Spotlight on... Team Z, our Leicester Business Powerhouse

The beating heart of Octopus Energy for Business (OEB) is our Leicester Team Z. They really get down to business, chatting to customers every day about their energy needs. 

Team Z deals with customer queries, billing, payments, refunds and all the good stuff that comes along with being the customer-facing side of our operations. Not thrown off by some of the ludicrous questions our recruitment team asked them in their interviews (example: “Would you rather encounter a bear-sized duck or five duck sized bears?”) This ever-growing team of energy specialists are the back-bone of our OEB team. 

I had a virtual sit down with a few of our Team Z members to find out a bit more about their jobs and what is keeping them energised at work.

passionate about. When I then started researching Octopus, I read about customers being the centre of everything and that also really enticed me.

How was it starting during Lockdown? 

I have to admit, it was strange to do all my training remotely, but it was handled really well. We played some games so it was really interactive and that made it easier to stay motivated. It was actually better than some training days I’ve had in person...  

What have you enjoyed most about this job so far? 

Having responsibility and feeling like a trusted team member from the offset. It has been great learning how to deal with some of the more bespoke customer queries and working closely with different colleagues in the process. 

Is there anything you have found challenging about starting your job during lockdown? 

The hardest thing was getting to know your team remotely - believe it or not it is strange only seeing people through a screen! We have dealt with it by organising catch up calls every week where one person will prepare three questions to ask the team, so we can have some informal chatty time. It will be random questions like: “What is your favourite colour off the Dulux colour chart?” 

What is your favourite thing about Leicester? 

Its diversity, which means a lot of great food! Also, just how easy it is to get out into nature- I love spending time in Bradgate park. 

What is your Octopus hold music?

“Someone Like You” - Adele 

What have you found most challenging about your job?

I didn’t know much about the energy industry before I joined Octopus, so filling that knowledge gap has been challenging yet rewarding. There is a lot of technical language related to energy that I had to get my head around. 

What’s your favourite Octopus memory? 

The parties! They make you feel really valued. The best one I've been to is the one that was thrown when we reached 500,000 customers. It was in a venue in London where we had a view over the city and that was pretty cool. 

What is your Octopus hold music? 

“Bleeding Love” - Leona Lewis 

Seeing some of the things I have suggested to the Tech team during Jaeger* sessions actually get implemented in Kraken has been pretty great. I have made a few suggestions that have helped make billing for businesses a lot more efficient. 

*Octo-language checker: Jaeger sessions are when the Tech team sits with the Ops team to see how they use Kraken (our energy technology platform) and see if any improvements can be made. 

Is there any aspect of your job you still find challenging? 

Complicated metering queries! That’s when I need to ask for Shiva or Seb’s help, they are both team members with a lot of metering expertise. 

What’s your favourite Octopus memory? 

I loved it when we went chocolate-making last year, that was a really great day of team building. There are many memories that I cherish at Octopus, but that one sticks out. 

How has working at home been during Lockdown? 

At the beginning it was really hard, because I used to find it difficult to be motivated unless I was in an environment where everyone around me was working. When lockdown first started I used to get dressed and do a whole performance of sitting down and acting like it was a normal day of work, but that actually stressed me out more!  Now I’ve got into the flow of it, though, and it feels like I’ve been working at home forever. 

What is your favourite thing about living in Leicester? 

I’ve lived here all my life, and just how diverse it is in terms of people and food is the main thing. 

Have you picked up any hobbies during lockdown? 

I have got back into reading and that has been really enjoyable. Last week I finished reading ‘The Song of Achilles’, a retelling of Greek mythology which I highly recommend.

Are you a business that would like all your energy needs to be looked after by our fabulous & friendly team? You can get a quote today.