How to Identify Vulnerable Customers in your Business

Frontline, customer facing staff play an important role in early identification of vulnerable customers, and this can make a huge difference in customer experience and outcomes. It is therefore critical that your customer facing staff can quickly identify signs of vulnerability in any interaction. One of the established best practices for identifying vulnerable customers, is the CARE protocol which as an acronym outlines four areas for your staff to assess customers for potential vulnerability: C.A.R.E

1. Comprehend

• Is the customer able to follow and understand the discussion taking place? Signs that the consumer doesn’t understand might include:
• Long pauses, asking for information to be repeated, giving the wrong responses

2. Assess

• Is the customer able to work out what they are being told?
• Do they ask unrelated questions, making irrelevant points or provide confusing responses to questions?
• Do they repeat words or phrases, suggesting that they do not feel like they are being understood?

3. Retain

• Is the customer able to retain the information you give them?
• Do you have to repeat what you have said frequently?

4. Evaluate

• Is the customer able to properly express, explain or communicate their decisions?
• Are they genuinely contributing to the discussion or merely agreeing with what you are saying?

In addition to the C.A.R.E protocol other signs for staff to look out for include:

• Self-identification – “I can’t read small text” or “I’m really worried about xxx”
• Abnormally emotive or illogical behaviour.
• Statements such as “My partner (or caretaker) dealt with all these things for me” or “I’m not sure I should be speaking to you without my carer present.”

Once a vulnerable customer is identified, there should be an established process for both recording the vulnerability and developing an action plan to ensure the customer receives the additional support required to achieve a fair outcome.

The Barratt Smith Brown Customer Vulnerability and Debt Collection series of articles takes an in depth look the issue of customer vulnerability and debt collection to help debt collection teams:

• Ensure their staff have the right skills to recognise and respond to the needs of their vulnerable customers
• Have established processes to ensure vulnerable customer needs are met.
• Implement their customer vulnerability strategy across the business and then monitor and assess whether they are meeting and responding to the needs of customers with characteristics of vulnerability, and make improvements where this is not happening

Customers Vulnerability and Debt Collection Series

• Part 1: Industry overview
• Part 2: What is a Vulnerable Customer
• Part 3: How to Identify Vulnerable Customers in your Business
• Part 4: 7 Steps To Developing A Customer Vulnerability Strategy