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Collection industry focuses on vulnerability

Finding the right debt collections solution is vital, and the pressure on businesses will only increase as awareness of vulnerable customers grows.

Finding the right debt collections solution is vital, and the pressure on businesses will only increase as awareness of vulnerable customers grows.

Collection industry focuses on vulnerability

Archive

Date

27th June 2017

Simon Cadbury


In recent years, the question of vulnerability and mental health has become increasingly important. In the last few months, we’ve seen several high-profile names work to raise awareness of the issue, including Prince Harry, who gave an emotional interview in which he opened up about his own struggles following the death of his mother.

This push to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues has also impacted the corporate world, with organisations now facing increasing pressure to act, and provide services and support that are appropriate to the needs of vulnerable customers.

Not only is public scrutiny increasing, regulatory bodies such as the FCA are taking a closer look at how organisations are currently dealing with these customers. Notably, the Yorkshire Building Society was fined over £4m following an FCA investigation that found it had failed to deal “fairly and appropriately” with customers who were experiencing payment difficulties.

Aside from hitting businesses’ wallets, failing to deal properly with vulnerable customers can also have a severe impact on reputation, with organisations being accused of being outmoded or unethical.

What, if anything, is already being done in the industry? Though collections processes are notoriously traditional, things are beginning to change. While most companies still communicate with their debtor customers through a combination of threatening letters and phone contact, it has become abundantly clear that this is no longer sufficient.

Today’s customers expect more. They feel their relationship and engagement with their financial service provider must be on their own terms. Consumers are now used to taking the active role in interacting with services, so debt collection processes must change.

Engaging with vulnerable customers

Part of this change involves communicating relevant and useful information through multiple channels, including digital. This is especially important for vulnerable customers. Being sensitive to individual needs with processes that offer a real-time, low-stress, non-confrontational method of engaging the customer, will go a long way to alleviating problems and prevent ongoing debt issues.

Finding the right debt collections software is vital, and the pressure on businesses will only increase as awareness of vulnerable customers grows. Current collections processes are no longer sufficient, and it’s an area in which more needs to be done. Reaching out in diverse ways and providing continual support throughout the journey will ensure vulnerable customers are properly assisted. With modern thinking, organisations can provide a flexible digital customer journey that meets the needs of all users.

Read part two of this article: Defining to identify – how best to spot a vulnerable customer

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