Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Gather data to understand diverse customer experiences and act to improve support services.
Conclusion
DWP does not understand well enough the experience of vulnerable customers and customers with additional or complex needs. DWP’s customers have a wide range of vulnerabilities and additional or complex needs due to poverty, age, health problems and disabilities. DWP has some arrangements in place to support these customers, including 37 Advanced Customer Service Support Leads who provide specialist support and advice for customers at serious risk of harm, abuse or neglect. It is also using artificial intelligence to help identify vulnerable customers from the wording they use in their communications, but concedes it does not have a screening system to identify such customers on the telephone. DWP is planning to revamp its regular customer experience survey and wants to use the survey data to understand better the variation in satisfaction between different groups of customers. recommendation DWP should gather the data it needs to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of different customer groups and act to improve the support it provides in light of its customer experience survey and any wider research findings.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, committing to strengthen research data use, extend analysis, implement a new Customer Experience Survey contract (2025-28) with results by 2025-26, develop real-time feedback, and strengthen data collection for vulnerable customers.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The department captures customers’ additional needs through its systems. This is a key part of its modernisation strategy, but it recognises that its current transformation plans run for several years, and the department needs to better understand the experiences of its customers including its vulnerable customers. In the interim, the department is strengthening how it uses research data to better understand customer experiences and drive improvements. It already publishes analysis of variation in overall satisfaction by long-term health conditions (physical, mental, or both), and is exploring opportunities to extend this analysis to other support needs data captured on systems. Additionally, the new Customer Experience Survey contract (2025-28) will ensure the department collects and analyses the right data to gain deeper insights. The first results will be published in the 2025-26 Customer Experience Survey report and findings will be monitored internally on a regular basis to track emerging trends and identify areas for action. These insights will complement existing research across the department, helping pinpoint where support is needed for different customer groups. At the same time, it is developing real-time customer feedback capability through the Contact Centre Modernisation Programme, enabling faster responses to customer needs and improving service delivery. The department is strengthening data collection on customers supported by Advanced Customer Support Teams, including insights from the Call Listening Alert Service, which helps identify at-risk customers and informs the design of DWP’s future telephony platform. By integrating these insight activities, it is building a comprehensive, data-driven view of customer experiences. This joined-up approach will drive service improvements, policy decisions, and operational enhancements, ensuring the department meets customer needs effectively across all channels.