1. Catching Excellence: Continuous improvement at the Legal Ombudsman
Kathryn King
Head of Customer Experience &
Interim Chief Ombudsman
building continuous improvement into your service delivery
Kathryn, as we discussed last week, I know that LeO use a similar model to SPSO for ensuring all the learning from their QAs and service complaints get fed back into a continuous improvement group to ensure that they are using all of the learning to drive improvement. I thought this might be something others would be interested to hear about in terms of how you turn customer feedback into service improvement?

2. The Legal Ombudsman
We exist to improve today’s services and tomorrow’s industry reputation...
by resolving disputes impartially
promoting service excellence
being a champion of best practice for the benefit of consumers, providers and in the best interests of business and society.
All regulated providers of legal services – mostly solicitors; and Claims Management Companies (CMCs).
Classic ombudsman scheme
c8,000 complaints in legal jurisdiction; forecast 3,000 in CMCs.
Based in Birmingham, approx 250 staff, 200 handling cases.
Our strategic priorities:
Continue to improve our efficiency
Help to create an improved legal complaints system
Implement changes to jurisdiction
Replicate what we have our learned more widely
...link to quality

3. Our quality goal: purpose
...to have an effective quality improvement system, supported by a quality focused organisational culture, which enable us to achieve ongoing improvement in the customer service we deliver.
Control
Assurance
Improvement
The organisation was established under 2007, opened doors in 2010, established quality team in 2012, quality framework launched Jan 2013.
Quality team – 4 quality auditors
Quality monitoring/assurance
Quality control
Quality improvement or support

4. Reputation
Our goals: improve complaint handling; disseminate learning.
Regulatory objectives.

5. Service improvement: sources of learning
Regular risk-based quality checks
100% ombudsman and team-to-team feedback
Moderation
Thematic reviews
Judicial reviews and referrals to legal team
Service complaints
Media
Customer survey data
Stakeholder surveys and consultations
Regular risk-based quality checks – TLs/ Check the checker...
Thematic reviews – 4 Quality Auditors
100% ombudsman and team-to-team feedback
Moderation
Judicial reviews
Service complaints
Media
Customer survey data

6. Reputation Service Improvement Paper, a quarterly analysis of:
Mechanisms for feeding in the learning:
Two key ones:
Service Improvement Paper, a quarterly analysis of:
Internal quality review data
Service complaint data
Customer satisfaction data
The paper seeks to identify trends across all areas and make recommendations for improvement.
The papers go to the Management Team, with highlights to Board.
The Improvement Priority Group:
All recommendations are considered and actioned through the Improvement Priority Group.
All papers are available on our intranet.
Fundamentally, the Quality Team is here to improve the service we provide to our customers. Who is best placed to tell us how we are doing then? Our customers, of course...

7. Service improvement: outputs/tools
Best practice initiatives
Guidance Notes
Knowledge alerts
Newsletter
Training and development
Service / process change
Regular risk-based quality checks – TLs/ Check the checker...
Thematic reviews – 4 Quality Auditors
100% ombudsman and team-to-team feedback
Moderation
Judicial reviews
Service complaints
Media
Customer survey data

8. Continuous Improvement – Quality system changes
CHECK DO
PLAN
If an improvement has been seen implement and standardise across the organisation.
If no improvement has been seen, begin the cycle again.
Document any unsuccessful attempts.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement action taken to determine whether it has resulted in the expected improvement.
Implement changes to the system/guidance.
Communicate any changes to the relevant business areas.
ACT
What changes need to be made and why?
Who will make the changes and who will be involved?
How will they go about doing it?
When does it need to be done by?
Who needs to be consulted or kept informed of progress?
Which branding will be used?
Continuous Improvement – Quality system changes

9. Quality Team “independence” Surveying service “Satisfaction”
Challenges and responses
Defining quality
Quality Team “independence”
Surveying service “Satisfaction”
Demonstrating the value/KPIs
Defining quality – internal project; external work with customers, former customers and potential customers to set service standards; OA service standards work.
Independence – set up to be independent check. Sits outside process. Benefits: genuine challenge, KPMG keen; Challenges: ownership, adversarialism, respect.
Surveying satisfaction: In-process surveys, qualitative research, service principles research

10. 10

11. Quality Team “independence” Surveying service “Satisfaction”
Challenges and responses
Defining quality
Quality Team “independence”
Surveying service “Satisfaction”
Demonstrating the value/KPIs
Change ...
Defining quality – internal project; external work with customers, former customers and potential customers to set service standards; OA service standards work.
Independence – set up to be independent check. Sits outside process. Benefits: genuine challenge, KPMG keen; Challenges: ownership, adversarialism, respect.
Surveying satisfaction: In-process surveys, qualitative research, service principles research

12. Steve Jobs on change
“...you usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you've completely failed.”
I have a great respect for incremental improvement, and I've done that sort of thing in my life, but I've always been attracted to the more revolutionary changes. I don't know why. Because they're harder. They're much more stressful emotionally. And you usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you've completely failed.
Strive for perfection, don’t be deterred, and catch excellence!