Case Study
Large Retail Bank
Enhancing the complaint handling
operation of a large retail bank
Hazell Carr was approached by a Retail Bank for specialist complaint handling
expertise. The requirement was driven by high volumes of new complaints and
the need to comply with changing regulatory requirements.
Overview
Hazell Carr was selected via a competitive
tender exercise to assist the Bank with all
aspects of its complaint handling operation.
This support included processing high
volumes of business as usual cases, delivering
the Bank’s proactive PPI review and supplying
expertise to enhance its procedures. As the
project progressed it exposed deep-rooted
issues with the operation, including:
 Resource – the bank had supplemented
in-house teams with temporary staff from
local agencies. This resource was generally
low quality and struggled to achieve the
Bank’s performance targets.
 Procedural changes – the Bank had
implemented judgement based procedures
in line with Treating Customers Fairly
(TCF) principles. This was an essential
step, but it caused problems for the inhouse team, which lacked the ability to
effectively apply these procedures
 Case hand-offs – teams across the UK
were taking responsibility at different
stages of the complaint. These hand- offs
were slowing down processing times,
complicating case tracking and leading to
confusion over case ownership
 Management information – the
operation did not possess accurate
Management Information (MI). This lack of
MI meant the Bank could not easily
establish case age and type, which made it
difficult to respond to problems and
undertake root cause analysis.
These factors meant that the client was
struggling to cope with incoming volumes and
a backlog of cases had developed.
The solution
Hazell Carr worked closely with the Bank to
develop a tailored solution that met all key
operational requirements. This included
deploying highly skilled resource to deliver all
case handling work, as well undertake a
detailed review of processes and systems.
Over the course of the project Hazell Carr
helped to reduce the backlog, improve
customer retention and enhance the efficiency
of the PPI operation.
The key features of the solution included:
 Technical expertise – a team of
complaint handling experts was rapidly
deployed to target the backlog. All
members of the team were experienced
with judgement based decision making and
Hazell Carr is a trading name of Paymaster (1836) Limited. Registered Office:
Sutherland House, Russell Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1UH. Registered
in England and Wales No. 03249700. Paymaster (1836) Limited is authorised
and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Part of the Equiniti Group.
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had previously worked on a wide range of
review projects, including PPI. The Hazell
Carr consultants immediately met internal
quality and productivity targets and
quickly started to outperform the inhouse team.
Process streamlining – Hazell Carr
implemented whole process complaint
handling, so that consultants processed
entire cases, from initial complaint
through to final resolution. This approach
significantly improved the process, as it
removed the need for hand-offs
throughout the process. Fewer hand-offs
accelerated closure times and the
improved the quality of decisions and
calculations.
Centralised operations – Hazell Carr
helped the Bank centralise its PPI
complaint handling, so that the majority of
cases were dealt with on one site.
Through processing all cases on this site it
became easier for the Bank to monitor
the project and respond rapidly to issues
as and when they arose.
Management information tools – a
new MI suite was developed by Hazell
Carr, which provided the bank with more
accurate case metrics. These tools
enabled the management team to monitor
cases more effectively, target specific case
populations and identify process
bottlenecks.
Process review – a review exercise was
conducted to minimise the risk of further
complaints developing. This review
investigated all stages of the product
lifecycle, including product development,
financial promotions, sales and advice
processes, as well as customer service and
complaint handling procedures.
Benefits to the client
The efficiency of the bank’s PPI complaint
handling operation has been significantly
improved by the Hazell Carr team. The bank
is now in a strong position to meet all
potential complaint handling requirements
that may arise in the future.
Hazell Carr’s aim is to provide the Bank with
an enduring legacy of high quality complaint
handling. To achieve this Hazell Carr is
transferring its knowledge and expertise to
the Bank’s internal staff. .
The project has been a success and has met all
milestones, key performance indicators and
service level agreements.
Hazell Carr has:
 Successfully processed all cases in the
backlog and is continuing to help the bank
deal with high volumes of cases.
 Helped the bank to mitigate the potential
risks associated with the proactive review.
 Significantly reduced complaint processing
times.
 Reduced the bank’s escalations to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
 Reduced the FOS overturn rate on the
bank’s cases.
The flexibility and scale of Hazell Carr’s
services enables us to deliver every element
of the complaint handling process, from
understanding the root cause of the problem
through to advising on best practice moving
forwards.
Hazell Carr also established a comprehensive
management and quality oversight structure.
This oversight team attended executive
steering committees and supported the Bank
with all regulatory liaison and reporting
requirements.
Hazell Carr is a trading name of Paymaster (1836) Limited. Registered Office:
Sutherland House, Russell Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1UH. Registered
in England and Wales No. 03249700. Paymaster (1836) Limited is authorised
and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Part of the Equiniti Group.
Contact Hazell Carr
W: www.hazellcarr.com
T: 011895 13971
E: contact@hazellcarr.com