It is not simply about how long it takes Aviva to answer your request, but whether they provide a good quality response, answer your questions fully and whether they give regard to you as a customer, taking into account your personal circumstances where necessary.
In our report last year, we spoke about a programme of change within Aviva’s operations areas called “99&3”. This aims to ensure that 99% of all demands are completed at the first point of contact within Aviva, and of those which can’t it would take no more than three days to complete them, or three clicks for you to complete the task online
Aviva has continued to make improvements to their systems and processes to enable staff to meet these goals. These include the introduction of extended online facilities, a simpler retirement claims process for small pots, the use of electronic signatures to cut down on the time taken to receive signed paperwork and simplification of the process to pay one-off contributions leading to a 40% reduction in the time taken to process this task.
These features are not available for everyone just yet, but we have seen Aviva’s delivery plan to extend the programme of improvements to all of you. We will be monitoring progress closely to ensure that service improvements are delivered.
In the last two years we have seen big changes in the way Aviva measures and delivers customer service. They are moving away from agreed service levels of turnaround times for specific tasks choosing instead to focus on the customer journey and experience. If you write, telephone or e-Mail the customer services area, your entire request is now owned by a single person. Whether you have a simple request like asking for a valuation of your pension or a more complex request such as full details about your policy, that person will take responsibility until your request has been completed.
Improvements have been made to both systems and processes meaning that a number of tasks are now fully automated, and we have seen improvements to processing times as a result as shown in this chart which shows a downward trend in the number of days it takes to complete a piece of work.
Source – Aviva
The reporting information the IGC receives has evolved further in the last year enabling the IGC to cross-examine the Aviva teams more effectively.
All processes are subject to regular quality checks helping to drive further improvements in the member experience and to identify skills gaps within the operations areas. All financial transactions are subject to authorisation which is set within the computer systems. No financial payments can be made until the correct level of authority has approved the payment.
The improvements made in administration are reflected in the feedback customers are giving. Aviva uses a measure called “Net Promoter Score” to measure customer satisfaction. They have shared the results with us for the 18 months to December 2019 and they demonstrate a continued trend upwards and are running above the company’s target as shown in this chart.
The FCA defines a vulnerable customer as “someone who, due to their personal circumstances, is especially susceptible to detriment, particularly when a firm is not acting with appropriate levels of care.”
All Aviva staff are trained to recognise a customer who might be displaying signs of vulnerability. This can include communication issues, mental health problems, financial hardship, or a significant life event such as redundancy or the death of a close relative.
Over 300 members of Aviva staff have been appointed as vulnerable customer “champions” who give support to staff who deal with customers displaying signs of concern. All of these champions have been given training by The Samaritans, and Aviva is also rolling out training to help staff deal with customers who suffer from dementia. In extreme circumstances, staff have found it necessary to contact emergency services, local charities or social services to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their customers.
We are pleased to see that Aviva takes their responsibilities in this area seriously and rate the work they are doing very highly.
Aviva’s currently marketed products are serviced at two key centres - Dorking and Sheffield. This year the whole IGC spent a day in the Sheffield office meeting some of the staff and listening to customer calls.
We also had detailed presentations to see what controls are in place to ensure that transactions are processed in a timely and accurate way. Overall, we were impressed with the professionalism of all the people we met. Some of the IGC members have also had site visits to the Dorking centre.
There is currently a programme in place to move the majority of administration tasks from Dorking to Sheffield, and we were reassured by the additional training being given to staff to ensure that the work was being moved in a controlled way and that staff had the right level of training and support to ensure they were fully competent to undertake the new tasks.
We will be making more visits to Sheffield as this programme continues to ensure there is no reduction in the quality of the service Aviva provides.
When a customer complains we want to ensure that Aviva has the necessary framework in place to answer their concerns both quickly and fairly. We have been provided with management information which is regularly shared with Aviva’s senior leaders. This includes details of the Root Cause Analysis of the complaints which, when completed, is fed back to the customer service teams who will undertake additional training or implement improvements to processes.
In addition, a robust process is in place to undertake quality assurance on completed complaints to make sure the correct outcome was achieved. Should errors be found, the complaint is reopened, and the necessary steps taken to address the customer’s initial concerns. We are encouraged that the number of complaints being reopened is very low.
Where a complaint is found to be justified, Aviva ensures that any financial detriment to the customer is paid in full.
The number of complaints is reducing due mainly to improvements in administration whereby work is being turned around more quickly and accurately. While the reduction is welcome, we will continue to monitor the position and hope to see a continued downward trend.
Aviva undertakes annual AAF reporting which tests the robustness of their controls around how they administer their workplace pensions.
Specific areas tested include how financial transactions are processed and authorised, how your money is secured, how systems and data are protected against cyber-attacks and how that data is transferred between systems securely. As you would expect, Aviva operates a robust controls framework to protect both their own and their customers’ assets and data.
The report is undertaken by a firm of independent auditors who carry out a thorough desk-based assessment. The report for 2018 has been made available to the IGC and there are no exceptions noted, meaning that there is evidence that the necessary controls are in place. The report for the year ending 31 December 2019 was not available at the time of writing, but we understand that work is well underway to finalise it. We will comment on the findings in our next annual report and note any exceptions and the suitability of any management response.
Aviva has committed to a continued programme of investment into new technology to make it easier for customers and for their customer services staff.
This includes new technology and digital capability for members and employers, and further improvements in automation to speed up service. With a continued focus on quality, we expect to see the trend of lower complaints and higher customer satisfaction scores to continue.
In summary, the IGC considers that members are receiving good customer service. We will continue to monitor the service levels, complaint volumes and customer satisfaction scores together with the delivery of improved service through the use of technology.
