutions during servicings, our job is to partner with them and to build bridges.”
A place to build a career
Customers may love the services they receive, but OneMain team members love providing that service. And they’re not shy about talking about it – and recruiting others to join them.
“If you want a career over a job, if you want a place where you’re going to be invested in, given development, and you can make of it what you want to make of it, this is the place for you,” Tracey says. “You have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Plus, we really give back to our community. It’s a great place to work. It’s a great place to start your career. I can’t say enough good things about it.”
“Whether it’s your team or the customer, this is a complete people business,” Tim says. “I just love what I do and working with people and those relationships that we build. The majority of new hires in my district have come from team member referrals, which I think says a lot about what we do and what our team feels about what we do.”
And, as Shahryar points out, it’s also a company that’s growing.
“I’ve been hiring 15, 20 people every single month,” he says. “This is the perfect opportunity to come join a company that’s growing. Where you’ll have an opportunity to come learn a business, where you’ll be able to assist hardworking Americans, and, at the same time, be able to grow your career.”
“This is my first and only job since I graduated college,” Bianca says of her 20-year career with OneMain. “If you want a place where you can build a career, this is the place where you can do it. You can go in whatever direction, whatever avenue that you want.”
“This whole business is about building relationships,” she continues. “If you know how to talk to people, how to empathize, how to provide solutions, how to build relationships, you will succeed. That’s what we are about.
Interested in joining our team?
Explore career opportunities in our branches and beyond on our jobsite. Learn more about OneMain, including how we care for the people that care for our customers, here.
