Monthly Archives: January 2020

Information & Advice

Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Mediator

Posted on by HICS
31
Jan

Impartiality is the fundamental requirement of a mediator; whose role consists of resolving a conflict between two parties who disagree. Their role is not to take sides but to reach a fair conclusion that both parties are happy with. Mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) involve much more than appears on the surface so we’ve put together an outline of a typical day in the life of a mediator to show what happens behind the scenes.

A Typical Day as a Mediator

For a mediator working in the home improvement sector, their typical day begins early at 8.30 am and their daily schedule will usually include the following activities:

  • Setting realistic expectations – if a consumer has been left disadvantaged, their first point of call is often asking for compensation. Although this might provide an instant benefit to the consumer, it is not always the most appropriate solution. A mediator needs to find out the details from both parties and dig deeper to find out what the real problem is, not just what would provide instant gratification.
  • Communicating with opposing parties – communication is key in mediation and ultimately what the service is based upon. Mediators will spend many hours per day speaking with consumers that have made a complaint and the trader they are complaining about. Often a trader might not realise the stress that they have caused one of their customers and so mediators can communicate about the complaint calmly and factually.
  • Investigation – mediators need to investigate the claims being made to ensure that they fully understand the situation the consumer and the tradesperson are in so that they can begin the mediation process courteously, professionally and above all, quickly.
  • Resolving – the purpose of mediation is to resolve conflict and agree on a resolution with both parties and therefore a mediator will spend a lot of time reaching the right resolution. This is arguably one of the most satisfying parts of the role of a mediator, as they are often able to present a resolution that will satisfy both parties and eradicate the stress and strong emotions they may have been feeling before and during the process.

A Human Approach

Much like in other job roles, incorporating a human element into your work remains an important element. Although mediation isn’t based on relationship building between the mediator and the separate parties, it does help those involved to know they are being listened to, heard and respected in a human manner. If mediators approached conflicts robotically, mediation wouldn’t be as successful as it is.

A human element in conflict helps to create a safe environment for those involved and allows them to feel at ease, knowing that their complaint will be handled fairly and with compassion. Approaches like these are what help to create a speedy and successful resolution.

The proof is in the pudding – QASSS, who operate HIES, HICS and DGCOS, recent statistics boast a 98.4% complaint resolution rate with these being resolved in a matter of 3.59 days. [1]

HICS’s Mediators

The mediation team at HICS is made up of three dispute resolution officers who work hard to reach a fair resolution for all parties involved. They are a reliable, friendly and positive team. When asked what they love the most about being a mediator:

“The resolution stage is my favourite. Both parties can move on with their lives and forget about the issues that once caused them a huge burden. We never stop until we resolve their complaints (unless they go to the Ombudsman) but resolving them ourselves really is a great feeling.” – Cathryn Wolfenden, Dispute Resolution Officer.

“When you work in mediation, every day brings a new and exciting challenge. I love the satisfaction that I feel when I have resolved a complaint. It makes me ecstatic and want to do a little dance around the office!” – Tracy Dilworth, Dispute Resolution Officer.

“Resolving complaints is so rewarding because you know that you have lifted that huge burden from someone, allowing them to move forward with their life. We know that every case we receive is resolvable, so we aim to instil our passion and positivity into both parties and give them the peace of mind knowing that there is no stone left unturned.” – Charlotte Pilkington, Dispute Resolution Manager.

Find out more

If you want to find out more about mediation or HICS’s expert mediators, please get in touch by calling us on 0344 324 5242 or by filling out our contact form.

[1] Based on data from July 2019 – September 2019 for the DGCOS, HIES and HICS consumer protection schemes.

Technology photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Company News

Winners At The Top 50 Companies For Customer Service Awards!

Posted on by HICS
Winner Top Companies for Customer Service
30
Jan

We’re excited to announce that QASSS (QA Scheme Support Services) that operate DGCOS, HIES and HICS has been announced as 2020 winners of the ‘Contact Centre Special Moment’ award at The Top Companies for Customer Service Awards. This is a fantastic result highlighting our industry-leading complaint handling and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services.

Our ‘Resolution Revolution’ entry outlined a key project undertaken in 2019 by our ADR team to reduce our average dispute resolution time. We felt that an industry average of over 2.5 months was far too long to resolve a dispute (CTSI reported average resolution time is 80 days(1)). We knew that we could drastically improve both member and consumer experiences by making the journey for consumer complaints hassle-free and super quick.

We set a target to achieve an average of 5 days to resolve disputes before December 2019. Our ‘Resolution Revolution’ project was really successful, reducing our average dispute resolution time to 4.2 days in May and reducing further down to 3.59 days last summer.

What does this mean for members and installers?
Where there has been a dispute between a member and a consumer, they can both expect their complaint to be dealt with 40x quicker than the UK average of 80 days (CTSI Report, 2018). This represents the focus of the ‘resolution revolution’ project which was to radically speed up the dispute process.

Ciarán Harkin, Managing Director at QASSS, commented, “I am over the moon to win this award from the Top 50 Companies for Customer Service. I’m also pleased with the fact consumers and members across our home improvement, renewables and glazing schemes can benefit from super quick dispute resolution times. Well done to Charlotte Pilkington (Dispute Resolution Manager) and her team. They have all worked so incredibly hard.”

We’d also like to say well done to other winners on the night including ITV, Compare the Market, Hitachi and the World Wildlife Fund.

(1) CTSI report, 2018

Company News, Industry News

What Changed in 2019?

Posted on by HICS
15
Jan

As one year ends and another begins we look at the home improvement marketplace in 2019 and reflect on a tremendously exciting and busy year for QASSS and its schemes HICS, HIES and DGCOS.

Our Achievements

  • We have transformed our complaint handling and ADR service offering industry-leading speed of resolution, reducing the average time to 3.59 days as compared to the industry average of 80 days.
  • Our alternative dispute resolution service (ADR) has been recognised by the 2020 Complaint Handling Awards and we have been shortlisted as finalists in 2 categories – ‘Best Complaint Handling’ and ‘Best Complaint Handling Team of the Year – Initiative’. Plus, we’ve also been nominated for another award with the Top Companies for Customer Service.
  • We continued the process in 2019 of really getting to know our customers much better, either being on the road and meeting them face-to-face chatting to them over the phone.
  • We rebranded and relaunched our HICS, DGCOS and HIES consumer protection websites and marketing material, including the introduction of a new brand ambassador, George Clarke, a passionate advocate for high standards in the home improvement industry.
  • Towards the end of 2019, we also launched our new e-commerce shop to make it easier to order marketing material and register your jobs all in one place.
  • In 2019, we refreshed the QASSS site to showcase our remedial management, alternative dispute resolution and complaints handling services for the home improvement sector.
  • In 2019 we invested internally to support our network. We have brought in senior specialists in the areas of IT, marketing, service delivery, and quality assurance to set up the business for the future as well as supporting our members.
  • We announced new partnerships with finance lenders, finance brokers, manufacturers, investors and West Yorkshire Trading Standards, to provide our customers with new model documentation for 2020 that will help cover you across all bases, from a legal perspective.

Similarly, as we have done, home improvement installers may be reflecting and evaluating the past 12 months to set some goals for the year ahead. As well as personal goals, home improvement installers might be looking at the home improvement industry and setting themselves work-related goals based on the changing marketplace. So, what changed in the home improvement industry in 2019?

Smart Technology

2019 saw big advancements in smart technology. From smart doors to smart sound systems and even smart doorbells, there are now many ways that customers can ‘smartify’ their homes. A survey carried out by OnePoll has revealed that 57% of homes have a smart device of some sort to control their appliances with 45% of those surveyed planning to make their home even smarter. [1]  To find out more about smart homes, check out our blog here.

Sustainability

It is no surprise that 2019 saw a huge increase in homeowners focusing on reducing their energy consumption, not just to save money but also to help the environment.

For example, for glaziers, as the world takes on a more anti-plastic approach in their daily lives, installers may have experienced more questions from customers when considering uPVC for their home and/or an increase in recycled materials being used within the market.

With this trend over 2019, we can expect to see more homeowners looking to incorporate sustainable products within their homes over the next few years, as well as incorporating renewable energy. Market analysis by IAE has forecasted that the surge in renewables is likely to be led by solar PV in the years 2019 – 2024. [2]

DIY Generation

Over the years the DIY generation has steadily gained pace and is predicted to continue in 2020. Due to more homeowners improving their home rather than moving it is no surprise that the rate of DIYers is increasing. A survey carried out by Hiscox shows that just 3% of homeowners opted to improve their existing home instead of moving in 2013 but by 2018 the figure increased to 15%. [3]

[1] https://www.smarthomeweek.co.uk/smart-homes/

[2] iea.org/reports/renewables-2019

[3] https://www.hiscox.co.uk/sites/uk/files/documents/2018-03/Hiscox_renovations_extensions_report_2018.pdf

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Company News

Propensio launches new 2-tier rate product 14.9% Rate / 19.9% Rate

Posted on by HICS
10
Jan

Propensio Finance, an affiliate partner of QASSS (QA Scheme Support Services), has just launched a brand new 2-tier rate product, widening their credit offer to both sub-prime and near-prime customers to help retailers and installers generate more business.

Propensio Finance specialises in providing fast, flexible, non-prime lending to the home improvement market, widening the customer base for installers, helping those consumers with less than perfect credit scores gain finance and helping installers convert more sales. 

Their new 2-tier rate product includes the 19.9% rate for sub-prime customers and a new 14.9% rate for near-prime customers with no subsidy to the installers. The new product is already generating interest and is helping installers offer wider propositions and generate more business, as well as enabling more customers to access finance for home improvements.

Consider this…

Propensio accepted £10m of business in 2019; ALL of it at 19.9%. Much of this had been sold at the Point of Sale at 9.9% or even, IFC or BNPL or low rate finance and yet over 60% of the deals they accepted went all the way through to payout so trust them when they say that non-prime customers do not expect to get prime rates – they are happy that you are able to find them finance for their project.

Now with their 2-tier acceptance plan, some of those customers may even get a better rate of 14.9% and, even at 19.9% is equivalent to many people’s standard credit card rate.

Don’t prejudge! Let the customer choose

Propensio Finance wants to work with installers and companies who are FCA regulated. If you’re interested in finding out more and working with Propensio Finance, please register your interest by clicking here.

Benefits of Propensio Finance

  • Competitive interest rates
  • Swift and efficient onboarding
  • No subsidies, so no impact on supplier margin
  • In-house team of experts to help you get the most out of your lending
  • Dedicated National Business Managers on hand to support and assist with training
Industry News

QASSS shortlisted at both the UK Complaint Handling Awards and The Top 50 Companies for Customer Service Awards

Posted on by HICS
Awards Customer Service
10
Jan

We’re pleased to announce that QASSS (QA Scheme Support Services) that operate DGCOS, HIES and HICS consumer protection schemes have been announced as finalists at both the UK Complaint Handling Awards and The Top 50 Companies for Customer Service Awards.

The UK Complaint Handling Awards is now in its 4th year and continues to be the only awards programme in the UK to recognise the inspiring organisations who are dedicated to effective complaint handling. The UK Complaint Handling Awards have recently been accredited with the Gold Standard in the Awards Trust Mark Scheme from the Independent Awards Standards Council, meeting all 18 criteria to qualify for the highest trust mark possible. QASSS has been nominated as finalists in 2 categories, including ‘Best Complaint Handling’ and ‘Best Complaint Handling Team of the Year – Initiative’, competing alongside companies such as the Co-op, Virgin Money and EE.

The Top 50 Companies for Customer Service programme is one of the biggest customer service and benchmarking programmes in the UK. QASSS has been nominated as a finalist in the ‘special moment’ category for outstanding customer service. The awards gala dinner will take place on Thursday 23rd January at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, where they will unveil the top performers in each category and present special awards for outstanding service.

For over a decade, the Top 50 Companies for Customer Service Programme has delivered robust cross-industry benchmarking data for many of the UK’s best-known brands, generated by thousands of real interactions with real customers.

Ciarán Harkin, Managing Director at QASSS, commented, “I am delighted that all our efforts of hitting customer service targets have paid off. We are here to help consumers and suppliers across the home improvement, renewables and glazing industry settle their disputes quickly and with impartiality. The fact we are finalists at these awards reflects the fantastic work that our customer service and alternative dispute resolution teams do on a daily basis. “

Charlotte Pilkington, Dispute Resolution Manager at QASSS, commented “I’m genuinely honoured that we have now been shortlisted for two awards this year. As a team, we work incredibly hard to deliver the best customer service we can. Our key goal to improve the speed of resolution was achieved in 2019 which means that we are now industry-leading in terms of speed in the home improvement sector. A big thank you to my dispute resolution team for working so hard and I’m confident that we will raise standards even further this year.”