In-tray Exercise Candidate Information

Candidate Brief
Titan Finance is one of the U.K.’s main high street banks, it was founded in 1995 and has
almost 1000 branches. The year is 2022, in 2014 they acquired Sparrow Building Society
who had a branch network of 430 branches. In the year prior to the takeover Sparrow had
made losses of £872 million. There were a number of issues when the bank and building
society first merged and the bank lost a lot of customers. Issues included customers not
being sent out replacement debit cards, incorrect interest payments in savings accounts,
lost cheques, very long queues and customers appearing to vanish from the bank’s systems
for up to 72 hours at a time. The bank has since recovered from that and according to the
Financial Research Survey (which conducts research across the high street banks) Titan
Finance are now 4th out of the 15 high street banks for customer satisfaction.

The year is 2022, 2014 is 8 years ago, 2023 is in one year.

You are currently undertaking Titan Finance graduate scheme, as part of the graduate scheme
you are required to perform various roles. At present you are working as the Assistant Manager
in Titan Finance York. In the following task you will undertake the position of branch Manager
as your Manager has been in a skiing accident. Your task will be to respond to a number of
messages and emails that require attention. Further details regarding the branch and your
position will be provided. Any information provided in this activity is solely for the purposes of
this activity and should not be considered accurate outside the parameters of the exercise.

Your task is to work through all of the items, identify the important issues and indicate how you
would respond to each one, as well as the level of importance each topic should be treated with.
Some issues may comprise a number of items. There is a response form on which you
should record how you would deal with each issue.

On the response form provided you should:

1. Identify the issues and which items relate to the same issue and assign a rating of
importance (i.e. how much of an impact it will have on Titan achieving its business
goals) of Low, Medium or High to each.
2. For each issue record why you have chosen to assign it a particular importance level.
3. For each issue record how you would deal with it, i.e., what action you would take.
Imagine you can respond by any means of communication you deem appropriate (i.e.,
telephone, face-to-face, fax, email, letter, text). Write down the method of
communication you would use, who you would contact and what you would say. You
do not have to state what it is you would say word for word, bullet points will be fine.
Likewise, if you instruct a colleague to perform a task, you should note down detailed
information on what action you would like them to take.
You will be assessed on
∙ Problem solving and analysis - you should extract the key information and analyse the
information effectively. Suggest practical and sensible solutions, whilst considering potential
consequences.
∙ Customer focus - you will respond effectively to the customer and be able to understand
and consider their needs.
∙ Commercial awareness - you will not be assessed on the information that is not contained
in the brief, but you should use your overall commercial knowledge and sense to critically
analyse the information provided.
∙ Communication skills - your communication should be clear and succinct.
∙ Leadership and team focus - you will be able to recognise strengths and weaknesses of
others in your team, ensure others have all the required information whilst taking
responsibility when necessary
∙ Time/Task management - you will be able to delegate appropriately and prioritise
effectively.

In-tray Exercise

Background Information
The date is Monday 7th September 2022, and it is 8.30am. For the next 60 minutes you are to
adopt the role of an individual on the Titan Finance graduate scheme, working in the Stevens
Street branch in York. The branch has a loyal customer base. The branch has recently reopened
after being closed for refurbishment. There is another larger branch of Titan finance in the city
centre managed by Laura Sanderson.

You are now the Assistant Manager at the smaller York city centre branch. You have been
Assistant Manager for six weeks. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a
capable Manager who can be trusted in an emergency.

Your Manager, Gordon Cairns, has been on a skiing holiday for the past week and so a manager
from another branch, Laura Sanderson, has been standing in. You come into work to collect
some documents before you intend to leave to catch the train to a three-day training course.
When you arrive, Laura informs you that Gordon injured himself skiing and you will have to
manage the branch until his return. The Assistant Manager at the Harrogate branch, Zoe
Nights, who has worked in the branch a number of times over the past month, will stand in for
you whilst you are away. Laura informs you that Zoe is very inexperienced but is reliable when
given clear instructions. Whilst Gordon has been away, only correspondence directly relating the
day-today running of the branch has been attended to. Laura requests that you attend to the
correspondence and messages that have built up in the past week before you leave as Zoe will
not be able to do this as well as run the branch due to Zoe’s inexperience.

You must attend a statutory training course. Your taxi is booked for 9.30 to take you to the train
station. You have 60 minutes to identify the appropriate priority level which should be assigned
to each issue and note down how you would respond.
Participant materials

Chart detailing the positions and organisations of those who appear in the following
correspondence

Name Organisation Position

Laura Sanderson Titan Finance- York- Queen Street Manager
Gordon Cairns Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Manager
Dan Minster Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Head of Personal Banking
Sally Harvest Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Personal Banker
Andy Dawson Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Personal Banker
James Perryman Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Cashier
Michelle Richards Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Cashier
Dean Jones Titan Finance- York- Stevens Street Cashier manager
Zoe Nights Titan Finance- Harrogate Assistant Manager
Head of Products and
Paul Quinn Titan Finance
Services
Jane Effisman Independent Advisory Service Account Manager
John Bradley Eco Plant Manager
Alison Aitken Oxford Inc. Field Sales National Manager
Mary Lead Titan Finance Switching Service Head of Department
Helen Hunt Titan Finance Head Office Administration Assistant
Neill Bairns Titan Finance Head Office Yorkshire Admin Assistant
Jason Fines Secuguard Training Manager
Billing and Accounts
Ben Hashington Secuguard
Manager
Anne Jameson Yorkshire Community Support Society Event Manager
Greg Welsh Titan Finance Yorkshire Area Manager
 Item 1-
Letter

Independent Advisory Service

Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE4 4ST
0191 2785336
jane.efisman@IAS.co.uk
01/09/2022

Gordon Cairns
Titan Finance
Steven Street
York
YO2 7NU

Dear Mr Cairns

I am writing to inform you of the results of a recent mystery shop conducted in your branch.
Although the personal banker we spoke to was very knowledgeable and friendly, she did not
correctly inform me of the Financial Services Authority guidelines. Titan Finance Head Office
have been informed of this. A further mystery shop will be conducted and if the results of this
mystery shop are not satisfactory the Financial Conduct Authority will be informed, and Titan
Finance may be liable for a fine.

I will visit your branch on 8th September at 10am to discuss this potentially complicated matter
further. Please contact me if this is not convenient.

Regards
Jane Efisman
Account Manager
 Item 5- email from Area
Manager

Date: 05/09/2022
To: Gordon Cairns
From: Greg Welsh
Subject: Extra staff resourcing
Hi Gordon

Thank you for your email regarding your request for extra resource so that you may run
activities informing people that the branch has re-opened. I understand that since reopening
after the refurbishment your branch has struggled to get some of its customers back from the
larger branch. It may be, as you suggest, because they are unaware that the branch has re-
opened, but unfortunately we do not have any extra resource available to provide you with
staffing required to run these additional activities. I appreciate how distressing it is for you to
drop from 5th in the region to 19th , but we are aware of the difficulties you are facing at present
regarding low customer numbers. I know that you all must be worried about the fact that it will
negatively impact your bonuses, unfortunately head office said it is unfair on other branches if
we reduce your usual target.

I am sure that you will devise some other means of regaining your loyal customer base.

Thanks for all your hard work.

Yours sincerely
Greg Welsh
Titan Finance Yorkshire, Area Manager
 Item 6- Internal email

Date: 05/09/2022
From: Mary Lead
To: Gordon Cairns
Subject: Switch service issue affecting Royal Irish Bank customers

Dear Branch Manager

There is an issue with the switching service affecting customers who have switched from Royal
Irish Bank to Titan. The switch will still happen, it will just take longer than the advertised 7
days. If you require further information, please speak to the branch administrator who has full
details of the situation.

Kind regards
Mary Lead
Head of switching service
 Item 8-
Leaflet

Titan Finance Monthly products

update NEW SAVINGS PRODUCT- 5% for 2 years

The MARKET LEADING Titan branch Saver will be launched on Monday of week 38. The branch

saver will offer those who have a Titan Club current account or credit card a rate of 5% on their

savings for 2 years. This offer is open to new and existing customers. If customers do not have

a Titan Club account, they may open one and then open the savings account at the same time.

It is expected that all branches will be very busy during this week. Please bear this in mind

when devising rotas.

 Item 15-
letter

Oxford Inc.
Insurance 9
Stanhope Way
Leeds
LS13 7TU
0113 5426985
04/09/2022
Dear Gordon

I am writing to you to express my feelings regarding the very unprofessional attitude of one of
your employees. When I queried why Oxford Inc.’s leaflets were not being displayed and why
sales of life insurance had recently decreased Zoe Night was very rude to me and seemed to be
of the opinion that Oxford Inc. are not a priority of Titan’s. I would appreciate it if you could
speak to the individual concerned. I do not want to have to contact Head Office about this
matter.

Please can you call me to discuss this. See you soon.

Best wishes.
Alison Aitken