Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Customers: HGS’ Inclusive Contact Centre Solution

How are we helping?

We have partnered with several different organisations in industries including financial services, government services and utilities, to provide support for vulnerable customers.

Our expert team handle contacts from people across all walks of life. Many of our contacts are from people facing hardships and who are financially vulnerable. It’s our job to provide them with the advice and care they need, using contact centre channels that are accessible.

Not just knowing, but understanding the customer

We have a deep understanding of customer vulnerability and how we need to work to protect individuals. This means we know how best to serve vulnerable customers, and our channel strategy for clients is carefully selected in order to protect them. We place digital inclusivity at the heart of our strategy, this means no one is excluded from seeking the help they need.

We’ve carried out significant research into our client’s customer demographic in order to understand their needs better. We’ve found that the channel strategy is vitally important, some customers feel embarrassed and don’t want to use traditional channels like voice, opting for the likes of WhatsApp instead. The need for empathy from our advisers is key in supporting and providing the necessary reassurance to customers utilising the service.

Putting knowledge into practice

So, in order to serve these individuals in the best possible way, for one of our clients we have inbound and outbound services across voice, web chat, email and even WhatsApp.

We understand that having other channels like social media available may seem like a good idea to some, but for clients whose customers are often vulnerable, it can pose more of a risk than a benefit. This is due to the ‘one to many’ nature of conversations in comments and posts, where sensitive information might easily be shared. This is just one factor we always take into account when designing our inclusive, yet safe, contact centre solutions for clients with vulnerable customers.

As well as adopting an inclusive channel strategy, we ensure our processes are accredited to maintain exceptionally high quality, via our ISO 9001 accredited Quality Management Framework. This accreditation is proof that we deliver consistently excellent interactions with all kinds of customers, whilst ensuring we meet all applicable regulations about accessibility and customer safeguarding. The ISO 9001 standard reassures our clients, and their customers, that we are recognised as experts in contact handling, whether dealing with a vulnerable customer or not.

The Results Speak for Themselves

We are extremely proud of the inclusive service we provide,and achieve high quality scores of 89% for customer experience and 84% likely to recommend the service. The way we are safeguarding customers and addressing their needs really works, with an average of only 1 complaint in every 50,000 contacts which is deemed exceptional.

Safeguarding the Future Customer

Unfortunately, with the cost of living crisis and other economic and social pressures growing, more of our clients’ customers are becoming vulnerable. Businesses across a huge range of sectors are turning to HGS for help, as we are the experts in inclusive customer care. If this is a topic that hits close to home for you and your business, we’re here to discuss how we can help ensure your vulnerable customers are looked after.

To arrange a conversation, please reach out to CX Expert Colleen McCann