Senior Complaints Handler

A day in the life

As a Senior Complaints Handler at ManyPets, you will help manage inbound customer complaints and any complaints which are referred to you by the team.  You’ll act in line with the FCA’s complaint handling rules, make appropriate technical decisions and escalations as needed. You’ll be trusted to manage high-profile cases, such as CEO complaints, FOS complaints, or any other high-profile cases delegated by the Claims Manager. You will engage the relevant teams and senior management to ensure these complaints are appropriately handled.

You will also act as a reference point to all other Complaint Handlers in the team, providing them with technical knowledge, guidance and support.  You will guide the wider Operations team on how to handle complaints and use your knowledge and insight to make recommendations to the wider team on how we can continue to improve our customer experience.  

The day-to-day management responsibility for the Complaints team will lie with the Complaints Manager, however you will play an active role supporting the team.   You’ll make sure the KPIs are being met and escalations are appropriately managed as needed.

You will carry out investigations in line with DISP rules, collaborate with colleagues across the company to resolve individual issues, and undertake regular QA checks on complaints and how they’re handled.  Leveraging your attention to detail, you'll meticulously record customer interactions on our systems capturing all the details required and follow up on associated tasks until they’re resolved.  

Core deliverables

• Complaints management: responsible for handling and management of complaints and any associated admin tasks efficiently and to agreed timelines.
• Positive approach: Approach customer complaints with a positive, resolution focussed attitude and provide clear updates via phone and email.
• Team management: Work closely with other teams to ensure timely resolution of queries and serve as a point of contact for more junior colleagues, supporting and guiding them when required and providing coaching and mentoring support as necessary
• Organisation skills: Keep things running smoothly with accurate admin and data entry.
• Communication skills: Communicate effectively with customers and internal teams, ensuring best outcomes for both.
• Subject matter expert: Develop your own technical knowledge to be able to support more junior members of the team and manage high-profile and complex cases.

Skills and competencies

Complaints Management

• Manage and handle complaints from initial notification through to final agreement, in line with DISP rules.
• Handle complaints constructively and in line with company, Financial Ombudsman Service and Financial Conduct Authority guidelines, escalating when a solution cannot be found.
• Provide tailored outcomes to customers, considering their individual needs.
• Liaise with customers (via telephone and email) to fully articulate outcomes and findings.
• Carry out investigations to ensure all relevant documents and information has been evaluated prior to the decision on the complaint.
• Undertake regular QA checks on complaints, ensuring our teams are handling complaints appropriately.
• Deliver to our targets and keep us in line with our service level agreements and key performance indicators.
• Analyse situations, identify issues, and find effective solutions to resolve claims queries and complaints.
• Make sure all fraud controls and processes are followed, delivering quality at every touchpoint.
• Liaise with the Financial Ombudsman Service and send files as necessary while working with the Complaints Team Leader to action decisions.
• Ensure you are compliant with all company polices and regulatory requirements with a particular focus on FCA DISP rules, Vulnerable Customers and promoting good customer outcomes under the Consume Duty.

Positive Approach

• Maintain a positive attitude, even in stressful situations, to contribute to the complaints process that will foster loyalty.
• Remain patient and show empathy towards customers, especially in challenging situations about their complaint, to build rapport and trust.
• Actively acquire knowledge of regulatory procedures, our products, and services to provide accurate information and assist customers effectively.
• Learn and implement new complaints procedures. Identify and contribute feedback to the design and implementation of our internal processes and systems, to help improve customer experience.

Team Management

• Deputise for Complaints Manager when necessary.
• Actively seek feedback, learn from experiences, and strive to enhance your skills and knowledge to improve customer service delivery.
• Recommend suggestions to the Complaints Manager to make sure we're efficient, effective, and provide high-quality service, while keeping costs in mind.
• Identify and contribute feedback to the design and implementation of our internal processes and systems, to help improve customer experience and financial controls.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to team members to improve their skills
• Work with the team’s Manager to identify and address knowledge / skills gaps
• Play an active part in the development and training of your colleagues, ensuring the wider team has the best cross-functional coverage.
• Work on your own skills and performance to keep getting better at your job.

Organisational Skills

• Plan and schedule your daily activities to ensure deadlines are met and work is completed in a timely manner.
• Adhere to processes and procedures to ensure consistency and compliance with organisational and regulatory standards.
• Maintain accurate and timely records, files, and databases to ensure data integrity and compliance with our Data Protection requirements.
• Continuously maintain our systems through accurate data entry.
• Effectively allocate your time to address customer inquiries promptly so we can meet service level agreements (SLAs).
• Flexibly adjust your plans and workflows to accommodate shifting priorities or unexpected customer demand.

Communication Skills

• Ensure clear, polite, and empathetic communication to understand and address the customer needs and complaints process.
• Handle conflicts calmly and diplomatically, aiming for mutually beneficial resolutions to maintain positive customer relationships.
• Be flexible and adaptable to navigate diverse customer interactions and adjust your approach based on individual needs.

Subject matter expert

• Perform root cause analysis on complaints trends, to understand what issues need to be addressed and represent Complaints in governance meetings to ensure the findings of root cause analysis are fed back across the business.
• Work on Complaints-specific change initiatives to improve how complaints are handled at ManyPets as well representing Complaints in cross-functional projects
• Perform quality checks on the work of more junior colleagues, and use your skills to help them understand how to correct mistakes going forward
• Manage the setup of Nexus, the workflow tool the team use to manage the incoming work.

What success looks like

• You will receive positive feedback from customers, earn high ratings, and foster repeat business through your exceptional complaints support.
• You meet your targets and have consistent performance against agreed metrics.
• You ensure that all complaints are processed in accordance with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules and other relevant insurance regulations. This includes maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry compliance and applying it to complaint resolution.
• You successfully resolve queries and issues within agreed-upon timeframes, showcasing your efficiency and effectiveness in addressing customer needs promptly.
• You consistently meet or exceed quality assurance standards, keeping accurate and thorough records of complaint handling.
• You compile detailed reports, providing an audit trail and conducting root cause analysis to help identify trends and areas for improvement.
• You will demonstrate clear and effective communication with customers, colleagues, and other teams, leading to improved problem-solving, fewer misunderstandings, and smoother collaboration.
• You provide accurate information, deliver quality solutions, and offer helpful assistance to customers, ensuring their needs are met and building trust in the company's products or services.
• You consistently meet or exceed service level agreements (SLAs) and adhere to established procedures, showcasing your reliability, professionalism, and compliance with organisational standards.
• You build positive relationships with colleagues, contribute to a supportive team environment, and collaborate effectively with other departments, fostering productivity and enhancing your overall success in the role.
• You actively seek feedback, learn from experiences, and implement improvements in processes, procedures, and customer service practices to drive ongoing growth and development in your role.
• You actively look to improve your awareness of regulatory changes or process improvements.
• You provide coaching and mentoring to more junior colleagues in the team.
• You help the Complaints Manager identify and address skills and knowledge gaps across the team.
• You control the setup of Nexus, to ensure the right pieces of work are allocated to the right person in the team.
• You ensure Complaints are an active member of the project teams you’re involved in, ensuring information is passed on to the Complaints Manager as needed, and ensuring the team’s requirements are addressed by the project.
• You foster a culture of continuous improvement across the team.