Aberdeen Adviser has launched an enhanced bereavement support service for customers and advisers, expanding its Client Engagement Hub with a focus on vulnerable clients.
The firm has trained 20 colleagues to provide compassionate and knowledgeable assistance to bereaved customers, working in partnership with The Loss Foundation, a UK national charity supporting adults who have lost loved ones to cancer.
Aberdeen’s own vulnerable customer specialists and service advisers also contributed to the training programme.
The initiative covers a wide range of areas, including recognising the different ways grief can manifest, cultural variations in mourning and communication skills such as active listening and appropriate language.
Staff are also trained to balance empathy with professional boundaries.
Aberdeen has additionally partnered with a stress-monitoring organisation to assess the impact of difficult conversations on call handlers.
As a result, staff dealing with bereavement-related calls will be offered 30-minute sessions with mental-health first aiders to support their own wellbeing.
Noel Butwell: TYE, tech and training at Aberdeen Adviser
Jonny Black, chief client experience officer at Aberdeen Adviser, said the programme was shaped with both customers and employees in mind.
“In developing this service, we’ve actively focused on understanding the needs of our own people and used this as the basis to shape the support we offer our customers,” he said.
“One of our team managers shared her recent experience of losing her mother. She found that businesses with specialist support for bereaved families were far more empathetic and better equipped to help her than others.”
Black noted that Aberdeen’s front-line teams handle more than 25,000 calls a month, many of which can be emotionally charged.
“We’ve partnered with specialists to ensure our staff are supported and better placed to deliver what our customers need,” he added.
“Wealth is second only to health, and we are working hard to give advisers and clients the service they should expect. This is one example of how we are redefining what good service means in the platform space.”
Dr Erin Thompson MBE, founder of The Loss Foundation, welcomed the initiative. “Grief can be overwhelming and isolating, and the way organisations respond can make a profound difference,” she said.
“By investing in specialist training, Aberdeen is ensuring its teams have the skills and confidence to meet clients with empathy and understanding, while also protecting their own wellbeing.”
