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It would be hard to imagine even 10 years ago that building societies would routinely communicate with their members through channels like chat bots and WhatsApp messages. 

The dizzying array of communications channels that firms have at their fingertips is game changing – delivering far greater choice and personalisation than ever before.  However, this technology only really succeeds in building stronger connections with customers if everyone has the same breadth of choice and opportunity. 

In the UK, , have hearing loss or tinnitus. Two million of us , while . These are just three of the many conditions that can affect how we receive and respond to customer communications. 

Most businesses, specially building societies, are deeply conscious of inclusion. But, with communications technology and customer expectations evolving all the time, what should building societies and the wider retail financial services market think about when it comes to accessibility and inclusion?

What do we mean by accessibility?

In short, accessibility is about ensuring the messaging and information sent to customers can be accessed, understood and interacted with, regardless of someone’s abilities or disabilities. The aim is to provide an equivalent user experience whatever the format, and regardless of the communication needs of the recipient. 

Making communication more accessible can include everything from braille and large print to audio descriptions. And it’s not just limited to physical output. Web accessibility is also crucial, and resources like the (known as WCAG) can provide useful background information and recommendations. 

Why is it so important? 

Firstly, ensuring communications accessibility can help keep companies on the right side of the regulator. The FCA’s Consumer Duty policy set higher and clearer standards on consumer protection. While it didn’t single out digital or web accessibility principles, it did specify that ‘consumers in vulnerable circumstances’ were included within the rules. Providing inaccessible communications could mean that companies are failing to deliver on the ‘consumer understanding’ part of Consumer Duty. 

But it’s not just about meeting the basic regulatory requirements. Accessible communications – served in the right format, at the right time, and personalised to the recipient – can help strengthen the links between building societies and their members. 

Baking accessibility into building society communications 

When it comes to communication accessibility and inclusivity, it’s all about user interaction. Four core user experiences that should be built into design practices include: 

• Physical experience – all user movement as part of the interaction

• Cognitive experience – time to digest and understand content

• Auditory experience – sound quality, with alternative option experiences

• Visual experience – colour contrasting/fonts, column structuring and logical ordering

So what does this look like in practical terms? Take a PDF for example. An accessible PDF is a document that is universally easy to use and meets established accessibility standards. As the audience may include people whose vision, hearing, mobility or cognition is impaired, the document should be built to support assistive technology like screen readers, text to speech programmes, and braille displays. 

How to get accessibility right

Communications are more likely to be genuinely accessible if universal design principles are built in from the beginning, because adapting products once they are already live can add unnecessary cost and complexity. When it comes to developing new communications – whether print, email, chatbot, or video – test groups can help capture the real-life user experience of any inclusive functionality. 

A single customer communication management platform can make it much easier to build in the necessary accessibility and inclusivity. By integrating multiple data sources, it is possible to deliver personalised communications across multiple physical and digital channels. And, as a member’s abilities (or disabilities) change over time, a central point of control and single view of communications allows departments to continue to personalise and meet the evolving needs of members. 

Ultimately, delivering inclusive accessible communications isn’t just the right thing for building societies to do – it could be the key to driving engagement and loyalty, and strengthening bonds with members. 

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