Raili Toomson: I need to be both a financial adviser as well as a psychologist

Holm’s loan expert Raili Toomson could well be a professional empathy and positivity coach. She has spent nearly 15 years in the Holm Bank family helping people who have faced difficulties paying back their loans and still comes into office every day with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. For her, getting to help people and feeling the sincere gratitude of Holm’s customers is a source of energy.

“During the 15 years I have worked at Holm, I have been able to work in all manner of roles in the debt department and experienced the challenges and joys of the entire process. I have been able to participate in the development of our processes and further improve our good relationship with clients. Seeing how much my everyday work can help people, how I may find ways to solve our clients’ difficult problems and hear heart-warming words of gratefulness, empowers me with renewed strength and motivation and makes it a pleasure to walk on this professional path. The situations our team deal with can vary greatly. There are of course times when a payment delay may be due to forgetfulness. However, we also need to work with clients who might be in one of the most difficult situations of their lives, and this demands a rather extensive skillset. I need to be both a financial adviser as well as a psychologist, really listen to the person, offer my support and find viable solutions to help the client overcome hardships.

Managing debt cases is definitely not a solo job. Sometimes, especially with the most challenging cases, I discuss the situation with the whole team, and each time, we conclude that the more heads we put together, the better options we are able to find for our clients. I see it as my responsibility to make sure that the job and the sometimes hard cases we have to deal with do not overburden our team members. We all acknowledge that we need to support one another, to create a sense of security and listen to one another – being a rather chatty person myself, learning to listen has been one of the most valuable lessons during my time at the company.

The most frustrating thing I have to deal with is when people avoid talking to me. I know it can be frightening when a person finds themselves in debt and they might think a bank only calls to collect a debt. They couldn’t be more wrong – our priority in the debt process is always the financial wellbeing of the client. Our team has been committed to this principle for more than 25 years and many of the clients we have helped overcome hardships return to us when planning their next big projects.

I feel my work at Holm has a purpose and I love the team spirit that binds us. I have many great, caring colleagues who are there to contribute in any way they can, whether it’s with a kind word or a helpful idea. We all feel we have a common goal and we celebrate our achievements with the whole team – it may sound a bit cliché, but this sometimes feels more like a family than an office staff.”