Organisations seeking to create a sound customer vulnerability management system need to appreciate and understand the risk elements denoted below.

Staff deployed to handle customers whether in a call centre or in person need to be aware of the relevant risk issues. This list includes.

  1. Age
  2. Disability or actual impairment
  3. Mental health concerns
  4. Income alteration
  5. Loss of employment
  6. Low skills and literacy
  7. Low numeracy
  8. Lack of workplace knowledge
  9. Bereavement
  10. Divorce
  11. Illness
  12. Confusion in understanding products or services
  13. Unfair balance or power in the commercial relationship
  14. New caring role

This list requires careful communication to frontline staff. The author suggests basic tests of understanding to ensure that the key concepts of customer vulnerability have been identified.

In addition, it is wise to create working examples around all the above situations to allow staff to relate to their workplace setting.

BS18477 The British Standard for Inclusive Service Provision is the best in class framework to promote an organisation’s commitment to customer vulnerability. By using BS18477 an organisation can go further and seek independent assessment from BSI a leading UK based certification body.

For further information and to book your BS18477 – Inclusive Service Provision survey please contact: Marcus J Allen at Thamer James Ltd. Email: [email protected]

Marcus has twenty years’ experience in delivering Governance, Risk and Compliance solutions to over two hundred organisations within the UK. Marcus holds the respected Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance from the International Compliance Association and holds a master’s degree in Management Learning & Change from the University of Bristol.