CCR2 Vulnerability


Connecting in a disconnected world


As the first and only DCA to partner with the Vulnerability Registration Service, Opos discusses the clear benefits this partnership has brought and how this has strengthened their business offerings to clients and improved engagement rates with customers.


Rob Sands Head of compliance, Opos rsands@oposlimited.com


“Vulnerability is the only bridge to build connection.” This quote from the TED Talk of Dr


Brené Brown has always stuck with me. The idea that showing, sharing or discussing vulnerability helps to create or foster positive emotional connections with others is an interesting concept and, in a world dominated by the current COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns which have left many people feeling disconnected from society and cut off from their peers, there has never been a better time to consider how best to interact and engage with the most vulnerable in society. This notion of building positive connections


from the disclosure of, what may be perceived as ‘negative’ emotions or circumstances is especially relevant for those organisations and individuals that are committed to not only the fair and effective treatment of vulnerable customers but those that are committed to truly helping the individual in a time of need. At Opos we constantly review the delivery


methods and content of our communications to ensure a relevant and appropriate message


Percentage of Opos staff who feel the VRS partnership has helped their


ability to effectively handle vulnerable customer interactions.


is being delivered to customers of all backgrounds and circumstances, but it is in the way we treat the most vulnerable of customers that allows us to build and maintain connections which extend beyond the core remit of our operation. Our partnership with the Vulnerability


Registration Service has been instrumental in helping us to broaden our knowledge in this particular sector and to better identify and better support those customers. The


Our partnership with the Vulnerability Registration Service has been instrumental in helping us to broaden our knowledge in this particular sector and to better identify and better support those customers


VRS, which launched publicly in September 2019 at The Royal Society in London, is fast becoming a household name in the financial industries and the directors of this not-for- profit organisation importantly all have vast experience in working in the consumer credit markets. Their combination of regulatory, compliance, consumer affairs and IT expertise mark the VRS as being a truly unique charity and arguably as the most innovative customer platform which exists today. What we have learned from being partners with the VRS is that understanding and


August 2020 www.CCRMagazine.com


connecting with people experiencing the toughest moments of their lives is not an easy task to undertake. It requires patience, understanding,


empathy, equanimity, and compassion; and all of these in an abundance. Over and above our partnership with the


VRS we have carefully tailored our approach in communicating with customers, have deployed specific communication strategies with the customer circumstances in mind and have enforced our comprehensive training material and internal best practice documents, all of which have helped to col- lectively result in an unprecedented increase in those customers who wish to engage with us, who want to learn more about the VRS and most importantly, who want to keep building a connective bridge with us. Our rates of contact, disclosure and


registration have continued to grow month on month and our staff fully recognize the positive differences to their jobs, our clients and most importantly the customer base that our investment in this area has driven. CCR2


33


Percentage of customers who make a disclosure and subsequently register with VRS


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52