In Focus Consumer Credit


Defining good customer experience


Is process getting in the way of delivering a better customer experience within debt recovery?


David Sheridan Operations director, ARC Europe dsheridan @arceuropeltd.co.uk


As consumer debt-recovery firms gain more confidence in balancing commercial and conduct outcomes, they are starting to challenge policies and procedures that appear to pay little or no regard to what we would consider to be ‘a good customer experience’.


Fair customer outcome Does a good customer experience, I wonder, sit at the heart of a fair customer outcome? I understand that a fair customer outcome differs from customer to customer, given their circumstances, but surely having due regard for the experience means that a fair and pragmatic outcome is reached? I am sure, like many fellow practitioners,


you listen to calls to test first-hand the ‘fabulous’ experiences customers are enjoying, only to come away from these examples with a sense of frustration and desire to improve them.


Some illustrations Some recent examples will help to illustrate the point. Customer A is a single mum, who missed


her regular monthly payment in December as she overspent on Christmas. We speak to the customer, her situation has not changed, her priority bills are up to date and she wants to reset her previous arrangement. Our agent then explains that, in order to


ensure that the arrangement is affordable, we would like to conduct a full income- and-expenditure (I&E) report – as per our client’s instruction.


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we have a number of clients that expect us to conduct a full I&E assessment before the payment is accepted. The customer refuses as he is in a hurry. We then need to ask further questions to


Does a good customer experience, I wonder, sit at the heart of a fair customer outcome? I understand that a fair customer outcome differs from customer to customer, given their circumstances, but surely having due regard for the experience means that a fair and pragmatic outcome is reached?


ascertain the source of funds (I forgot to mention the balance outstanding is less than £200). The customer comes away frustrated with the experience. Meanwhile, Customer C wants to make


an arrangement. He is working, has no arrears with other creditors, and is up to date on priority bills. He wants to pay £50 per month. He is in a hurry, as it is his lunch hour, and he would like to get this done quickly.


The customer, to her credit, obliges, but


after 10 minutes has to terminate the call because her children need her attention. Now, you tell me, does a formal process overrule ‘common sense’ here? Some of our clients seem to think so; we disagree. Somewhere, somehow, common sense


must prevail, and it is a conversation we are currently having with our clients to find a sensible compromise. Customer B wants to pay his balance off


in full. We have checked his circumstances; he is up to date with priority bills. However,


www.CCRMagazine.co.uk April 2017


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