If you’ve never met Matt Dunn, chances are you’ve heard his dulcet tones at some point on the pre-recorded message when you call the contact centre, or if you’re an employee calling the Service Desk.

The man, also known as ‘the voice’ at ING, recently celebrated 20 years working for the bank. During that time he’s had 15 roles and made a significant contribution to all aspects of ING life. We caught up with Matt to chew the fat about his highlights from the last 20 years, including karaoke, kids and an elderly Welsh customer. 

Congratulations on 20 years. What is it about ING that makes people want to stay? 

It’s said so often that it’s almost a cliché, but it’s the people. If I look back over the last 20 years and think about the best memories, whether it’s a WOW event, a big project or a new product launch, it’s been because of the people I’ve spent them with.

What are your top five memories from the last 20 years? 

1. How a karaoke night led to ‘the voice’

There was a karaoke night at the City Hotel near the old office – a popular ING hangout at the time. I had always wanted to sing and for some reason I chose that night to bite the bullet and give it a go. Shortly after that I started getting requests from people in the business to do voice recordings, which included marketing soundbites for the Triple M breakfast show with Mikey Robbins and Amanda Keller, and recording the infamous IVR message for customers. It also led to me playing in the ING band with ex CEO Vaughn Richtor. All as a result of that one karaoke gig.

2. Making an elderly Welsh lady very happy

I had the opportunity to work in the UK for six months when they set up ING Direct over there. As it was a similar style of operation to the Aussie business, I was there in a sort of advisory capacity, to help the contact centre operate more efficiently. The challenge was remembering sort codes instead of BSBs, and pounds instead of dollars. My favourite memory was chatting to a lovely 82 year old Welsh customer. Every time she called she would always ask to speak to me, and at the end of the year she sent me a Christmas card and a letter to say thank you for looking after her.

3. Hosting ING’s annual WOW event in 2008

I was lucky enough to get the hosting gig in 2008. That was so much fun, we did three nights in a row, which included presentations and a panel with EXCO. The opportunity to deal with EXCO up close and personal was very exciting. 

4. Being part of the launch of Orange Everyday

I was in a change role within the contact centre at the time. Everyone on the project came into the office super early the day we went live as the whole bank was going to be taken down and brought back up so we could launch this new product. At about 7.30am we all watched in real-time as the first OE application went through. I’ll never forget the roar that erupted across the floor when the application completed. It was the most amazing buzz I’ve ever felt.

5. Making an IMPACT and a few small friends along the way

Some of my most rewarding memories have been the IMPACT Days I’ve participated in, particularly the ones involving schools in underprivileged areas. We spent a day at Glebe Public school a few years ago, where we made breakfasts and lunches for the kids and ran activities for them during the day. I remember this little boy – he had a tough home situation but he was so happy – he just latched onto me and wanted to hang out and play. It reminded me of the importance of working for an organisation that has such a commitment to giving back.