Notice when a customer tells you they are vulnerable

Fields

• Channel (call transcript, chat, email, letter)
• The whole contact

Questions

1. Does the customer, or someone speaking for them, mention circumstances that may mean the customer needs extra support? Yes / No

   Use the four characteristics in the context: poor health, life events, low resilience and low capability. Count only what the contact says about the customer or someone in their household. Do not infer anything from tone, accent, writing style or spelling. Yes: The contact mentions health problems, disability, bereavement, old age, money trouble, a language, literacy or hearing barrier, difficulty using the phone or internet, or similar circumstances. No: The contact mentions none of these.

2. Which kind of circumstance does the customer mainly describe? Choice

   Pick the kind that fits what the customer says. When they describe more than one, pick the one that most raises the risk of harm in this contact. Use only what is said.

   • Health A physical or mental health condition, a disability, an injury, a hospital stay, or reliance on care or medical equipment, for the customer or someone in their household.
   • Life event A bereavement, a relationship breakdown, a new caring role, a new baby, a job loss, or a similar recent change the customer names.
   • Money pressure The customer says they cannot pay, have no savings to fall back on, are behind on bills, or are cutting back on essentials, with no health or life event given as the main reason.
   • Difficulty dealing with us The customer says they struggle to read, hear, understand, use numbers, use English, or use the phone, app or website.
   • None described The customer describes no circumstance of these kinds.

3. Does the customer say someone in the household relies on equipment or medicine that needs power, water or a phone line? Yes / No

   Count oxygen, a ventilator, home dialysis, a feeding pump, a nebuliser, a stair lift, a powered bed or chair, medicine that must be kept cold, and a telecare alarm or pendant that needs the phone line or broadband, however the customer names it ("the machine for her breathing"). Yes: The customer says someone in the household relies on such equipment or medicine. No: No such equipment or medicine is mentioned.

4. Does the customer say they are without an essential service now, about to lose it, or cutting back on it because of cost? Yes / No

   Count being off supply or without service, credit or emergency credit about to run out, a top-up that will not go on, and going without heating, hot water, power or a working phone line to save money. Judge the situation the customer describes when they get in touch, even if the agent puts it right during the contact. Yes: The customer says one of these was happening, or about to happen, when they got in touch. No: The customer says nothing of the kind, or only mentions a past episode that was over before this contact.

5. Does the customer mention domestic abuse, or someone controlling, taking or restricting their money or account? Yes / No

   Count abuse, coercion, fleeing a partner, or someone else taking their money or controlling their account against their wishes. Yes: The customer mentions something of this kind. No: Nothing of this kind is mentioned.

6. Does the customer say that someone's life or safety is at risk right now? Yes / No

   Count talk of self-harm or suicide, danger from another person, or a medical emergency happening now. Do not count a risk the customer says is already dealt with, or one that could arise later. Yes: The customer says a life or safety is at risk now. No: No risk to life or safety now is mentioned.

7. Is someone else speaking or writing for the customer, or helping them deal with the firm? Yes / No

   Count a relative, carer, friend, adviser, or someone with a power of attorney who speaks, writes or helps in this contact, with or without formal authority. A household member who is only mentioned does not count. Yes: Someone else speaks, writes or helps for the customer in this contact. No: The customer deals with the firm alone.

8. What change in how the firm deals with them does the customer mainly ask for? Choice

   Pick the main change the customer asks for in their own words. Do not count changes the agent offers that the customer did not ask for.

   • No change asked The customer asks for no change in how the firm deals with them.
   • Format or channel Letters instead of calls, calls at a set time, large print, braille, text relay, an interpreter, or plain explanations.
   • Someone else to deal with Letters or calls to go to a relative, carer or representative, or permission for them to act.
   • More time or a pause More time to pay or respond, a pause on collection, or fewer contacts for a while.
   • Practical support Help with meter readings, a password for home visits, a call before a visit, advance notice of power cuts, or an urgent visit.

9. Does the customer agree to the firm recording their circumstances or needs so it can support them? Choice

   Judge from the customer's answer when recording, the register or noting their needs is discussed.

   • Agreed The customer says yes to their needs being recorded, or asks to be put on the register.
   • Declined The customer says they do not want it recorded.
   • Not discussed Recording is never raised, or the customer gives no clear answer before the contact ends.

10. How does the agent respond to what the customer said about their circumstances? Choice

    Look only at the agent's words after the customer's disclosure.

    • Acknowledged and acted The agent acknowledges it and offers support, an adjustment, the register or a referral.
    • Acknowledged only The agent acknowledges it, for example by saying sorry, and offers nothing further.
    • Not acknowledged The agent carries on as if nothing was said.
    • Nothing disclosed The customer said nothing about their circumstances.
    • No agent reply in the text The text holds only the customer's words, such as an email or a letter.

11. Is there enough in the text to tell whether the customer said anything about their circumstances? Yes / No

    Answer No when the text is cut off, too short, or so damaged by transcription errors that a careful reader could not tell. Yes: A careful reader could tell whether the customer said anything of this kind. No: The text is too incomplete or garbled to tell.

Lens columns

vulnerability_signal, vulnerability_signal_probability, main_circumstance, main_circumstance_probability, medical_equipment, medical_equipment_probability, going_without_supply, going_without_supply_probability, abuse_or_control, abuse_or_control_probability, immediate_risk, immediate_risk_probability, third_party, third_party_probability, adjustment_asked, adjustment_asked_probability, consent_to_record, consent_to_record_probability, agent_response, agent_response_probability, enough_information, enough_information_probability