theTeam.

A feel good force for good.

By Sally Tarbit 25 Jan 2010.
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Is the financial services industry really as cold hearted as the media would have us believe? As we move into a phase where old operating models are challenged and changed and customers more wary than ever, its time to ask how the industry can start to re-build its image and put a heart back into finance. But this is a tough challenge, when the chasm between those that have and don't have seems to be increasing. Those that 'have' are at the sharp end of exclusive deals and choice - but for those 'without', up to their eyes in debt and charges, the door has firmly shut. Delivering a feel-good feeling to those caught in the eye of the storm is a hard call for financial providers who are a business, not a charity, at the end of the day. But surely this is a short-term view.  Compromised consumers - maybe through no fault of their own - account for a significant chunk of the market. Instead of penalising, maybe we should start to look at how we can start balance the equation for this group and begin to give something back. So it was interesting to see the launch of motor, home and pet insurance comparison site Forcesdeal.com, an initiative of Falklands Veteran Simon Weston, where 70% of profits will be returned to veterans. There couldn't be a better time to introduce a solution that taps into the zeitgeist by intuitively blending the challenge of delivering a good financial deal with the concept of giving something back to people who have given their all. Its visible, transparent and screams 'we care and we’re doing something about it'. Maybe there's a lesson here about CSR. And for consumers caught in the epicentre, it doesn’t provide an instant remedy, but it does begin to introduce some warmth back into the financial cold front. We may not have seen the last of the financial storm, but wouldn't it be nice to know that you're riding it out with a company that has a heart, and a future, with you?