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How we did it Investing in staff The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has undergone many changes in the past few years. One of the most significant has been to training and staff development. We spoke to lead ombudsman, Caroline Mitchell, to find out how they approached the challenge. “ As we launched our largest recruitment campaign yet, we recognised our existing training system needed a complete overhaul,” Caroline explained. “We knew we’d need to adapt our strategies to cope with the rise in caseloads, particularly in light of the challenges faced by PPI.” This realisation prompted the idea for ‘The Academy’ – a twelve week programme for new adjudicators, which provides training in both technical and softer skills, to give new starters a well-rounded introduction to their roles. The Academy Officially opened in February 2011, The Academy, which is built up of existing resource within the organisation, has seen a new group join every four weeks. A total of 581 adjudicators had been through the programme by its first birthday. “From the outset, the focus is on delivering excellent customer service,” Caroline told us. “The tailor-made programme ensures that all adjudicators are working towards the same goal. Each adjudicator is initially allocated to a team which is overseen by a mentor, usually an existing experienced adjudicator, who remains with the individual for the duration of the training.” The high level support and guidance provided by the mentors is crucial in making The Academy work. By facilitating, rather than providing, answers and directing adjudicators to relevant resources, it encourages them to develop their own decision-making skills from the start. The mentors provide a safety net for new adjudicators – allowing them to learn the role in a safe environment by checking all work produced. This includes rigorous quality checks. 12 The Ombudsman 46 May 2012
How we did it Staff at The Academy’s passing out parade. Caroline Mitchell Quality matters “Quality is key to the training new adjudicators receive,” Caroline stressed. “And quality is not just about spelling the consumer’s name right – although that is essential – but about getting to the heart of the problem and getting the right outcome.” “Our HR Training Team has designed mandatory product specific programmes in banking and insurance. We also provide investment and PPI training for adjudicators going into those areas – and everyone attends a week long induction programme introducing staff to the organisation.” After week eight, adjudicators start spending two days a week in their team and three in The Academy. Caroline believes the key to The Academy’s success is the attitude of the adjudicators. They live the values of the organisation from day one, share their knowledge and work as a team. Ombudsmen also play an important role by participating in case clinic discussions and supporting the training’s development. Once training’s complete, adjudicators graduate and celebrate their achievements with a passing out parade. “This is a really important part of the programme,” Caroline told us. “We recognise adjudicators who have done particularly well and award prizes for excellent customer service. It’s a chance for the graduates to celebrate together before they join their permanent teams.” PPI case assessors The Academy is just one of the initiatives that has been introduced. The demand to settle thousands of outstanding PPI complaints, led to their latest recruitment campaign and training plan. “We want to create a PPI Resolution Centre with four training rooms and an IT room,” Caroline told us. “We aim to recruit a total of 580 case assessors and had 100 join us in April, with a further four groups of 120 assessors to follow.” Each assessor is given a mixture of classroom and ‘on the job’ mentor-based training. They are each tested throughout the intensive four-week training programme so that their competence can be assessed. Assessment takes the form of multiple choice questionnaires, dummy case testing, and feedback from mentors on soft skills. “The objective is for the case assessors to experience each stage of the core process in a logical way and defined way, allowing the staff and management to work together constructively,” said Caroline. “It’s the first time we’ve taken such a high level approach to training, but we felt the volumes involved demanded it.” Accredited training Existing adjudicators can also access an accredited training course which forms part of their continuing professional development. This was developed by Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University, which also designed the Ombudsman Association accredited course. “It’s a challenging course,” Caroline told us. “It’s set at Masters level, lasts for twelve weeks, and covers all the skills required to be a good adjudicator – investigation, critically evaluating evidence, analytical skills, effective communication and the importance of providing good customer service.” Eighty members of staff ranging from experienced ombudsmen to newly appointed adjudicators piloted the course which is now being rolled out across the organisation. All adjudicators will have to take and pass the course before they can be considered for advancement. “We’re committed to providing the necessary training to equip staff to deal with the demands of the role and provide excellent customer service,” Caroline concluded. “We’re also keen to offer staff opportunities for personal growth and development and feel our new training package provides this.” To find out more about how these training programmes and opportunities were developed, email Caroline.Mitchell@ financial-ombudsman.org.uk. The Ombudsman 46 May 2012 13
Page 1 and 2: May 2012 Issue 46 The Ombudsman Wel
Page 3 and 4: Section News Over the next few page
Page 5 and 6: News From Brussels… It’s import
Page 7 and 8: Raising awareness High energy publi
Page 9 and 10: Meeting our members extends to some
Page 11: Reaching out to reach groups apprec
Page 15 and 16: Have your say well-known high stree
Page 17 and 18: How we did it Our survey said… La
Page 19 and 20: Learning from complaints circle Mem
Page 21 and 22: Sharing what we know “The decisio
Page 23 and 24: Reputation Inspectorate concluded t
Page 25 and 26: Travel Picture © Gary Hewitt 2012
Page 27 and 28: The secret lives of ombudsmen Lewis

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