2017: A review

We launched our new branding and a new website, including more guides, downloads and tools which can be used by clients. We also launched our Twitter (@ent_learning), LinkedIn and Facebook pages and now post updates daily and publish a monthly blog and newsletter. We’ve had great feedback on the new site. If you’d like to follow us you can link to our social media pages above.

We published our research and best practice guide, looking at how businesses carry out Quality Assurance of their dealings with customers.

We have been partnering with the Investment Association since 2003 and run a number of courses for members and non-members. In February we ran courses on investment management and risk.

Clients started to ask us for help in preparing for the implementation of the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD), a new European-wide regulatory change which will come into effect in February 2018. This sets standards for information provided to customers as well as training requirements for frontline staff. Contact us if you need advice.

In the Spring budget, the Chancellor announced reviews to investigate customer treatment in different sectors such as online subscriptions that automatically renew at the end of their period, making terms and conditions simpler and fining companies that mislead customers. Conduct of Business as a regulatory concept is here to stay!

A large bank asked us to help programme manage a major regulatory project for them, involving regular dialogue with the FCA, coordinating activities across the organisation and working with the senior leadership team.

The FCA published its Annual Report and sectoral assessments. Its number one priority during 2017/18 is to promote good conduct in governance and culture, an area we work extensively on with senior managers.

A large insurance distributor asked us to review how it handles complaints from customers to make sure they are being treated fairly and that complaints are being resolved correctly.

Another client commissioned us to review how it develops and launches new investment services for its customers and also asked us to become a member of its new Consumer Panel to advise it on trends in the sector and good practice.

We carried out a review of Quality Assurance approaches for a large client, advising it on good practice in monitoring how staff deal with sales to new customers and also how they deal with calls from existing customers. We were engaged to help develop new approaches, focusing on checking the outcomes for consumers and making its approach more risk-based.

The snap General Election result dominated the news agenda and left everyone wondering what more surprises 2017 has in store.

FCA published its Consultation on extending the Senior Managers and Certification Regimes in banks across the whole of financial services, increasing its focus on senior managers, governance and culture.

We interviewed over twenty CEOs, Directors and Non-Executive Directors over the summer. We are researching the unique challenges faced by leaders of regulated businesses and what distinguishes the most successful leaders for publication in 2018. Some great leaders doing great things in a challenging environment.

We were engaged to develop and deliver training for the Mortgage Arrears teams in a large bank. They deal with customers at a difficult time in their lives and need to treat them sensitively and fairly. This is an area of particular interest for regulators, especially as interest rates rise and those in arrears increase.

With the FCA plans for extending the Senior Managers and Certification regime published, we ran a number of Readiness Workshops for clients helping them understand the proposals and begin to plan their implementation approaches.

We designed and delivered training for Complaints Handlers in a large insurer, training and assessing their central team and designing a suite of guides for frontline staff on how to treat customers who have a complaint.

Our first ever Customer Survey was completed and we were amazed at the level of feedback we received with a 90% Net Promoter Score.

One respondent said “Always been a pleasure, very interested in my team and my business to the point that any delivery becomes tailored around my needs. A professional service delivered in a personal way.”

We ran the first Module in an advanced leadership programme for senior managers in a large global client, helping them understand Governance and Conduct and to consider their roles in leading major change initiatives planned for 2018. Looking forward to partnering with them further next year.

Mark Carney made a speech in which, again, he stressed the importance of leadership and even remarked that poor leadership and culture may result in higher capital ratio requirements where it is found. Proof that leadership, culture and conduct has a direct impact on the bottom line.

We carried out an all-staff survey for a large household-name client, asking for staff feedback on its culture, management and customer treatment. Our combined assessment of customer treatment and employee engagement is unique and identified some revealing links and trends.

We were delighted to win Best Training Provider a the 2017 Compliance Register Awards in London, voted for by our clients.

A perfect end to a great year.