Create autonomous teams

Setting up your organisation to support vulnerable customers can involve a company-wide mindset shift. This takes time and commitment. Start by giving colleagues the skills and tools to support customers with access needs. You'll build a culture of customer-centricity with your people.

Ask yourself...
Do your employees have the tools to understand and identify vulnerability?
Have you created an environment where they feel supported and empowered to act?
Do your processes and procedures allow for flexibility?

What could autonomous teams look like? 

Opportunity 1

Colleagues can take their time with customers

Customer-facing roles such as call centre operatives are ideally placed to identify and highlight vulnerability in customers.

How might you get there?  

Could you give colleagues the flexibility to slow down an assessment and get a better understanding of their customer?

Could you give colleagues the means to flag transactions, actions, or other signals as they get to know a customer?

Opportunity 2

Colleagues can tailor their responses

Building flexibility into the customer journey will allow you to take a closer look at worrying exchanges and potentially spot vulnerability in advance.

How might you get there?  

Opportunity 3

Colleagues feel confident identifying vulnerability

Often vulnerability can be hidden below the surface, difficult to identify without understanding the customer's wider context. Giving colleagues a holistic view of the customer is an important step in building the capability to support vulnerable customers.

How might you get there?  

Could you remove customers from day-to-day metrics so their experience was more appropriate to their wider context?

Amy is in accidental debt. What are the perils and risk of perceived affordability?

Read Amy's story →

Who are your vulnerable customers?

Which of your customers would benefit from more time with your colleagues? Based on research, we've created four profiles of individuals in vulnerable situations to help you design or test your products and services from a different perspective.