Customer Service, Distilled: With Sarah Marin, FSCS

Driving customer satisfaction and building brand trust doesn’t have to be high science. It’s true that customers’ perceptions of quality today – both in relation to products and services – are evolving quickly and businesses are held to higher standards, but the basics still very much apply when it comes to delivering care and support.

To explore these themes and more, Sarah Marin – the Chief Customer Officer at Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – recently joined our Industry Analyst Simon Hall on an episode of In Conversation with CCW Europe. Here, we’ve distilled her most compelling insights (which have been lightly edited for ease of reading).

How FSCS achieves customer satisfaction scores of 90%:

“The reason it’s so high is because we really listen to what our customers are telling us, and we respond accordingly. We track and measure how our customers are feeling about our service at three different points in the customer journey: when they initially submit an application to us, when they’re going through the claims process, and at the end when they ultimately receive a decision, which is quite binary.

“They’ll talk to us about the moments that matter to them in the journey and how we can make improvements that are targeted at exactly where they want to see them. And it’s really simple, but really effective. They accept and recognise that the journey with us is quite long sometimes because we’ve got to determine whether protection applies – it can take years before a claim is actually paid to a customer. So, keeping somebody informed about what’s happening through that journey is important in the first instance, but also managing expectations in relation to that. All the improvements we deliver are based on feedback that our customers have provided to us.”

The tactics FSCS use to improve customer relationships:

“As an example, we might introduce touchpoint calls throughout the customer journey so that we can speak to customers to let them know what’s happening. We’ve also amended some of the information we provide customers during that journey. We go through a lengthy data gathering cycle where we’ll have to go out to the customer, or firms, or possibly even third parties to get information and evidence to determine if there is a claim FSCS can protect. Previously we would have simply said to customers that we’re still gathering information and that we’ll be back in touch soon. Whereas now we’ll be clear about the fact there are, say, five pieces of information we need to obtain – we'll get granular and inform them that we’ve received four of those already, we’re just waiting for the final one from this particular firm, and as soon as we’ve got that, we’ll reach out.

“Essentially, it’s the same message, but it feels very different. They understand that progress is being made.”

Where technology fits into the FSCS operating system:

“Given the experiences our customers have had, they want that human engagement and that human interaction. What we try and do is blend that with technology to ensure we have our people focused on where they really add their expertise.

“Technology helps us to pinpoint precisely what’s relevant for us to determine if there’s an eligible claim – and that’s important both in terms of speed and getting a customer outcome as quickly as possible. But what that means is that we’re using it in a copilot capacity – our technology is finding the information and directing our experts to where they need to look to determine if they can support a customer or how they need to support a customer.

“We keep our people in the driving seat – ultimately, they are the decision-maker in relation to that claim.”

The work FSCS does around customer vulnerability:

“All our customers, to some extent, are vulnerable because they’ve experienced financial loss. And for some customers that’s more acute than others depending on the personal circumstances or the product area. But, of course, that’s not the only type of vulnerability we need to respond to – there are many.

“Customers can inform us when they raise a claim as to whether or not they’ve got any particular care needs. But equally, we make sure we speak to customers throughout the journey, and if we identify we need to make adjustments, then we’ll look to do that. It could be anything from accessibility and supporting with material containing Braille or large print, or it could also be working with some of our partners around referrals to Samaritans if individuals are struggling, or StepChange from a debt management point of view as well.”

Advice for other organisations dealing with customer vulnerability:

“The piece that’s important for me is that everybody in the organisation is concerned about supporting, and caring for, vulnerable customers. That’s really got to be driven from the top. So, ensuring that it’s a board agenda item and that it’s discussed in conjunction with other customer experience targets and performance is really important, because having that focus from the executive team drives investment in the areas we need to enhance in order to better support customers. And it also ensures that we continuously innovate and deliver the right outcomes.

“That would be my advice: ensure that approach and that strategy, and the value of it, is both bottom up and top down.”

How FSCS keeps staff turnover so low (part one):

“We’ve got a really clear purpose. Lots of organisations almost have to define what their purpose is, whereas for us it’s really clear; really simple to understand and really easy to get behind. Our people are really passionate about supporting customers – helping to put them back on track and that’s a great starting point in terms of how you build your culture and how teams work together.

“Being an outcomes-based organisation also helps us with employee retention because we’re not focused on where people are or what they’re doing. We’re focused on what they’re delivering for customers. It doesn’t matter to us whether that’s in the office or potentially at home. We have an approach, which is: your day, your way. You know what you need to deliver each day; you know the outcomes you need to achieve – be in the best possible place to deliver them.”

How FSCS keeps staff turnover so low (part two):

“We’re really focused on career pathways and development, and that doesn’t necessarily mean traditional hierarchical moves, although of course some people might like to go down that route. But, it’s actually more about identifying areas where there are transferable skills across the organisation so that people can see where they may be able to expand their experience within FSCS.

“We’re quite fortunate that we’re a small organisation and that fact gives people opportunities to be involved in things that are perhaps broader than you would ordinarily find in a larger organisation. It enables us to give our people the agency to be involved in the key decisions we make and really feel that they’re empowered.”

The customer experience trends to watch for moving forward:

“They’re probably already here and it’s about seeing how they develop and understanding how they’re interlocked. For me, it’s the expectations that we have on our people and how they’re enabled through technology.

“Technology is progressing at such a pace, and it’s difficult to keep up with it and ensure we’re maximising its value and its benefits. Continuing to invest in technology that allows organisations to do the things that are important to their customers will be key – whether that is thinking about improvements to speed, to accuracy, or to engagement. How can you use technology to do that? That is the question.

“What that also means, though, is that by introducing technology into what people might consider to be the more simplistic activities, organisations are actually leaving the complex situations for their people. So, how we support and invest in people is also really important.”

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For more use cases and insights into how businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and power meaningful brand experiences, check out Sarah and Simon’s conversation in full, on-demand.