(London, UK) Financial services customer complaint volumes are set to increase amid the uncertain macroeconomic environment and customers’ growing awareness of potential complaint payouts. According to Auriemma Group’s latest Customer Service and Complaints Roundtable, approximately one-third of members have already reported increases in the last three months. This, coupled with customers’ growing desire to complain via voice, will require firms to invest in their complaints management strategies.

“The increase in complaints volume is a real threat to operational efficiency – quick wins will be hard to come by,” says Louis Stevens, Director of Industry Roundtables. “This will likely lead to increased call volumes, the need for further headcount, longer resolving timeframes, higher redress values, and a heightened reputational risk.”

Although customers are showing a growing preference to self-serve for most transaction types, Auriemma’s research found that filing a complaint is one of the few areas where preference for voice chat is growing (i.e., 30% of respondents preferring voice in Q2-23 up from 22% in Q2-21). However, while some consumers may prefer voice chat, the channel is more costly to service and can often be less efficient. Streamlining this channel is crucial for success.

“We’ve heard some great examples of how firms are tackling these trends in our roundtable network,” says Stevens. “Some are empowering front-line agents to resolve at the first point of contact, others are increasing the number of SMS updates they send customers to reduce repeat contact, and a few have implemented a front-line phone team to deescalate and categorise complaints, all of which have already led to noticeable efficiencies.”

Looking ahead, roundtable members have indicated an intention to improve their root-cause analysis processes, as they believe this can help mitigate these predicted volumes and help them to better serve customers.

This along with a wide variety of other complaints-focused topics are already on the agenda for the upcoming Customer Service and Complaints Roundtable meeting on the 15th and 16th of November in Birmingham. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in attending as our guests, please contact us via roundtables@auriemma.group.

Survey Methodology

Cardbeat UK

This Auriemma Research study was conducted online within the UK by an independent field service provider on behalf of Auriemma in July 2023, among 80o+ adult credit cardholders. The number of interviews completed on a monthly basis is sufficient to allow for statistical significance testing between sub-groups at the 95% confidence level ± 5%, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the research was not disclosed nor did the respondents know the criteria for qualification.

About Auriemma Group

For nearly 40 years, Auriemma’s mission has been to empower clients with authoritative data and actionable insights. Our team comprises recognized experts in four primary areas: operational effectiveness, consumer research, co-brand partnerships, and corporate finance. Our business intelligence and advisory services give clients access to the data, expertise and tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex environment and maximize their performance. Auriemma serves the consumer financial services ecosystem from our offices in New York City and London. For more information, visit us at www.auriemma.group or contact Louis Stevens at louis.stevens@auriemma.group.

(New York, NY) Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to expand, with recent advancements in the technology being offered directly to consumers. The capabilities of AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, raise questions about the future of AI, and its integration into banking and payment experiences. Auriemma Group’s latest issue of The Payments Report reveals current usage levels of AI chatbots, comfortability with AI solutions being utilized by banks and retailers, and how likely consumers are to turn to AI chatbots for financial advice.

ChatGPT is still in its infancy, but 15% of debit cardholders have used it. Importantly, this represents a 68% take-rate among those familiar with the service. Other providers, such as Google’s Bard, DiabloGPT, and YouChat all boast similar take rates, according to Auriemma’s research.

While the casual ChatGPT user may prompt the service to help write an email or provide information on a topic, the AI language model can also provide financial support. This would be welcomed by 40% of cardholders who reported that they are likely to use an AI chatbot for financial advice, up 6-percentage points compared to Q4-2022. And this figure rises for Gen Z and Millennial cardholders, 60% of whom would be comfortable.

“Cardholders are broadly aware that AI is imbued in some of their bank’s automated offerings,” says Jonathan O’Connor, Senior Manager at Auriemma. “But the question is how banks can use AI to further support their offerings in smart ways. Some applications of the technology would be more welcome than others.”

Unsurprisingly, exposure to AI integration within certain tools appears to increase comfortability. According to Auriemma’s research, 62% of debit cardholders would be comfortable with an AI solution offered by their primary bank aimed at identifying potential fraud. Slightly fewer say the same about using AI to provide customer service (52%), assess credit worthiness (47%), or predict stock prices (45%).

Over half of consumers would also welcome AI solutions offered by retailers they shop with frequently. Cardholders are most comfortable with retailers using AI for fraud leads (64%), followed by price comparison tools (64%), customer service (53%), and personalized shopping recommendations (52%).

“For banks, the most immediate use case for AI is to support financial health initiatives,” says O’Connor. “Cardholders are already accustomed to chatting with AI to help solve straightforward issues. Utilizing the technology to connect cardholders with solutions or resources aimed at alleviating financial strain or enabling smarter spend decisions is a clear next step.”

The proliferation of AI chatbots creates an opportunity for banks and retailers to expand their offerings. Services like ChatGPT raise overall consumer awareness with AI’s capabilities and could increase comfortability with the technology being used by other providers they trust. As these services grow and increase in popularity, it will be important for banks to keep up should they want to continue to be cardholders’ primary destination for financial advice.

Survey Methodology

The Payments Report

This Auriemma Group study was conducted online within the US by an independent field service provider on behalf of Auriemma Group (Auriemma) in March 2023 among 800 adult debit cardholders. The number of interviews completed for both is sufficient to allow for statistical significance testing among sub-groups at the 95% confidence level ±5%, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the research was not disclosed, nor did respondents know the criteria for qualifying.

About Auriemma Group

For more than 35 years, Auriemma’s mission has been to empower clients with authoritative data and actionable insights. Our team comprises recognized experts in four primary areas: operational effectiveness, consumer research, co-brand partnerships, and corporate finance. Our business intelligence and advisory services give clients access to the data, expertise and tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex environment and maximize their performance. Auriemma serves the consumer financial services ecosystem from our offices in New York City and London. For more information, call Jonathan O’Connor at (+1) 1-646-437-6116.

(London, UK) Collections Departments faced unprecedented challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, from embracing remote working to managing significant payment holiday volumes. And now, they must take action on HMT Breathing Space while transitioning from payment holidays. Auriemma Group’s Collections and Recoveries Roundtable has been discussing these events and their corresponding strategies amongst the UK’s top financial institutions. These two deadlines are quickly approaching, and along with the unpredictable macroeconomic environment, lenders must leverage learnings from the last year to prepare for the likely spike in volume ahead.

“Payment holidays have been the primary focus since the beginning of the pandemic, but with the extension of support schemes, that has now switched, and priority is on HMT Breathing Space,” says Louis Stevens, Director of Roundtables at Auriemma Group. “However, the payment holiday conclusion date is looming, which could mean a significant strain on Collections teams.”

In 2020, lenders quickly learned the need for automation and additional headcount to manage volume spikes, and they are now applying these learnings to prepare for the coming months. On average, lenders intend to increase their collections teams by 42% throughout 2021. Additionally, 86% of lenders have invested in their automated decisioning and digital channels to prepare for volume spikes.

Are Lenders Prepared for HMT Breathing Space?

On 4th May 2021 HMT Breathing Space (Debt Respite Scheme) will go into effect, giving consumers in problem debt the right to legal protections from their creditors. The Debt Respite Scheme has two paths: either through “standard problem debt” or through “a mental health crisis” referral. During this moratorium, lenders cannot communicate with customers and must stop interest from accruing.

According to Auriemma Group’s Collections and Recoveries Roundtable, as of April 1st,69% of lenders indicated that they feel somewhat prepared for the regulation, and the remaining 31% still feeling somewhat unprepared. There are a number of remaining concerns affecting preparedness, including the delay of the creditor portal, ambiguity in the regulation and unknown volumes.

To try to estimate the volume of customers who could potentially enrol in the scheme, lenders are utilising data from payment holidays, debt-advice charities and usage rates of other types of breathing space (e.g., CONC). They are also slightly increasing forecasts due to the worsening economy, payment holiday conclusions and the ceasing of furlough programs.

38% of lenders have already, or are planning to, increase their teams due to HMT Breathing Space. Initially, most lenders will use a combination of manual and automated processes to manage the regulation with the hopes of further automating as they get a better grasp on volumes.

How Will Payment Holiday Conclusions Affect Operations?

Although the deadline to enrol in payment holidays was 31st March, consumers have the option to extend their payment holidays until 31st July as long as it is within their six-month allowance for both secured and unsecured products. The number of customers returning to contractual payments after a payment holiday has remained strong; however, 92% of lenders are anticipating an increase in delinquency volumes following the conclusion of payment holidays.

“The primary watchout is the cohort of customers working in particularly hard-hit sectors, such as travel, tourism and food service. As the support ends for these sectors, we could see significant increases in delinquency volumes as many of these businesses are currently overstaffed,” says Stevens. “The magnitude of volume is contingent on the ability of the economy to bounce back and if predictions, such as the travel boom, come to fruition.”

Customers needing additional support will likely look to long-term forbearance plans, which have caused lenders to focus their attention on that process. Investments have been made in streamlining income and expenditure assessments and digitising the forbearance enrolment process as well as increasing the size of Vulnerable Customer teams.

Auriemma Group’s Collections and Recoveries Roundtable is tackling these challenges head on through our executive meetings, workshops and benchmarking exercises. Within the next three months, the group will be meeting six times with two sessions dedicated to HMT Breathing Space. If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, please reach out via roundtables@auriemma.group.

About Auriemma Group

For more than 30 years, Auriemma’s mission has been to empower clients with authoritative data and actionable insights. Our team comprises recognised experts in four primary areas: operational effectiveness, consumer research, co-brand partnerships, and corporate finance. Our business intelligence and advisory services give clients access to the data, expertise and tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex environment and maximise their performance. Auriemma serves the consumer financial services ecosystem from our offices in London and New York City. For more information, call Louis Stevens at +44 (0) 207 629 0075.

(New York, NY and London, UK) COVID-19 has put additional financial strain on cardholders globally, but some issuers are trying to lessen the immediate burden. Auriemma Group’s latest issues of Cardbeat US and UK uncover how the pandemic could be affecting on-time payments, which accommodations issuers are offering consumers to help ease the strain, and how card rotation is being impacted as a result.

While missing payments is not exclusive to COVID-19, wage cuts, job loss, and other unexpected financial stressors could make missed or late payments more common. According to Auriemma’s research, about one-sixth of cardholders in both markets say they have missed a payment over the last 6 months. During this time, unemployment figures in both regions increased, with many cardholders needing government aid. However, credit card issuers in both geographies are finding creative ways to assist cardholders through this unprecedented time.

Payment Holidays Provide Short-Term Relief

One of the many ways UK card issuers are helping relieve payment pressure for their cardholders is by offering payment holidays, which allows cardholders to miss monthly payments without penalty. Auriemma’s research found that 20% of UK credit cardholders were aware of the option to take a payment holiday from their issuer, and 33% of them accepted the offer.

The high take-rate is unsurprising given the circumstance. Pandemic-adjacent reasons are most often cited for their acceptance, including wanting to keep money in their bank account and that it would help with cash flow.

“Payment holidays offer a temporary solution for an immediate problem,” says Jaclyn Holmes, Director at Auriemma Group. “And while the accommodation has become a necessary offering for high street banks in this moment, issuers will need to determine and communicate its intended tenure before it becomes table stakes for their cardholders.”

Long-Term Accommodations Chart a Corrective Course

While payment holidays offer a short-term fix, impacted cardholders can be transitioned to other accommodations meant to improve their financial standing in the long-term. In the US, 40% of cardholders have been offered at least one of the accommodations tested in Auriemma’s study (e.g., a reduction in their monthly minimum payments or interest rate, waived interest charges, forbearance options, hardship programs)within the past 6 months.

According to Auriemma’s study, the top offers include increasing credit card limits (20%), offering hardship programs (17%), and providing forbearance options (16%). These accommodations are popular among those offered them, with over half accepting.

“Offering payment accommodations provides a halo effect for your brand,” says Holmes. “Those offered a payment accommodation say they felt more positively about their card issuer as a result, which, along with attractive rewards and benefits, could influence card selection when making a purchase.”

Accommodations and Attractive Rewards Could Impact Card Selection

Over six-in-ten cardholders in both regions report using multiple payment cards in the past 30 days. These individuals are also more likely than their counterparts who used a single payment card to have taken either a payment accommodation or a payment holiday. And while goodwill derived from payment accommodations has an ancillary influence on which card is chosen in the near-term, attractive rewards and benefits remain the main drivers of card choice, regardless of locale.

“When the dust settles, consumers struggling financially will look back on this time and remember which issuers had their back” says Holmes. “Rewards and benefits continue to be critical factors in card selection, but they’re not the only consideration at the moment. Issuers who give their cardholders both payment flexibility and relevant benefits during these uncertain times will be best suited to secure or maintain their top-of-wallet position.”

Survey Methodology

Cardbeat US

This Auriemma Group study was conducted online within the US by an independent field service provider on behalf of Auriemma Group (Auriemma) in June 2020 among 811 adult credit cardholders. The number of interviews completed for both is sufficient to allow for statistical significance testing among sub-groups at the 95% confidence level ±5%, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the research was not disclosed, nor did respondents know the criteria for qualifying. The average interview length was 22 minutes.

Cardbeat UK

This Auriemma Group study was conducted online within the UK by an independent field service provider on behalf of Auriemma in July 2020, among 800 adult credit cardholders. The number of interviews completed on a monthly basis is sufficient to allow for statistical significance testing between sub-groups at the 95% confidence level ± 5%, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the research was not disclosed nor did the respondents know the criteria for qualification. The average interview length was 20 minutes.

About Auriemma Group

For more than 30 years, Auriemma’s mission has been to empower clients with authoritative data and actionable insights. Our team comprises recognized experts in four primary areas: operational effectiveness, consumer research, co-brand partnerships, and corporate finance. Our business intelligence and advisory services give clients access to the data, expertise and tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex environment and maximize their performance. Auriemma serves the consumer financial services ecosystem from our offices in New York City and London. For more information, call Jaclyn Holmes at (+1) 646-454-4200.

Who do you contact when you have an issue with a purchase? Although the vast majority would contact the merchant first if they made a credit card purchase and didn’t receive the correct goods or services, credit card issuers tend to resolve most of these disputes.

Auriemma’s most recent issue of Cardbeat UK revealed that 59% of cardholders are familiar with the term ‘payment holiday’ though almost half are unsure as to its potential impact on credit scores, highlighting the potential need for education to ensure cardholders understand the possible effects on their personal circumstances.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used to provide budgeting advice, but 68% of debit cardholders don’t like that AI can access their data. Creating a monetary value in sharing that data (like Andrew Yang proposes in his Data Dividend Project) could create greater interest in such tools. Currently, 34% of cardholders express interest in an AI tool that has access to their financial information and gave budgeting recommendations based on a cardholder’s income and expenses.

Products on the market currently offering this type of function, less the incentive, include:

Many cardholders expect to talk with a live agent when interacting via live chat. For the tool to be viewed as successful, however, cardholders expect it to seamlessly solve their issues and provide easy connection to a live agent when needed.

34% of debit cardholders say they have used live chat. Of them, 64% believe they communicated with a human throughout the full interaction and only slightly fewer say they expect to interact with a human from start-to-finish. Yet, the most common activities that have been attempted via live chat could be completed via an artificial intelligence tool:

  • Checking an account balance
  • Reviewing transactions
  • Activating new/reissued cards
  • Checking the status of a payment

 

(London, UK): Many cardholders are looking for ways to more thoughtfully manage their purchases and repayment. Digital tools are a potential solution, but most consumers still track their budget manually. According to Auriemma Research’s latest issue of Cardbeat UK, however, 61% of cardholders believe digital tools would be helpful when tracking spend, even though only 20% say they are currently offered such a service from their card issuer.

Promoting existing digital budgeting tools (such as Monzo’s Salary Sorter, which segments income into spending, saving and bills), or creating new ones, will likely increase engagement and build loyalty with an issuer’s cardholders. However, tools offered must keep control in cardholder’s hands to remain appealing. For example, cardholders are more likely to set up spend alerts (45% likely) instead of spend limits (37%).

“Spend alerts may have slightly broader appeal because they put the real-time choice in the customer’s hands at purchase,” says Jaclyn Holmes, Director of Auriemma Research. “While both options provide cardholders the opportunity to set up thresholds in advance, limits prevent purchase at the point of sale, while alerts simply educate and allow consumers the choice.”

Digital tools can be helpful for keeping a budget organised, but instalment plans can help with budget management in the near-term. Online and in-store point-of-sale instalment plans provide a credit alternative for cardholders who have reached their spend or credit limit, those averse to credit cards or those who simply find the product appealing. Over one-third of those offered an instalment plan have taken advantage of the offer online or in-store over the past year. The take rate increases among revolvers (47%) and recent balance transfer customers (53%).

Revolvers and balance transfer customers are more attracted to point-of-sale instalment plans, they are more likely to have enrolled in them and are more likely to consider them for a variety of purchase types compared to their counterparts. And issuers have a clear advantage over third-party providers offering instalment plans. Nearly half of revolvers and balance transfer customers are interested in post-purchase instalment plans via their most frequently used card issuer, compared to nearly one-third of cardholders overall.

“Whether at the point-of-sale or post-purchase, revolvers and balance transfer customers are the richest audience for this product,” says Holmes. “Many seek ways to help manage their payments in an organised and predictable fashion, and instalment plans provide them a complement to other products that also offer them repayment flexibility.”

Whether for holiday, furniture, electronics or everyday items, instalment plans can help cardholders budget for future purchases. Although larger purchases tend to capture the most instalment plan usage, 25% of cardholders say they would consider the product for everyday items. This increases to nearly four-in-ten revolvers and recent balance transfer customers.

“Revolvers and balance transfer customers appear to be more open to utilising a variety of products available when making purchases and paying off debt,” says Holmes. “These cardholders don’t appear to be loyal to any one product and may be choosing between products based on need rather than desire.”

Cardholders have an increasing number of options to manage their finances. Whether setting up spend limits, alerts or accepting an instalment offer at the point-of-sale or post-purchase, cardholders have more flexibility than ever to decide how they will make their payments. Issuers who cater to this desire could increase engagement with their customers, particularly those who are already carrying a balance anyway.

Survey Methodology

This Auriemma Research study was conducted online within the UK by an independent field service provider on behalf of Auriemma from July-August 2019, among 806 adult credit cardholders. The number of interviews completed on a monthly basis is sufficient to allow for statistical significance testing between sub-groups at the 95% confidence level ± 5%, unless otherwise noted. The purpose of the research was not disclosed nor did the respondents know the criteria for qualification.

About Auriemma Group

For more than 30 years, Auriemma’s mission has been to empower clients with authoritative data and actionable insights. Our team comprises recognised experts in four primary areas: operational effectiveness, consumer research, co-brand partnerships and corporate finance. Our business intelligence and advisory services give clients access to the data, expertise and tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex environment and maximise their performance. Auriemma serves the consumer financial services ecosystem from our offices in London and New York City. For more information, visit us at www.auriemma.group or call Jaclyn Holmes at
+44 (0) 207 629 0075.

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