Vanguard Client Relationship Associate Reviews

Pros

The cafeteria is amazing with multiple chefs. Free lunch on Thursdays. The campus is huge and has multiple gyms. The culture is very inclusive and diverse. Worked a hybrid schedule. Benefits are also top notch and they have a medical clinic on site.

Cons

If you don't pass the series 7 exam, they give you the boot.

Pros

Pay for licensing Pay for you to study with 2 attempts each exam Good bonuses to start off (have to return if you don’t stay a year)

Cons

After licensing, the phones are brutal. Clients will call up angry and blame everything on you which is extremely draining and then right when you hang up another call will come in. Every aspect of the day is tracked and it’s all about numbers. After training you get left in the dark and thrown straight into the fire. Some of my coworkers got bad “shift bids” so they work 9:30-6:30 every day instead of the usual 8/8:30-5. There is no sense of accomplishment when you try to help an older person refresh their browser while they complain about the website. Absolutely draining job. They lock you in for a year or you have return the very attractive signing bonus. Similar roles at other companies pay a decent amount more. Growth at this company is just another phone role which means a new one year “time in job” starts until you can move up again (probably to a higher phone role). 60 angry calls a day is not fun. Everyone who works here is very young because turnover rate is extremely high.

Pros

Work-life balance and PTO. Good management and good people to work with. Great culture.

Cons

The job is brutal. No time in between calls, its essentially a call center. The goal is to just get over with this job and move up in the company, but it feels almost impossible to get off the phones. Very low compensation for the job itself.

Pros

I worked in Flagship which became RMS and then moved to Education Savings. My teams were great - especially Education Savings. Everyone was very helpful when they were available to help. The Onboarding Process was seamless and geared completely towards my success. I still am friends with people from my Onboarding Class and individual teams (which are named after your Team Leader) even though some of us have left the company and/or moved across the country.

Cons

The Vanguard office is at its core a call center. You will need to be okay with having everything tracked and micromanaged to the second - your time is based off the exact second you turn on and off your phone even for the bathroom. There is HIGH demand for the few jobs they have that are not in-bound phones so be prepared to pay your dues for a long time. Because the firm is so large, all of the policies are incredibly rigid. There is no wiggle room for extenuating circumstances or even high performers. For instance, you have to be in your current position for exactly 12 months before you are able to apply for other positions, you must hit your metrics no matter what, etc. Also Vanguard highly incentivizes tenure/seniority, so when you first start out, you will get the leftovers of the shift times, vacation days, bonus amount, etc. BUT if you stick around, it gets better. Pay is not good for financial services. Vanguard likes to compare their Total Benefits Package but most financial firms have caught up with the additional benefits at this point.

Pros

Vanguard hires people from all sorts of backgrounds great place to start for those who are eager to learn. They give you plenty of resources to get licensed. Lots of available opportunities if your eager.

Cons

There's a big grind in front of you. Getting licensed isn't easy and you have to work very hard. Then you'll have to do about 16 months of call center work, after that can you start moving up in the company.

Pros

Loved the people I worked with

Cons

Overworked, stressed all the time and barely any breaks through the day

Pros

Trainers really want to do their best to set you up for success on the phones. Team Leaders usually understand that the metrics measured are arbitrary. Good metrics can lead to gift cards- management is quick to celebrate positive client reviews of phone service. Licensing was made way easier with the classes Vanguard provided. The people are genuinely very kind, and the company does have excellent benefits. Your career can be very rewarding and comfortable if you're able to stick it out in the call center for a year or so.

Cons

It's a call center job. You talk to 20-50+ people day, so many clients are so angry and just want to yell and take their frustrations out on you. High burnout. You will get nitpicked on your call metrics in front of your whole team daily/weekly. You will quickly gain a thick skin if being yelled at doesn't break you. This position is no longer fully remote and sitting in a room with 40 other people who are also on the phone can be distracting. Licensed crew members have a probationary period called an apprenticeship where they complete the same tasks as those who have finished the apprenticeship, but your time in job requirement doesn't count while in the apprenticeship. Basically, that means you'll do 2-3 months in the apprenticeship and then your time in job resets and you have a requirement to work another 12 months before you can apply for a job off the phones. Lunches can get cut in half with little notice if call volumes are high. Something is always broken: online client forms, the website, the phone system.

Pros

Great training program as an intro to the finance world. They really give you all the opportunity in the world to get licensed. Really enjoyed my time there and would recommend to anyone looking for an entry level career opportunity after school.

Cons

Need to be self motivated. It is a good training program but if you fall behind things will be more difficult than they need to be. Can feel a little undervalued as the turnover rate is high. All in all I think the pros far outweigh the cons

Pros

Remote if Contracted. Great work environment

Cons

No pay for relocation. No growth for contractors.

Pros

The job can be difficult but the company and people you you work with are great

Cons

Client relations requires back to back calls with little down time during the day