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: dma@dma.org.uk or events@dma.org.uk

• 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

e: catherineg@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk

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

Karishma.Chandaria@alzheimers.org.uk

________________________________________________________________________________________

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!