What does a café ambassador do at Capital One?

When customers walk into a Capital One Café, they’ll be greeted with a warm smile from a café ambassador. These associates strive to make each café a welcoming place where customers can grab a cup of coffee and learn more about banking and financial services while building community.

Three café ambassadors spoke about their crucial work building relationships, educating people about financial wellness and giving back to the community.

What does a café ambassador do? 

Logan, café ambassador at Victoria Gardens, CA Café: I’m at the heart of Capital One’s mission to provide a welcoming, engaging space for customers to learn about our services. My role is centered on making meaningful connections with visitors and guiding them through everything Capital One has to offer. This includes helping people with everyday tech challenges and diving deeper into financial conversations that support their personal goals. It’s a unique role where customer service meets community engagement. I not only help with financial literacy but also work closely with local businesses and organizations to plan community events, creating a bridge between Capital One and the community.

Brittney, café ambassador at Delray Beach, FL Café: It’s a role where you can make your own path and you can do many things. In my job, I focus on community outreach. Cafés are designed for everyone. I make sure everyone feels welcome and safe. This helps to take the edge off of finance and make sure our banking customers see the human behind the digital experience. 

Flo, café ambassador at Las Olas, FL Café: A café ambassador is here to support our customers. People can come and ask questions about their account. We also work as a community hub. We try to make our locations a hotspot for locals to come, hang out, enjoy coffee and know this is a safe place to be. I’m also a Money & Life mentor, which means I help customers understand how finances work in their lives and help them create habits to make their financial goals more accountable.

What skills does a café ambassador need?

Brittney: You have to be friendly and eager to learn. We take the time to sit down with customers, go through their issues and bond at a deeper level. You have to have that passion for teaching, learning and listening.

Flo: The main skill I use is really listening and understanding a customer’s needs. Then I can advocate for my customer, solve their problems and make it digestible so they understand. You build a rapport and a relationship. It makes people want to come back and know they can trust us.

Logan: This role is so versatile. You can succeed with any type of skills or background. Because of that, being adaptable can really help. It’s a unique experience every single day. What we all have in common is being able to be empathetic and create a bond with the customer.

What are some projects you’ve worked on?

Brittney: As an ambassador representing Capital One, I volunteered through Habitat for Humanity. We went to my hometown and repainted a woman’s home. It turned out she knew my great grandparents, my aunties, my whole family. It was so rewarding to help someone who I grew up with as a part of my work.

Logan: One of my favorite projects was working on “Café Threads,” a guide to our dress standards while working as a café associate. It really showed how work can be meaningful and fun, and that associates are able to express themselves through their clothes. I did the photography for the guide and worked with people who had never been in front of the camera. Now, every time a new customer-facing associate gets hired, they get a snippet of the guide with me on the cover. It’s a small way to show them what Capital One’s culture is like.

Flo: One project I’m most proud of was the Momentum program. During 2020, we circulated some of the mental health resources Capital One had to offer to café associates who felt burnt out because of the pandemic. This evolved into the Momentum program, where we socialized those resources and built a safe space to talk through emotions, build skills and get to that next step. Through that program, we’ve had people discover different resources and further their career with networking and mentorship. 

What are some of your favorite interactions with customers?

Flo: As a Money & Life mentor, it’s so rewarding to see customers come in with very little understanding of finance, then help them grow into building a budget and savings plan. One customer really wanted to prioritize community, so we worked together to find ways to build community without spending money. When she realized she could trust me, that was a great feeling. She sent me a thank you letter afterwards. This job really gives you that grounded sense of making a difference.

Brittney: I worked with a woman who was 92 years old that used our space to host events for veterans. We were really close. One day, she had a medical emergency, and I was able to stay with her as a friendly face while another associate called for help. After a few months, she came back to the café. We sat down and she spoke about how thankful she was because we paid attention, spotted the emergency and acted quickly. That just speaks to the close relationship we have with our customers.

Logan: Very early in my café work, I had an interaction with a customer who had just turned 18 and was looking to get his first checking account. He was feeling nervous and was unsure how he would balance work and school. I was in the middle of getting my degree, so I knew exactly how he felt. As we were going through which products would be best, our system noticed that his grandmother had established a savings account for him. He started crying and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She had recently passed but gave him this gift to focus on his studies. I still check up on him and let him know that he can study in the café. It’s experiences like that that remind you it’s more than just banking at Capital One.