The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman has published a second strategic plan for the Office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO).
Covering the years from 2021 to 2024, the plan aims to build on the FSPO's delivery in its first three years of operation, during which time it concluded more than 15,200 complaints.
The Ombudsman said the priorities outlined in the new plan reflect both the FSPO's statutory role and its values and reflect the FSPO's ambition to evolve and innovate its services and focus on its customers, external stakeholders and audiences.
The new strategy includes plans to roll out technology solutions that enable end-to-end process digitalisation, initiatives to grow awareness of the FSPO, while it will also continue to influence how providers design and deliver fairer products, services and systems to help prevent complaints arising as its workforce adapts to the changing environment.
Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Ger Deering said the office plans to adapt and evolve the service to anticipate and respond to the changing needs and expectations of all its customers, maintaining a relentless focus on delivering fair, impartial, timely outcomes.
"We will connect with consumers, providers, regulatory bodies and others to help build a better understanding of what we do, and how people can best access and make use of our service should they need us," Ger Deering said.
"We will play our full part in helping to raise standards in complaints handling and resolution, and inform legislative, regulatory and policy developments so that customer complaints are prevented from arising where possible, and fairer outcomes are achieved," he stated.
"In our first three years of operation, more than 16,300 complaints have been made to the FSPO and this Strategic Plan outlines how we will manage the ever-increasing complexity in relation to the complaints we receive and ensure we are equipped to deal with any increase in volumes, as we successfully did in response to complaints arising from the Covid-19 pandemic," Mr Deering added.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the Office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman has achieved a great deal since its establishment in 2018 and has produced an ambitious plan for the next three years.
"This plan will see it evolve its service to respond to the changing needs and expectations of consumers. The work of the Ombudsman is central to underpin consumer confidence. I welcome the Ombudsman's intention to further grow awareness of the Office and its role," Mr Donohoe added.
