LV= is a mutual protection, savings and retirement provider whose roots stem back to 1843. They now provide a range of financial solutions to 1.3 million customers and members in the UK.
“Complaints manager, Jenny Briars, looks after the team that deals with customer complaints at LV=. As she explains:
“At the moment, our team is kept busy dealing with not just complaints but PPI requests and GDPR information requests, too. Regardless of the scope or volumes we’re faced with, our priority is always to secure the right outcome for the customer.”
Digitising complaints management
Back in 1996, LV= was using a ledger to record complaints, with all complaints manually logged and updated, a process that was fast becoming unfit-for-purpose as customer numbers increased and as society in general became more heavily digitised. After a thorough assessment of the market, the business implemented Aptean’s case and complaints management solution, Aptean Respond. As Jenny remembers: “Aptean Respond revolutionised how we dealt with complaints, securing real efficiencies for us in terms of how we managed the entire process.”
Complaints management excellence
Today, LV= uses Aptean Respond because of its ability to support the entire complaints management process in a single solution. Through giving front-line staff access to key information as well as the ability to update information directly in the system, it reduces any duplication of effort and streamlines complaint resolution for an enhanced customer experience.
Jenny continues: “Contact centre staff can get the best possible outcomes for customers as they can see at a glance the workload they’re dealing with, enabling them to prioritise their daily activities. Comprehensive case management, including diary tasks, makes the process easy and it’s straightforward to get any new team members on board.”
Most recently, LV= has used Aptean Respond to underpin a new team that’s been set up within the complaints team, responsible for the immediate escalation of urgent complaints and customers in vulnerable situations. Tasked with investigating the customer’s situation and securing the right outcome within 24 hours, the effect that this new process has had on the business has been fundamental.
As Jenny explains: “This approach has revolutionised the turnaround times for complaints as a whole, doubling our informal resolutions within the FCA’s eight-week time frame. This has impacted our open formal complaint volumes immensely, reducing them by 40%. Most importantly, the customers are getting quicker outcomes with a greater focus on their specific needs.”
Robust reporting
The breadth and depth of the management information available is crucial to both regulatory compliance and planning. “We’re not constrained by system parameters, enabling us to slice and dice reports to meet the particular needs of LV= at any moment in time, with interactive dashboards presenting the information in an easily accessible format. And, when it comes to compliance, this comprehensive reporting capability allows us to demonstrate transparent, robust complaints management to the regulator, too.”
Not just complaints
Where Aptean Respond has really come into its own over the last few years is through its ability to be used for more than just complaints management. Currently at LV=, all GDPR information requests are processed using Aptean Respond. Similarly, the team uses Aptean Respond to capture customer feedback, something that’s proving invaluable for the business. As Jenny explains: “Although we’re not required to report this feedback to the regulator, from a business development point of view, we use the detailed, specific feedback that it’s possible to capture in Aptean Respond to help us to continually improve customer service.”
Vulnerable customers
Another potential use for the system that Jenny and her team are currently considering is to capture vulnerable customer information, something that is top of the agenda for many businesses. As Jenny explains: “We already have processes and procedures in place when it comes to how best to serve the needs of our vulnerable customers, but it makes sense to use Aptean Respond as our official system for this. Not only is it easy-to-use but the ease of reporting will help to fulfil our compliance obligations, too.”
Working partnership
Jenny explains: “In 2018 we conducted a thorough assessment of the market and Aptean Respond came out on top in every area. There really was no comparison on cost, functionality and support. Everyone we deal with at Aptean is very helpful and always available to answer any questions we might have. They’re also really good at listening to what clients want, making valuable changes and additions to Aptean Respond following our feedback and suggestions. We have a great working partnership with the team, which, when combined with the functionality and effectiveness of Aptean Respond, shows why we’ve used it for so long.”
Jenny is also a big fan of the regular Complaints Working Group events that Aptean facilitates throughout the year, events which bring together professionals from across the industry to discuss the challenges they face. Jenny highlights: “It’s great to have the opportunity to have a full, frank and open discussion with your peers, deliberating the very issues that keep us all awake at night and often finding common solutions that we can implement back in the office.”
What next?
In spite of the continued success of handling complaints effectively and efficiently, LV= continually looks at ways to improve the performance of its complaints management. While the solution is currently on-premise, LV= will soon be moving to a SaaS model.
Jenny concludes: “Respond lies at the very heart of our complaints management function, giving us the ways and means to successfully manage the whole process. The ease of access to the right information at the right time is the key to its success. We’ve used the solution for over 23 years and I can’t see that changing any time soon.”
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