There’s a particular kind of frustration that settles over someone when they’re made to feel foolish for not understanding something that should be straightforward. For our older generation, this frustration has become an all-too-familiar companion whenever they pick up the phone to deal with banks, utility companies, insurance providers, or any number of essential services. What should be a simple conversation about updating login details, adding a spouse to an account, or withdrawing their own money turns into an exercise in humiliation, courtesy of call centres that seem designed for everyone except the people who need them most.
The cruel irony? More often than not, it’s the call centre operative who has got it wrong, not the older person trying to navigate an unnecessarily complex system.
The Technology Trap
Our parents and grandparents built the world we live in. They’ve weathered wars, raised families, built careers, and contributed to society in countless ways. Yet in their later years, many find themselves navigating a landscape that seems determined to exclude them. The digital revolution that promised convenience for all has, in practice, created a two-tiered system where those who didn’t grow up with smartphones and apps are increasingly marginalized.
When a seventy-five-year-old widow rings her bank to add her late husband’s pension to her account or update her security details, she shouldn’t need a degree in computer science. She shouldn’t be made to feel incompetent because she doesn’t have an email address she checks daily, or because she’s never heard of two-factor authentication, or because the concept of a password manager is entirely foreign to her.
A Real Cost: When Systems Fail, Families Suffer
Let me share a real example that illustrates just how damaging these failures can be.
I recently advised a client on estate planning matters. He was an old-school gentleman to the core, the kind of man who believed in doing things properly and planning ahead for his family. As part of sensible estate planning, I recommended he change his bank account from his sole name into joint names with his wife. This simple change would make things significantly easier for his widow when the time came. Failing that, I suggested he could withdraw the funds and close the account, then open a new joint account elsewhere.
Simple enough, you’d think. A straightforward request that any bank should be able to accommodate.
He called his bank. What followed was a masterclass in how not to serve customers. The call centre operative couldn’t seem to grasp what he was asking for. He was bounced between explanations of online banking, offers to send forms to an email address he didn’t have, and conflicting information about what was and wasn’t possible. Procedure after procedure was quoted at him. Questions were asked that made no sense. The runaround continued until this dignified, patient man—who had banked with this institution for decades—ended up slamming down the phone in complete frustration.
He gave up. And shortly after, he passed away.
His widow is now facing the very scenario we were trying to avoid. She’s dealing with increased costs, enormous complexity, and mountains of stress trying to resolve matters that could have been sorted with a single phone call and some simple forms. All because a call centre operative, reading from a script and inadequately trained, couldn’t facilitate a basic banking request.
This is the real cost of poor training and inflexible systems. It’s not just frustration. It’s families left in financial turmoil during their most vulnerable moments.
When the Experts Are Stymied Too
Here’s what makes this even more galling: as financial advisers, we deal with these same poorly trained call centre operatives regularly. The difference? We know when they’re wrong. We know the regulations, the procedures, and what should be possible. When we hit a brick wall with someone who’s giving us incorrect information, we can push back. We can ask to speak to a supervisor. We can escalate to the right department. We can cite policy numbers and reference specific regulations until we get through to someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
We get our clients’ issues resolved because we have the knowledge, the confidence, and the professional standing to challenge incorrect information and navigate broken systems.
Our clients can’t do that. When an older person is told something can’t be done, they believe it. When they’re made to feel stupid for asking, they give up. They don’t know that the operative is wrong. They don’t know there’s someone three departments over who could sort this out in five minutes. They just know they feel humiliated, exhausted, and defeated.
If we—professionals who deal with financial institutions daily—find these call centres frustrating and difficult, what hope do elderly individuals have when they’re told to log into apps they’ve never heard of, or that their simple request requires a complex digital process they can’t complete?
A Direct Challenge to the Big Institutions
This is a call to action, and it’s aimed squarely at you: the banks, the building societies, the insurance companies, the utility providers, and every other major institution that has prioritized cost-cutting over customer care.
Your training is inadequate. Your systems are inflexible. Your metrics are measuring the wrong things. And your customers—particularly your older, loyal customers who have banked with you for decades—are suffering as a result.
You’ve spent millions pushing everyone toward digital channels while dismantling the alternatives. You’ve trained your call centre staff on scripts and efficiency targets rather than on actual problem-solving and customer service. You’ve created systems so rigid that even simple requests become ordeals.
And when things go wrong? When your operative gives out incorrect information or can’t facilitate a basic request? There’s no accountability. The customer is left to deal with the consequences while you’ve already moved on to the next call, the next efficiency target, the next quarterly report showing how much you’ve saved by reducing headcount and pushing people online.
This has to change. And you have the power to change it.
What Needs to Happen
The solution isn’t complicated. It requires investment in people and a recognition that not all customers fit the same digital mould.
- Comprehensive training: Every call centre operative should understand the full range of services available, including non-digital options. They should be trained to ask screening questions at the start of every call: “Do you have access to email regularly?” “Would you prefer documents by post?” “Are you comfortable with online banking, or would you like to discuss alternatives?”
- Longer handling times for older customers: Stop measuring success purely by how quickly calls are ended. Some customers need more time, and that’s perfectly acceptable. Build it into your metrics.
- Dedicated pathways: Create specific routes for older or vulnerable customers, with specially trained staff who have the authority to actually solve problems rather than just read scripts.
- Paper alternatives: Postal forms, telephone banking, and branch services aren’t luxuries. They’re essential accessibility features. Fund them properly.
- Accurate information: Ensure your staff know what they’re talking about. When financial advisers are regularly correcting your operatives, there’s a serious training problem.
- Accountability: When things go wrong, there should be mechanisms for follow-up and correction, not just a closed ticket in your system while the customer struggles with the fallout.
Champion This Cause
If you’re reading this and you’ve witnessed a parent or grandparent struggle with these systems, speak up. If you work in financial services and you’ve seen these failures firsthand, advocate for change within your organization. If you’re a customer who’s been let down, make your voice heard.
Write to your bank. Contact your MP. Share your stories. The only way these institutions will change is if we make it clear that this treatment of our older generation is unacceptable.
Our parents and grandparents deserve better. They deserve to access their own money without humiliation. They deserve accurate information from trained professionals. They deserve to make simple changes to their accounts without needing a degree in digital technology. And they deserve to have their planning wishes honored so their loved ones aren’t left dealing with unnecessary stress and expense.
The gentleman I mentioned earlier never got to see his simple request fulfilled. His widow is now paying the price—financially and emotionally—for a system that failed them both.
How many more families will suffer before the big institutions finally recognize that their training and systems need to change?
Our older generation built the world we live in. They deserve systems that serve them, not sideline them. We need to give them MORE time, not less. It’s time to lead with heart, not metrics.
Champion this cause. Demand better. The time for that change is now.
About the Author
Mary Benton is a seasoned retirement advisor with a wealth of experience and qualifications to guide you towards financial security and peace of mind.
Mary Benton brings decades of experience in retirement planning and financial management to the table. As a qualified financial planner and retirement specialist, Mary has helped countless individuals and couples navigate the complexities of retirement planning with confidence and clarity.
