Changing outcomes through insight with
Nationwide
With significant change facing retail banks (in the form of the New Consumer Duty Act) Nationwide needed a major overhaul of their communications. The act sets out a new standard of protection for consumers, through clearer communications that put customers’ needs first. For Nationwide – a business sending out billions of communications each year – the challenge was first to create a blueprint to deliver this new ambition, and then to roll it out at pace.
Services
Consulting
Shaping behaviour
Writing at scale
Industry
Financial Services
Consulting
Ink was initially brought in to help Nationwide test their new approach.
They had developed a checklist to help measure the efficacy of comms, designed in line with the goals and objectives of the act. We were tasked with applying the checklist to a batch of test comms, then providing feedback. This was an exercise in balance – advising on how to meet the new regulatory demands, without losing the essential tone that ultimately reassures customers.
Writing at scale
Next, Nationwide needed help with roll out. The scale of the project was vast. Every single letter sent to customers needed to be analysed and edited – or even rewritten. Focusing on the most urgent cases first, we worked in sprints, delivering multiple batches of letters at speed.
Nationwide’s goal was also to streamline their CRM, so alongside writing for clarity and brevity, we sought out duplicates and amalgamated them into other letters – ultimately increasing efficiency for their internal teams.
Shaping behaviour
To help customers achieve better outcomes, you have to understand their behaviour. What barriers do they face? What biases? For this project we applied a behavioural science lens to our writing. We drew on tried and tested nudges and insights from Nationwide’s own research, while also accounting for factors such as numeracy and reading age. It was vital to leave any assumptions about customers at the door… and apply every copywriting technique to achieve the best in simplicity and salience.