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The Outcome Chain · 2 of 3 · Journeys → Metrics → Decisions

The Metrics

85 outcome metrics — the reads that tell you whether a journey is delivering. A metric is a derived calculation, not a raw measure: revenue per call, comprehension recall, the outcome gap between cohorts. Data feeds the metric; the metric informs the decision. 46 of these can be surfaced as a continuous live read.

Our take on the metrics we'd typically expect to see in a firm operating to the principles of Consumer Duty.

Derived metrics · 39

A calculation, not a raw number — the board-worthy reads.

NameWhat it readsPillarStageBenchmarkLive read?
Comprehension recall score% of tested customers who can correctly restate the key points of a communication after exposureConsumer UnderstandingBefore/Acquiring/After~80% correct recall of key points (FCA's cited good-practice example)
Decision-accuracy score — easy scenario% of tested customers choosing the objectively correct option where the easy signal (headline rate/figure) also points the right wayConsumer UnderstandingBefore/ChoosingFCA RCT (~15,000 UK adults, CP26/15): >80% correct when lower-APR product also had lower total cost
Decision-accuracy score — hard scenario% of tested customers choosing the objectively correct option where the easy signal points the wrong wayConsumer UnderstandingBefore/ChoosingFCA RCT: only 17% correct when signals diverged. Band: >=80% aspire / 60-79% investigate / <60% act
Drop-off rate at comprehension-critical steps% of customers abandoning or hesitating at a journey step presenting a key term, exclusion or conditionConsumer UnderstandingBefore/Acquiringnone published — pair with a direct comprehension test before citing as a comprehension finding● yes
Comprehension-coded query/complaint theme share% of complaint/chat/call volume coded to a comprehension-related themeConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone published — triangulation input only● yes
Communication clarity/comprehension test pass rate (general comms)% of tested customers passing a comprehension check on a specific communication, outside the point-of-sale programmeConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone named
Vulnerability identification rate% of book carrying a vulnerability flagConsumer Supportcross-cuttingvs firm's own expected-prevalence estimate (Financial Lives-based) — firm-sourced, not templated● yes
Self-disclosure share of flagged population% of the flagged vulnerable population identified via self-disclosure vs inferred/observed signalConsumer Supportcross-cuttingcontext: FCA Mar 2025 — only 42% of vulnerable customers say they've disclosed● yes
Target-market adherence rate (partner channel)% of partner-originated sales/policies falling within the defined target marketProducts & ServicesBefore/Acquiringnone named
Product recommendation/suitability accuracy (partner channel)% of partner recommendations independently assessed as suitableProducts & ServicesBefore/Acquiringnone named
Partner onboarding error rate% of partner-originated onboarding cases with a material error, tracked by segmentProducts & ServicesAcquiringnone named● yes
Partner query-resolution effectiveness% of partner-handled customer queries actually resolved (not merely responded to)Consumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone named; FCA explicitly rejects NPS/open-rate/complaint-volume alone as proxies
Partner first-contact resolution rate% of partner-handled cases resolved at first customer contactConsumer SupportMoments that matternone named● yes
Partner end-to-end time-to-outcomeaggregated time from the customer's actual first contact (not internal case-open) to outcome, partner-delivered serviceConsumer SupportMoments that matternone named — the clock must start at customer contact, not internal case-assignment● yes
Commission share of total cost of credit (distribution chain)commission as % of total cost of credit / interest paid, for a partner-financed productPrice & ValueAcquiringFCA MS24/2: ~55% of total cost of credit, ~66% of interest payments, SPFP-financed agreements (p.30 Section 5.15)
Commission-driven switching indicatorlapse-rate spike at a commission clawback-period anniversary, vs a smooth baselinePrice & ValueLiving with it/AfterFCA MS24/1.4: ~2 percentage-point finding● yes
Fair-value usage flag ratio% of paid-for feature/add-on usage vs the product's designed assumptionPrice & ValueLiving with itnone published — a low usage rate against price paid is the flag itself● yes
Back-book vs front-book rate gap (loyalty penalty)gap between the rate/price offered to existing (back-book) customers and new (front-book) customers, economically equivalent productPrice & ValueLiving with it/Expanding UseFCA Cash Savings Market Study named the "loyalty penalty"; no fixed numeric threshold published● yes
Renewal/tenure price differentialprice/premium differential between a new customer and a tenured customer, same risk profile, at renewalPrice & ValueExpanding Usenone published as a threshold — the price-walking remedies are the regulatory backdrop● yes
Exit-friction symmetry ratiosteps/time to leave a product vs steps/time to acquire itConsumer SupportAfterPRIN 2A.6 no-unreasonable-barriers rule (qualitative test, no numeric threshold)● yes
Claims/payout cost as % of premiumtotal claims payout as a proportion of premium collected, by product linePrice & ValueMoments that matterFCA's own named fair-value metric for GAP insurance
Complaint/FOS uphold rate% of complaints upheld (internally or by FOS), by product/themeConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone published; DISP 8-week timeline is the adjacent process benchmark● yes
Complaint incidence ratecomplaints per 1,000 customers/accounts/policies, by coded themeConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone published● yes
Forbearance take-up rate% of customers offered forbearance who actually take it upConsumer SupportMoments that matternone published● yes
Forbearance sustainability / re-default rate% of forbearance arrangements still being met (not broken) at 3/6/12 monthsConsumer SupportMoments that matternone published
End-to-end journey time vs promiseactual time from trigger (claim, request, notification) to resolution, against the stated service promiseConsumer SupportMoments that matterFCA multi-firm review of life insurers' bereavement claims uses this exact measure; DISP 8-week for complaints● yes
Forward-action closure rate% of board-agreed actions closed vs overdue, this reporting periodConsumer Understandingn/anone published; FCA's board-report observations name the absent accountability trail as a deficiency
Decision-to-outcome-data traceability rate% of board/committee decisions this period that cite the outcome data that informed themConsumer Understandingn/aFCA Dec 2024 review + Apr 2026 board-report observations name this as the most-failed line of sight
Settlement/redress calculation accuracy rate% of settlement or redress figures matching the correct calculation methodology on independent checkPrice & ValueMoments that matter/Afternone published
Switching completion rate within guarantee (CASS)% of current-account switches completed within the 7-working-day CASS guaranteeConsumer SupportBefore/AcquiringCASS 7-working-day guarantee● yes
Cash ISA transfer completion rate within target% of cash ISA transfers completed within 7 working daysConsumer SupportAfterindustry target: 90% within 7 working days● yes
APP fraud reimbursement rate within standard% of eligible APP fraud claims reimbursed within the 5-business-day standardConsumer SupportMoments that matter5-business-day reimbursement standard● yes
Confirmation of Payee (CoP) coverage rate% of Faster Payments covered by a CoP checkConsumer SupportMoments that mattertarget: near 99% of PSPs● yes
Suitability drift rate% of portfolios/holdings outside the client's stated risk profile for more than a defined periodProducts & ServicesLiving with itnone published; firm sets its own [X]-month threshold
Advice review delivered-vs-charged rate% of ongoing-advice clients with an evidenced review delivered in the period vs charged for onePrice & ValueLiving with itFCA's own delivered/charged split, named finding
Persistent-debt communication compliance rate% of customers in persistent debt receiving timely, comprehensible 18/27/36-month communicationsConsumer UnderstandingLiving with itCONC-driven milestone communications (18/27/36 month)
Repeat-contact/re-explanation rateaverage number of times a customer has to re-explain their situation across separate contacts, per caseConsumer SupportMoments that mattertarget: zero after first registration (named for PoA)
Channel parity ratio% of tasks completable by a digitally-excluded/assisted-channel customer that a digital customer can completeConsumer SupportLiving with itnone published● yes
Decline-with-reason rate% of declines (application, claim, adverse action) issued with a coded, understandable reasonConsumer UnderstandingAcquiring/Moments that matternone published; a hard-fail absence is itself a finding● yes
Gap metrics · 11

The sharp tier — an outcome compared across cohorts (e.g. vulnerable vs non-vulnerable).

NameWhat it readsPillarStageBenchmarkLive read?
Comprehension segment-parity gapdifference between a segment's (vulnerability/digital-literacy/channel) comprehension score and the aggregate score, same testConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingNo score materially below aggregate without a named action to close it (FCA good-practice)
Negative-experience outcome gap (vulnerable vs non-vulnerable)difference in % reporting a negative experience, vulnerable cohort vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer Supportcross-cuttingFCA Mar 2025: 44% vs 33% (11pp gap)
Awareness-stage comprehension gappromotion comprehension test pass rate, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer UnderstandingBeforenone published
Research-stage friction gappre-sale query resolution / quote-stage drop-off rate, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer UnderstandingBeforenone published● yes
Choosing-stage access gapquote-to-application conversion rate, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortProducts & ServicesBeforenone published● yes
Buying-stage cancellation/withdrawal gapcooling-off cancellation rate (consumer-credit equivalent: right-of-withdrawal exercise rate), vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohort, coded reasonsProducts & ServicesAcquiringnone published● yes
Onboarding completion gapactivation/registration completion rate, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer SupportAcquiringnone published● yes
Ongoing-use dormancy gapdormancy/non-usage rate of paid-for features, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortPrice & ValueLiving with itnone published● yes
Renewal/retention parity gaprenewal retention rate and renewal price differential, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortPrice & ValueExpanding Usenone published
Service & Claims outcome/time gapoutcome vs promise, and end-to-end time to resolution, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer SupportMoments that matternone published; FCA names this stage's measures directly (e.g. PoA/bereavement timing)● yes
Exit-friction parity gapexit friction (steps/time to leave vs to buy), and complaints raised at exit, vulnerable vs non-vulnerable cohortConsumer SupportAfternone published● yes
Raw measures / data-points · 35

The feedstock the metrics above are derived from.

NameWhat it readsPillarStageBenchmarkLive read?
Revenue / premium / fee incomeraw revenue, premium or fee value collected, at product or channel levelPrice & Valuecross-cuttingnone● yes
Call/contact volumeraw count of customer contacts, by channelConsumer Supportcross-cuttingnone● yes
Complaint volume (raw count)raw count of complaints received, by theme/productConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone● yes
Vulnerability flag countraw count of customer records carrying a vulnerability flagConsumer Supportcross-cuttingnone● yes
Individual comprehension test resultraw per-customer pass/fail outcome on a comprehension or decision-accuracy testConsumer Understandingcross-cuttingnone
Per-case elapsed time (trigger to resolution)raw timestamp pair — event start to event end, for a single caseConsumer Supportcross-cuttingnone● yes
Application/case count by outcomeraw counts of applications submitted, approved, declined, by segmentProducts & ServicesAcquiringnone● yes
Policy/account/agreement countraw count of live products in force, by status/segmentProducts & ServicesLiving with itnone● yes
Customer volume/value through a given partnerraw count/value of customers or business routed through a named third partycross-cuttingcross-cuttingnone
Website/app drop-off event count (by step)raw count of sessions abandoned at a specific journey stepConsumer UnderstandingBefore/Acquiringnone● yes
App/online-banking outage minutesraw downtime log, digital channelConsumer SupportLiving with itnone● yes
Proactive prompts/notifications sent (count)raw count of proactive customer communications sent, by trigger typeConsumer UnderstandingLiving with it/Expanding Usenone● yes
Re-contact/re-explanation count per caseraw count of times a single customer had to repeat information within one caseConsumer SupportMoments that mattertarget named for PoA: zero after first registration
Cooling-off/right-of-withdrawal cancellation countraw count of cancellations within the cooling-off window, coded by reasonProducts & ServicesAcquiringnone● yes
Age/demographic segment data pointraw customer age, digital-literacy flag, or channel-use recordConsumer Supportcross-cuttingnone
Sales-file review result (individual case)raw per-file quality-review outcome — pass/fail/flaggedProducts & ServicesAcquiringnone
Decline/adverse-action reason code (raw, per case)raw coded reason attached to a single decline or adverse actionConsumer UnderstandingAcquiring/Moments that matternone● yes
Expected-prevalence benchmark estimate (vulnerability, by segment)firm-modelled estimate of what share of a segment should show vulnerability characteristics, from Financial Lives + own book analysisConsumer Supportcross-cuttingfirm-sourced, not templated
Lawful-basis/DPIA reference (data-governance record)raw record of the Art. 6/Art. 9 lawful basis and DPIA status supporting vulnerability data processingConsumer Supportn/aFCA/ICO joint position, 27 Mar 2026
Renewal notice/communication sent (count, lead time)raw count and lead time of renewal or maturity notices issuedConsumer UnderstandingExpanding Usenone● yes
Fair-value assessment record (product, date, conclusion)raw record of whether/when a fair-value assessment was completed and its stated conclusionPrice & Valuen/anone
Third-party role classification (per partner)raw categorical record — manufacturing/distribution/service-delivery/customer-interface/operationalcross-cuttingn/anone
Written role agreement in place (Y/N, per partner)raw binary record of whether a written role agreement exists with a partnercross-cuttingn/anone
Board action item (raw log entry, status)raw record of an individual agreed board action, its owner, and its statusConsumer Understandingn/anone
Individual decision log entryraw record of one board/committee decision, the outcome data cited, and its expected effectConsumer Understandingn/anone
Quote/comparison count (by channel)raw count of quotes generated, by acquisition channelProducts & ServicesBeforenone● yes
Trust/beneficiary nomination record (Y/N, per policy)raw binary record of whether a trust or beneficiary nomination is on fileProducts & ServicesLiving with itnone
Suitability review record (date, per client)raw record of when a client's suitability/risk profile was last reviewedProducts & ServicesLiving with itnone
Instalment/premium-finance uptake countraw count of customers choosing instalment vs annual paymentPrice & ValueAcquiringnone
Repossession/enforcement action countraw count of repossessions or enforcement actions taken, with preceding-forbearance flagConsumer SupportMoments that matternone
Sludge/friction score components (steps, logins, re-authentication count)raw count of steps/logins/re-authentication events required to access a service, e.g. forbearanceConsumer SupportLiving with itnone● yes
Customer effort score (raw survey response)raw per-customer effort-score survey response, captured at a specific stage (e.g. claim)Consumer SupportMoments that matternone
Third-party/distributor MI submission (raw feed)raw data feed received from a distributor or TPA — sales pattern, claim outcome, service-level datacross-cuttingcross-cuttingnone● yes
Balance/asset threshold flag (e.g. FSCS proximity)raw binary flag: customer balance sits near/above a regulatory protection threshold (e.g. FSCS limit)Consumer UnderstandingLiving with itFSCS protection limit — firm confirms current published figure● yes
Deferment/waiting-period comprehension test result (raw, per customer)raw per-customer test outcome on whether they understand a deferment or waiting-period exclusion, tested at sale and again laterConsumer UnderstandingBefore/AfterFCA Jan 2026 consumer research names this the single most common cross-channel knowledge gap (p.33)

A per-journey measure layer (~500 examples across the 128 journeys) sits behind this canonical roll-up in the journey data. This list is a draft reference, in active development.