SSE launches new staff training programme to help customers living with dementia
15 Dec 2014Customer service advisors at SSE will be able to better support customers living with dementia thanks to the roll-out of its first-ever dementia awareness training programme.
The Dementia Services Development Centre, which is based at Stirling University, provided SSE’s Perth-based customer service advisors with the knowledge and skills to help them better meet the needs of those living with the condition.
The training day included awareness of the condition, the signs and symptoms, its effect on people’s daily lives and changes that could be made to SSE’s working practices.
Dementia in the UK is on the increase with around 850,000 people likely to be affected by 2015*, according to The Alzheimer’s Society. Symptoms include memory loss, difficulties with tasks and finding the right words.
The training is the start of a wider programme of support that SSE is looking to roll out to customers living with dementia.
Annette Sloan, SSE’s Priority Services Co-Coordinator, said: “The increasing number of people living with dementia is a real concern for all of us. At SSE, we want to provide first class standards of service to all our customers – and to do that we need to be sensitive to the challenges some of them face.
“The training from the Dementia Centre was really powerful. We saw first hand how hard it is for people with dementia to do simple tasks – but we also learnt how a bit of thought from service providers can make life easier too.
“We are determined to provide as much support as possible to our customers affected by the condition. That means making sure employees are equipped with the skills and understanding to provide a better service to some of our most vulnerable customers.
“While this training has initially been delivered to advisors in Perth who work closely with our most vulnerable customers, it’s part of our aim to improve our services for customers with dementia and ensure all front line employees can also benefit from awareness training.”
Some of the changes SSE will look to make for people with dementia include reducing background noise when on the telephone or changing the times of day advisors contact customers. SSE staff will also adopt new verbal and written communication styles and techniques, as well as signposting customers to support groups such as local dementia cafes.
Professor June Andrews, Director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling, hailed the work as ‘ground-breaking.’
She said: “We are delighted to help customer support staff to do their job better through an understanding of dementia. SSE is breaking new ground here, and it is not only good for customers but will help any of their own staff whose families or neighbours are affected by dementia. And all of that shows how businesses can really help the community.”
As well as further dementia awareness training being rolled out to SSE’s customer service employees across Great Britain in the coming months, the company is also looking at how it can play a role in helping improve the living environments for customers with dementia - such as ensuring homes have the optimum heat and light to help make their lives easier.
SSE supplies energy to homes and businesses across the GB and Ireland with employees dedicated to delivering high standards of customer service. The support SSE currently offers for vulnerable customers includes financial assistance through its Priority Services Team and its Careline Service offering extra help from Braille bills to specialist devices and adaptors.