Money. It’s important. It makes life possible, which is why it can be one of the greatest sources of anxiety – we know we need to deal with it, but we don’t always know where to start.
We want to change this.
At first direct we’ve always been committed to helping our customers feel more confident with money. With less of our customers saying they feel anxious about money than those that bank with most other major UK banks, we think we’re on the right track but the journey has only just begun. This year our ambition is to do more, we want not only our customers but people across the UK to have a healthier relationship with money. Because we can never feel truly well until we feel financially well.
As a nation we’re investing in our wellbeing in so many aspects of our lives; noticing the things that make us feel bad and making positive changes for the better. It’s time for us to do the same with money.
So what have we been doing?
- first direct was built around its customers. We have spent 30 years working to support them in feeling confident about their money. We believe this is a key part of having positive Financial Wellbeing. It is this people first approach that has made us the number one brand for customer service in the UK – not just in banking, but across every sector*.
- 42% of people state they would feel better if they could speak to a real human being at their bank. When you ring first direct, there are no menus to navigate or buttons to press. You will always be able to talk to a real person here in the UK, 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
- money wellness is an issue that spans income groups, age and other demographics but the impacts hit the most vulnerable hardest. That's why in 2019 we rolled out industry leading training across the business so our people can identify and positively support financially vulnerable people. This has been a crucial first step in allowing us to help to address financial wellbeing. This now includes a core team available to take care of customers that we’ve identified as being acutely vulnerable.
- we believe that change starts at home, so we have been busy rolling out a meaningful program of wellness to all our employees. That spans across their physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
- through our partnership with Mind we have been training our staff and now have qualified Mental Health First Aiders throughout the business.
