Decision making

Responding to our customers needs

Behaviour and talk	Listen to what the customer is saying but also observe their behaviour for any clues or indicators of a possible decision-making limitation	Allow the customer time to speak and don’t feel the need to ‘jump in’ at every pause
Remembering	Being clearly unable to retain the information and explanations we’re providing Appearing unable to recall or communicate basic personal information (fully or partly) Providing conflicting answers to questions or asking the same question repeatedly	Repeating information Simplifying, where possible, or re-explaining the information, so there’s less to remember Asking how best to help the customer retain the information Asking if the customer would like the information in writing, or if there is another way we can help them to remember
Understanding	Clearly not understanding what they’re applying for Not being able to provide relevant answers to questions Becoming upset or distressed as a consequence of struggling to understand what they’re in contact about Appearing confused about the personal or financial information we’re asking for.	Take more time to explain the information and ask the customer to summarise their understanding so we can address any gaps Summarising, simplifying and rephrasing the information that’s been shared Avoid assuming that a person doesn’t understand, they may have a communication, memory or hearing impairment.
Communicating	Being unable to communicate basic personal information about themselves Not directly answering questions, and sharing less relevant information Repeatedly answering just ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or simply ‘echoing’ the last answer or piece of information given to them.	Ask the customer how they’d prefer to communicate – might an email be helpful? Accept different forms of communication, even if this is not our preferred method Allow more time for the customer to communicate a decision
Evaluating	Exhibiting difficulties with understanding. If a person struggles to understand and retain relevant information they will struggle to then evaluate it Expressing their difficulty in considering the options available to them, or making a choice between them.	Discussing each feature or option individually – this keep things simple Asking if someone can support or help the customer with this evaluation Allowing the customer reasonable amount of time to consider the options. Check if there is a clear series of steps to the customer’s thought process that leads from the information to their decision