Ollie King

Lead the day-to-day operation of the complaints function within a workplace pension provider, with responsibility for complaints governance, workflow, service delivery, quality assurance, customer outcomes, regulatory compliance and colleague development across a centralised team of 15 specialists.

• Proposed and implemented a centralised complaints operating model, moving away from separate Less Formal and Formal teams and improving consistency of customer outcomes.
• Oversaw delivery of a new Power Apps complaints management system, replacing an Excel-based process and reducing administration by 70%, with continuous improvement of the system to incorporate AI, task driven work-flow and links to internal systems.
• Established first formal Root Cause Analysis framework, identifying trends, risks and opportunities for corrective action and improvement.
• Redesigned quality control criteria around communication, customer outcomes, investigation quality and process adherence.
• Implemented additional governance control before escalation post-complaint closure, reducing escalation from 1% to 0.7%.
• Designed and delivered complaints training for specialist and frontline colleagues, contributing to a 25% increase in complaints resolved at point of contact within three months.
• Developed complaints dashboards and reports, enhancing leadership visibility of volumes, performance, trends and customer outcomes.
• Contribute to Member First and Vulnerable Customer Committees, supporting senior leadership focus on customer outcomes and Consumer Duty.
• Improved internal audit results from ‘Significant Improvements Required’ to ‘Minor Improvements Required’ within 18 months.

Led specialist complaints function, managing people, governance, regulatory reporting, root cause analysis, process improvement, training, quality, and compliance.

• Rebuilt the Root Cause function, increasing remedial actions captured by 80% and halving average completion time through structured monitoring and scrutiny.
• Introduced complaint resolution audits, increasing monthly Quality Assurance scores from approximately 80% to consistently above 90%.
• Created a new complaints Procedure Manual focused on improved customer contact and system guidance, reducing average complaint turnaround from 17 days to 9 days within three months.
• Identified frontline knowledge gaps around complaint identification and delivered targeted training, mitigating regulatory risk and improving the quality of Root Cause analysis.
• Developed comprehensive training matrix, process maps, and procedure guides for complaints activity, ensuring effective training records.
• Served as Consumer Duty Champion, prioritising vulnerable customer outcomes and improving clarity of customer-facing terminology.

Led strategic initiatives to enhance complaint handling, improve customer outcomes, and optimise operational effectiveness across complaints function and wider business.

• Increased complaint-handler productivity from approximately 2.1 to 2.9 resolutions per day by identifying and removing operational barriers.
• Reduced complaints resolved with compensation from 66% to approximately 45% through action-based complaint-handling training.
• Enhanced remediation approach through data analysis and established inter-department forums to facilitate collaboration.
• Increased senior-management visibility of complaints by introducing structured system guidance to support colleagues through complaint journey.
• Completed audits and customer-journey reviews to identify friction points, followed by journey mapping and improvement activity.

Reduced FOS overturn rate from approximately 30% to below 25% for the first time in the company’s history through outcome-based training.

• Reduced FOS referral rate from 3% to 1.5% through impact-assessment training, enhancing customer-contact expectations and establishing a specialist group for higher-risk complaints.
• Reduced compensation leakage by approximately £800k (40%) while improving customer satisfaction through revised redress guidance, quarterly deep dives and targeted actions.
• Executed audits on outcomes and communication, utilising feedback and coaching to increase consistency in complaint resolutions.
• Led specialist Financial Ombudsman Service team, driving initiatives that enhanced complaint quality and customer outcomes.

Managed escalated complaints referred to Financial Ombudsman Service, conducting file reviews, negotiating settlements, engaging stakeholders, and preparing submissions.

• Reduced FOS overturn rate from approximately 45% to below 30% through stronger persuasive writing and improved defence of complaint outcomes.
• Cultivated strong relationships with FOS adjudicators, ombudsmen, and management to enhance collaboration and outcomes.
• Developed a streamlined feedback process for complaint-handling colleagues, improving traceability and accountability.

Investigated and resolved formal complaints, ensuring compliance with FCA requirements, FOS guidance and internal policy, while providing insights and feedback that contributed to continuous improvement.

• Promoted to Senior Complaint Handler in September 2015, taking responsibility for quality monitoring colleagues’ work.
• Ranked among top productivity performers, consistently exceeding weekly and monthly targets.
• Led the team during management absences, receiving positive feedback from colleagues and senior management.