Vulnerable consumers ppt updated
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Transcript of Vulnerable consumers ppt updated
Dealing with vulnerable
consumers
Connect with the DMA…
• The #tag for this event is: #dmavulnerable
• LinkedIn: DMA: Direct Marketing Association (UK) Limited
• Twitter: @DMA_UK/ @DMANorth
• DMA Website: http://www.dma.org.uk
• Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
• Phone: 020 7291 3300 or 0161 918 6780
Today‟s agenda• 16.00 – 16.30 Registration and Coffee
• 16.30 – 16.35 Welcome and Introduction
Jacqui Crawley, Managing Director, KMB Telemarketing Ltd
• 16.35 – 16.50 The story so far…
Elaine Lee, Director, ReynoldsBusbyLee Ltd
• 16.50 – 17.20 The Guidelines
Jacqui Crawley, Managing Director, KMB Telemarketing Ltd
• 17.20 – 17.30 DMA Contact Centre Council: Next steps
Elaine Lee, Director, ReynoldsBusbyLee Ltd
• 17.30– 18.00 Rethink Mental Illness
Jane Harris, Associate Director of Communications, Rethink
Mental Illness
• 18.00 – 18.30 Business Disability Forum
Catherine Grinyer, Director of Communications, Business
Disability Forum
• 18.30 – 19.00 Alzheimer‟s Society
Elaine Lee, ReynoldsBusbyLee Ltd on behalf of Karishma
Chandaria, Alzheimer‟s Society
• 19.00 – 19.30 Q&A and networking to follow
Direct Marketing Association Care initiative
Elaine Lee – Reynolds Busby LeeJacqui Crawley – KMB Telemarketing
A bit about us
Elaine Lee• Chair of the DMA Contact Centre
Council
• Working in contact centres since 1994
• Consultant specialising in customer
engagement and customer experience
• Chaired the working party for this
initiative
A bit about us
Jacqui Crawley• Member of the DMA Contact Centre
Council
• Managing Director of KMB
Telemarketing since 2009
• Working within the telecoms
industry for the past 20 years
• Member of the working party for this
initiative
Agenda
• The „Care‟ initiative – the journey so far
• The guidelines
• Next steps
The „Care‟ initiative – the journey so far
Elaine Lee – Reynolds Busby Lee
Background
• The DMA‟s contact centre council is an
elected body of practioners
• Volunteers
• Produce best practice guidelines for all
aspects of contact centre work
• Identified contact centre staff need guidance
on dealing with vulnerable consumers
Who was involved in the work
• Started as a council initiative
• Framework document prepared with
BT, Alzheimer's Society & Rethink
• BSI and Business Disability Forum
Who are the vulnerable?
People with;
• Dementia
• Serious or chronic illness
• Recently bereaved
• Non-English speakers
• Bi-polar
• Transitory mental health issue
• PTSD (Armed forces)
• Real people with real lives
What is the Care initiative?
• Our industry is on the frontline of consumer contact
• Our members want to treat their customers appropriately
• A starting point for organisations to implement and develop
• Practical, actionable guidelines
The guidelines
Jacqui Crawley – KMB Telemarketing
Who are we talking about?
• Dementia
• Intellectual, psychiatric, physical, senso
ry, neurological or learning disability
• Serious or chronic illness
• Recently bereaved
• etc
Key issue is that the consumer is not at that time
able to make an informed decision
The problem
• May not understand the options that
you are giving them
• May be lonely and welcome the
opportunity to chat to someone
• May believe that a sales representative
is acting in their best interests
• May cave in to a persistent sales pitch
• May be unaware of identity theft risks
Vulnerable consumers :-
The problem“My mother of 87 years suffers from severe dementia and
nuisance telephone calls have been a nightmare over the last
five years. Because her loss of memory is so acute, she will
agree to any product offered by a telephone salesperson.
At one stage, she had five suppliers for her gas and
electricity, two holiday medical insurers and as a result of her
saying yes on the telephone, umpteen people were calling at
the house for new windows, double glazing etc.
I don't know if you can begin to imagine the dreadful muddles I
had to disentangle. I spent hours on the telephone to premium
numbers, and as fast as I had sorted it all out, the supplier
would ring my mother to confirm the cancellation whereupon
she would have it re-instated. So I have been going round in
vicious circles for the last few years. The frustration, time and
anxiety that this has caused me is acute.”
Anne (Surrey)
Three levels of call
1. Legitimate product / legitimate sales
pitch
2. Legitimate product / high pressure
sales pitch
3. Scams
All the pieces are in place …
• Most companies want to do this
right
• Most advisors have the skills
But
• Training and procedures are not in
place to support this
Practical tips for advisors
Train call handling staff :-
– Identification
– Improving communication
– Double check before making the sale
Identification
• Appear not to understand even when
you have explained something
• Ask unrelated questions or wander off
topic
• Repeat themselves
• Say „yes‟ before you have explained
something
Improving communication
• Speak clearly
• Be patient
• Don‟t rush them
• Guide the call to keep it „on topic‟
• Clarify understanding at every point
Double check before making
the sale
• Sometime „Oh yes‟ means „I‟m listening‟
not „I agree to that‟
• If in doubt ask them to explain back to
you what they think the deal is
• Ask yourself honestly – is their „yes‟ real
agreement or just submission?
• Ask them whether there is someone
else they would like you to speak to
about this – a family member perhaps
Call centre management
• Train and support staff
• Consider setting up a special team to
deal with these customers
• Give recognition to staff who have
performed well – don‟t penalise them
for taking longer on these calls
• Be on the look-out for multiple
subscriptions
Training ideas
• Young call centre staff may not
have the life experiences
• Colouring training with real
people scenarios
Databases
• Assessing and logging the quality
of communication
• Allow customers to make a
personal declaration
Assessing and logging the
quality of communication
• Allow the advisor to score each
call to indicate the quality of
communication they achieved on
the call
• If the quality of communication was
poor, then warn call centre agents
when they speak to that customer
again
Communication assessment
data
• Allows you to identify training
needs
• Allows you to positively
acknowledge advisors who are
handling these calls well
Personal declaration
• Allow customers to leave a free
text comment on their customer
record
“I, John Smith, wish anyone working in this
organisation to be aware that I currently have
mental health problems which might affect
my ability to make decisions. Please give me
some time to think about the decision and
call me back at a later date before continuing
with any sale.”
Personal declaration
• Allow customers to leave a free
text comment on their customer
record
“I am Joan, I am in the early stages of
dementia. On some days I will understand
what you are saying, but on other days I
won’t understand and may repeat myself.
Please will you take this into account and call
me back another day. I will also find it difficult
to understand you if you speak quickly or
rush me.”
Sharing information with third
parties
• Understanding when to share and
when not to share information
• Allowing carers access
• Taking a pragmatic approach
• Build this into procedures
More than „Do no evil‟
• Used well the telephone is a great
channel for vulnerable people to
do business
• Often have mobility problems
• Often are not web aware
Who wants unhappy
customers?
• Not expensive to implement
• You will get enthusiastic support
from your staff
• Reduce confusion, complaints and
escalations
• Makes good business sense
Next steps
Elaine Lee – Reynolds Busby Lee
Getting started on change
• We‟re at the starting blocks...
Getting started on change
• Senior management sponsorship
• Dedicated „desk‟
• Positive acknowledgement of good
outcomes
• Share learning from difficult situations
• Good service has its merits
• Welcome candid feedback
Business process stuff in
your organisation
• Don‟t expect perfection from the outset
• Make it easy to complain
• Human beings can care, machines can‟t
Next Steps
• Promote guidelines to industry
• Get clients build this into their tenders
• Develop tools such as training modules
• Focus groups with Carers
• Evolve guidelines with feedback from
industry and consumers groups
• Roll out to other channels via DMA
councils – direct mail
Thank you
Vulnerable people and tele-marketing
Today
www.rethink.org
• A bit about us
• Why is this an issue?
• What is mental illness anyway?
• Impact on tele-marketing
• What you can do
• What we‟re doing
About us
www.rethink.org
40 years ago
Started with a letter
Today:
100,000 people helped each year
1300 staff
250 services
150 support groups
1 national advice line
1 million people‟s attitudes changed
What is mental illness?
www.rethink.org
What is mental illness?
www.rethink.org
Something that:
1 in 4 of your customers
are experiencing now
Half of your customers have dealt with in
their families/friendship groups
Being honest about it
www.rethink.org
Don‟t know:
• precise causes
• nature / nurture
• precise impact – individual
Do know:
• treatment:
• psychological therapy (for most)
• medication (for some)
• hope, compassion and understanding (for all)
Main types of mental illness
www.rethink.org
„Psychotic‟ conditions:
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
Lose touch with reality
• hear voices
• delusions
• spend wildly
• drink/take drugs to excess
• not sleeping
2 in 100
„Neurotic‟ conditions:
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Personality Disorder
Lose sense of self
• hopelessness
• guilt/self-hatred
• constant worry
• concentration problems
• self-harm
• suicidal feelings
1 in 4
What it’s really like
www.rethink.org
“I was in my first year of
University. I made lots of
friends, had joined the football
team and was settling into
student life.
But my situation began to
deteriorate. I stopped going to
lectures and began to shun
other people‟s company. I
loved football but couldn‟t face
going to training. I became
isolated and began to hear
voices when there were no
others around.”
„Someone sent me an email at
work just over three years ago
to rearrange a meeting and I
started crying and crying, and I
couldn‟t stop. I found that the
only way to stop crying in
public, and the one thing that
helped, was self-harming. It
was like magic.”
Both these people recovered
well.
Impact on tele-marketing
www.rethink.org
Because of symptoms, of mental illness, people might:
• find it hard to understand what you‟re offering
• depression and concentration symptoms
• lack decision-making capacity
• bipolar and manic symptoms
• find it impossible to talk on the phone
• schizophrenia and hearing voices
Why does this matter?
www.rethink.org
• If you get this right...
you will delight your customers
• Most people fluctuate
• They remember who treated them well when
vulnerable
• People with mental health problems (and families and
friends) are delighted when companies deal with this
well
• More openness about mental health
• No longer a niche issue
Why does this matter?
www.rethink.org
• If you get this wrong...
you could face a legal case
• Capacity and decision-making
• Must assume people have capacity
• But need to be able to pick up on clues that they
don‟t and cancel contracts
• Equality and reasonable adjustments
• Need to offer adjustments to people with
disabilities
• Many mental illnesses are legally recognised as
disabilities
What can you do?
www.rethink.org
Implement the DMA guidelines:
• Ask customers to explain back what they‟re
purchasing
• Offer information in different formats
• „Do you want to discuss with anyone else?‟
• Offering a personal disclosure
What can you do?
www.rethink.org
Make sure staff understand mental health as well as they
understand cancer or diabetes
• Sign the Time to Change pledge
• Conduct a simple workplace campaign
• BT
• Premier League
• Channel 4
• Circle Housing
• Luton and Calderdale Councils
What we’re doing
www.rethink.org
Committed to working with our suppliers to
get these guidelines implemented
Letting our 30,000 members and supporters
know about them
Educating people about mental health in
Leeds this month
Order a guide – it‟s free
Changing attitudes nationwide
Catherine Grinyer
Director of Communications
Business Disability Forum
• Not-for-profit membership organisation set up over 20 years ago to help businesses become disability-smart.
• Around 400 members from across the private and public sectors.
• We support our members and advise on disability best-practice.
• Our Disability Standard helps organisations measure and improve their progress towards becoming disability-smart.
Disability, why bother?
• Good news – you‟re either disabled now or you‟re going to live long enough to acquire a disability.
• More than three quarters of disabled people acquire their disability as adults.
• 1/3 of people 50- 64 years have a disability; 1/3 of all employees are disabled or are close to a disabled person.
• Disability affects every part of your business -employees, customers, markets, suppliers and stakeholders.
Business benefits
• Disability-smart companies understand the needs and expectations of a diverse consumer base and maximise the productivity and creativity of all their employees; disabled and non-disabled.
• Research by Microsoft revealed that even people who do not consider themselves disabled can benefit from accessible and assistive technology..
• Spending power of disabled consumers is estimated to be £80bn in the UK and growing.
Catalyst for change
• Disabled customers should be able to expect the same level of customer service as non-disabled customers.
• We‟ve worked with our members and Ofcomto produce guidance on accessible contact centres, „Your call is important to us‟.
• Our best practice guide helps organisations to improve their call routing systems, contact centres and the customer experience of their disabled and older customers.
• We‟re keen to support the DMA‟s guidelines on dealing with vulnerable customers, we believe they are complementary.
Thanks for your time
Catherine Grinyer
Director of Communications
Business Disability Forum
Nutmeg House
60 Gainsford Street
London SE1 2NY
w: businessdisabilityforum.org.uk
t: @DisabilitySmart or @cgrinyer
Understanding the needs of people with dementia
Elaine Lee, ReynoldsBusbyLee Ltd on behalf of
Karishma Chandaria, Alzheimers Society
______________________________________________________________________________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
______________________________________________________________________________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
Introduction
• The Alzheimer’s Society
• What is dementia
• The size of the challenge
• The Prime Ministers Challenge on Dementia
• Vulnerability of these customers and the risks to businesses.
• What businesses can do to remove the barriers for some of these individuals
______________________________________________________________________________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
The Alzheimer’s Society • The Alzheimer's Society is the leading support and research
charity for people with dementia, their families and carers
• The Society's fight for a better world for people with all types of stakeholders takes a wide range of forms.
• Through our network of local services, we touch the lives of over 30,000 people every week, providing practical services and support
• Through campaigning and lobbying we strive to influence government policies and raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with dementia and the people who care for them.
The number of people with dementia will double in the next 40 years
______________________________________________________________________________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
Prime Minister's challenge on dementia
Dementia and vulnerability
• The declining ability to process information, which results in forgetting PINs and passwords, and leaving bills unpaid
• The trusting nature of many people with dementia, which can leave them vulnerable and open to exploitation from strangers
• If someone lives alone, with little support from family or friends, their social isolation and loneliness may lead them to let anyone answer the phone to anyone
______________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
•People with dementia may lose the ability to judge risk and the value of money – common scenarios include making huge purchases over the phone large cash withdrawals, and/or keeping it in the house
Common problems
• People with dementia who live alone repeatedly receiving unwelcome or nuisance telephone calls commonly reported by carers.
• Carers of people with dementia having to deal with telephone cold callers who routinely target the person
• Being repeatedly called to change utility supplier
• High pressure sales tactics where people are repeatedly sold multiple memberships and subscriptions
• Complex ‘boiler room scams’, involving false impersonation of a company or organisation
______________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
Risks to your business • Organisations can have little understanding of how to pick
up signs of a consumer with dementia, or how best to handle such situations with care and respect
• Staff may not be equipped to deal with the situation involving a person with dementia, and there is often no policy for addressing any problems that may arise
• Despite their best intentions, organisations may not give consistent quality service to a person with dementia.
• People with dementia can be trusting and believe that a sales representative (whose motivation is to sell) is acting in their best interests in an advisory capacitythis leaves them at risk of being manipulated by unscrupulous operators.
What can your business do? • Ensure that your staff are ‘dementia aware’
• Frontline staff need to be alert to the signs that the person they are talking to may not have the capacity, at that moment in time, to make an informed decision
• Practical tips for staff for communicating with people with dementia
• Using other methods of communication e.g. mail
• Use industry best practice guidelines and adapt them to your business
Thank you
________________________________________________________________________________________
alzheimers.org.uk
Thank you…
Presentations will be emailed to you tomorrow
A final thank you to all of today’s speakers:
Jacqui Crawley, KMB Telemarketing Ltd
Elaine Lee, ReynoldsBusbyLee Ltd
Catherine Grinyer, Business Disability Forum
Jane Harris, Rethink Mental Illness
Please return your completed evaluation forms and badges to the registration desk we look forward to
seeing you again!