Good for customers.
Good for brands.
Consumer Duty marks one of the biggest shakeups in standards for financial organisations in a decade.
And its aim. To shift the culture of financial organisations to one that puts the customer firmly at the heart of everything – from product design and pricing, to communication and support.
For financial organisations these new regulations are a chance to further strengthen their relationships with customers, build trust, increase loyalty and create future revenue opportunities – especially within customer communications.
At Signal we believe Consumer Duty will give financial brands the push to move from a communications approach that focuses on simply getting something out the door (Customer Communications Management (CCM)), to one that proactively plans, co-ordinates and processes communications in a way that enables better customer outcomes (Customer Experience Management (CXM)).
Many of the financial organisations we work with are already on this journey, and we’ve seen the hugely positive effects it can have on brand experience.
‘A firm must act to deliver good outcomes for retail clients’
Four areas of expectation
The good outcomes the FCA want to see fall into four areas:
- Products and services
- Price and value
- Consumer understanding
- Consumer support
And within these outcomes are detailed rules that will enable financial organisations to raise the bar and create the shift in customer experience the regulator is seeking.
Duty consultation paper
Outcome 3: Consumer Understanding
This is the FCA outcome focused on customer communications. It is here that we find rules and guidance to help create and deploy communications that support customers and enable them to make informed decisions about their financial products and services.
What the FCA want to see from organisations in this area:
- Communications that equip customers to make effective decisions – by meeting their information needs, ensuring information is clear, fair and not misleading, and can be easily understood by the average customer.
- Tailored communications – to meet the characteristics of the retail customers receiving the communication – including any characteristics of vulnerability.
- Information provided on a timely basis – and that it is accurate and relevant to customers’ circumstance or point in their journey, and they can make an effective decision in good time.
- Communication channel considerations – ensuring that, regardless of the channel, the information provided enables customers to assess whether the options available to them meet their needs and objectives and evaluate any relevant risks.
- Testing and monitoring of communications – before communicating and regularly monitoring afterwards the impact of them. And using this insight to adapt communications where necessary.
More together
At Signal we work with some of the UK’s biggest financial brands, delivering millions of customer communications every year. And since the FCA started work on Consumer Duty we’ve been helping them to understand the scope and scale of change they will need to undertake in response. Key areas of conversation have been around:
journeys
Are the current communications enabling good outcomes for all customers including those with vulnerabilities?
Where are our gaps/areas where we need to improve?
technology
Does our data allow for improved tailoring and personalisation?
Can our tech support additional/different channel choice by customers?
monitoring
What additional processes do we need to put in place?
How will we demonstrate where we’ve intervened and adapted communications?
Start your own conversation about Consumer Duty with us today.
Call Ed Knight on 01242 258 731 or email ed.knight@signal.co.uk
