Bereavement
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us. It's characterised by grief, which is the process and the range of emotions we go through when we experience a loss.
Responding to our customer's needs
We can provide support to anyone experiencing loss by:
Do |
Don't |
| Actively listen to what they're telling us. | Try to 'fix' or find solutions to their loss. |
| Communicate in simple, plain English. | Compare your experiences with theirs. |
| Be patient and considerate. | Become over familiar or over empathise. Remember to remain friendly, but maintain a professional boundary. |
| Recognise that they may have 'sadmin'* fatigue, and consider adapting our processes where possible to help. | Rush the customer through a process or off of the phone. |
| Acknowledge their situation and how they're feeling. | Say nothing. |
| Encourage them to seek support, for example speaking to their GP, friends or family. | Worry if you have concerns, you can escalate up to your people manager if you think something was unresolved. |
*'Sadmin' is a blend of 'sad' and 'admin' and refers to the administative paperwork that must be done after the death of a loved one.
Remember, we may not be able to find solutions to their feelings associated with loss, but we can help them but creating an easy and safe experience whilst talking to us.
PLEASE say something, it’s better than saying nothing. Just acknowledging that someone is heard can make them feel more comfortable.
Things to say |
| "I'm sorry for your loss." |
| "We're here to help." |
|
"Please call us back if we can help in any way." |
| "I'm sorry to hear that." |
| "Take your time, this must be a difficult period for you." |
| "Thank you for telling me about your loss." |
| "If there's anything we can do to make things easier for you right now, please let us know." |
| "That sounds awful/terrible for you." |