Everyone’s different. And now, firms want to do something about that.

Different people have different needs. If firms don’t know about them, they can’t do anything about them. Let’s make things better.

Everyone struggles sometimes.

We’re all different. Sometimes we may be at risk if our specific characteristics, needs and circumstances are not understood and taken into account by an organisation we are dealing with. These can be both temporary and permanent. An extreme example may be someone who requires medical equipment at home to support their life, and for whom removal of the power supply could be life-threatening. Or it could be someone who has difficulty seeing, or understanding English, who needs help. These are commonly referred to as ‘customer vulnerabilities’ – which is not meant unkindly – to describe those who have specific needs or who may be at risk because of their circumstances.

What if I’m already on the Priority Services Register?

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a list held, by utility firms, of consumers with one or more vulnerable characteristic. It is one way firms identify the characteristics of their customers. The website thepsr.co.uk gives more information. Being on the PSR is good, but that information isn’t shared with other firms who also need to know more about you. But also, the PSR only knows that you ‘are vulnerable’ – it doesn’t know how it can adapt to your needs in circumstances other than an energy emergency.

How do I know if firms need to understand something about me?

Some people will know because they live with a progressive or permanent debilitating condition. But there are lots of ways in which people can be, or become, vulnerable:

• Going through a separation or divorce.

• Suffering the bereavement of a loved one.

• Losing a job or a business closing.

• Being treated for a serious illness, such as cancer.

• Recovering from a serious accident.

• Experiencing a low spell – or living with anxiety or depression.

These are all ‘big things’ but lots of things affect us. For example, having dyslexia can make it hard to understand not only contracts but even brochures. Not being great with numbers can make budgeting and planning financially a real struggle. It’s not rare – surveys show that around half of us will be affected by something like at least one of these at any one time. Indeed, we are likely all vulnerable at some time. Few people, for example, go through life without suffering a bereavement, which can put them in a difficult place for a while. Many people have physical and mental health issues, which can be short term, progressive or long term. Humans are not perfect. That said, it’s only a small percentage of that half who need some special action because of who they are.

What are organisations’ obligations?

That depends on the nature of the product or service. For example, a utilities company will need to know more about a household in order to prioritise fixing service outages. A financial services firm will need to know more about you in order to provide the right products. Financial services companies need to ensure that everyone receives similar results, regardless of their personal characteristics, needs and circumstances.

Telling firms a little more about you is a big help.

If firms don’t know more about you, they can’t respond to any special needs you may have. Therefore, it is in your interest to provide the information – although this is totally voluntary. Firms are required to find out, or at least try and understand, your circumstances. It’s accepted that some people may not want to share this information and are happy with the way things are. But providing more information can help in many ways.