Ciaran Rankin

Ciaran’s professional journey began in retail, where he accumulated several years of experience focused on customer service. His background equipped him with a deep understanding of customer needs and a solid commitment to delivering exceptional service—a cornerstone of his work ethic.

Motivated by a desire for new challenges and opportunities, Ciaran transitioned into the call centre industry. Drawn by the dynamic environment and the potential to apply his customer service expertise in a different context, he sought a role that would leverage his skills while offering room for growth.

Ciaran first learned about Kura through recommendations from friends who were already employed. Their positive feedback and the opportunity to explore a new industry sparked his interest in joining the company.

Upon joining Kura, Ciaran enthusiastically embraced his role in customer service within the call centre environment. This marked a significant shift from his previous retail roles, providing him with a platform to apply his experience in a different setting and adapt to the industry’s unique challenges.

When Ciaran first started at Kura, he was an advisor on a utility campaign. His initial impressions were positive; he found the role challenging yet rewarding. He quickly forged strong connections within his team, which fostered a supportive and collaborative environment.

During his first few months at Kura, Ciaran encountered key challenges, particularly in adjusting to shift work. Coming from a retail background where late shifts were uncommon, adapting to working until 10 pm was initially challenging. However, this adjustment period also presented opportunities. With a new system rolling out, Ciaran saw this as a chance to self-learn and become a subject matter expert. His proactive approach and quick mastery of the new system enhanced his skills and opened doors for rapid progression within the organisation.

Ciaran’s early experiences at Kura underscore his resilience in overcoming challenges and seizing growth opportunities, setting a solid foundation for his career progression.

Ciaran has navigated a varied career at Kura for over a decade, moving through roles shaping his path. Starting as a specialist advisor in complaints and pod support, he progressed into management. He’s been a team manager, senior operations manager, and now head of client solutions, overseeing client engagement, bid management, improvement, and quality.

He’s been promoted seven times, starting as an advisor and then taking on roles like complaints advisor and coaching support. His analytical skills grew in quality and insight before he excelled as a team manager and senior operations manager.

At Kura, Ciaran developed diverse skills crucial to his growth. He mastered systems, Excel, and PowerPoint for impactful management presentations. His communication improved, especially in client presentations and cross-organisational messaging.

Kura supported Ciaran’s development with one-on-ones and off-site 3M training, providing frameworks for leadership. This built skills in people management, efficiency, and planning. Mentorship ensured he excelled in leadership, meeting KPIs, budgets, and objectives.

Ciaran has been instrumental in critical projects and initiatives at Kura. As an operations manager, he successfully onboarded new business areas, devising tailored solutions that supported company growth. He also revitalised the continuous improvement function, transforming internal feedback from detractor to promoter status within a year.

Additionally, as senior operations manager, Ciaran managed over 400 staff across seven clients and achieved a turnaround from 0% to over 90% KPI delivery for a challenging client account within six months. His contributions highlight his strategic leadership and ability to drive operational excellence at Kura.

Ciaran says, “Soon, I aim to expand the solutions function at Kura, mainly focusing on areas like continuous improvement (CI). I see an opportunity to bring other critical tasks under the solutions umbrella to enhance efficiency. Ultimately, I aim to progress into a more senior or long-term role within the organisation.

Looking ahead, I aim to significantly contribute to Kura’s success by focusing on growth and securing new business opportunities. My role plays a central part in showcasing our impactful work at Kura to potential clients. I’m committed to translating our successes into tangible transformations for their businesses, which will drive mutual growth and success.”

Ciaran says,” Working at Kura has been pivotal for my personal and professional growth, providing me with a clear career path and enabling me to succeed. It has fostered qualities like outgoingness, organisation, and thoughtfulness, which have been instrumental in my development.

My commitment to making a difference and continuous learning is critical to my success at Kura, which is supported by the organisation. My reliability in fulfilling commitments has built strong relationships with stakeholders, peers, and my team.

I advise new employees or those looking to advance to see Kura beyond a typical call centre job. With the right mindset, embrace the opportunities for career growth. Use internal resources for time management and conversational support. Externally, seek resources aligned with your career goals, whether technical skills or management expertise.

Discuss aspirations with managers and seek to step up during leave to accelerate growth and explore new opportunities within Kura.”

Ciaran’s journey at Kura reflects a transformative experience, both personally and professionally. Starting without a clear career path, Kura provided him opportunities to excel and define his professional trajectory. His development into a more outgoing, organised, and thoughtful individual has been integral to his success. Ciaran attributes his achievements to his commitment to making a positive impact, continuous learning, and reliability in fulfilling responsibilities, which have earned him trust and respect across stakeholders and peers.

His advice to new employees emphasises viewing Kura as more than just a call centre job and seizing the abundant opportunities for career advancement with the right mindset. Utilising internal resources for skill development and leveraging external networks and online resources align with his proactive approach to professional growth.

As Ciaran strives towards broader responsibilities within Kura, his dedication to driving positive change and fostering growth remains central to his future aspirations and contributions to the organisation’s success.