In Focus Consumer Credit
Taking the digital route to collections success
Last month, CCRMagazine and Esendex brought together a group of senior professionals to consider the role that digital collections is playing in the industry today. They were: Tony Kirton, chief operating officer, Scott & Mears; Sally Nolan, business development director – civil and business, Marston Holdings; Connor Shaw, group head of omni-channel, Hoist Finance; Richard Hanscott, chief executive, Commify; Jattinder Singh, key account manager – financial services, Commify (JS); Jeremy Baber, director of operations, Link Financial Outsourcing (JB); Peter Munro, partnerships director, PayPlan (PM); Denise Crossley, chief executive officer, Lantern (DC); Thomas Strang, software engineer, 1st Locate; Adam Campbell, senior strategy analyst, Shawbrook Bank; Ian Warne, head of collections & recoveries, outsourced arrears management, Shawbrook Bank; James Squires, director, Credit Resource Solutions (JSQ); Simon Armitage, product development director, Cabot Credit Management (SA); Will Reid, strategic communications manager, Arrow Global; Kam Gill, senior operations manager – loans service and collections, NewDay; Hope Bodle, senior manager - collections change and innovation, NewDay; Darren Guest, managing director, 1st Locate; Matthew Worsley, head of service delivery, 1st Locate; and Robert Thompson, partner – collections and recoveries, Brachers (RT)
ignores you via their requested channel then you have to do something else. So there is a point that you may have
to take a different path, but initially you must respect the customers preference for communication.
JSQ: You need to have flexibility, because, for us, all that ‘omni-channel’ means is that it opens up as many different opportunities to engage with that customer as possible. We will open up any and every channel available, which allows us to track that digital customer journey.
DC: I think that it is now fairly standard across the sector for systems to allow customers to move between channels at their own choice, but it is a question of getting the balance right and being able to open all those options.
I think the regulator could become concerned about the way some businesses market themselves, such as saying the customer journey is digitally processed, when in fact that may not be entirely correct
DC: The larger banks certainly can sometimes struggle with legacy systems, but then, because of that, they will often dictate to their third-parties how they should operate; and, actually, that can feel a little archaic for the DCAs and purchasers, whose systems are often much more developed and agile.
JB: From my perspective, I do not believe that the portal is just an additional tool. It is an aid yes but care for our customers is vital I think that you still have to speak with the customer (during the life of a relation- ship) and particularly when they are in the vulnerable space. The last thing you want is for them to entirely deal on their own through a portal, you have to be able to converse and care for those customers.
Customer expectations: how do processes compare when customers go through when obtaining finance and the collections process? Is there a disparity between digital channels and how do you bridge the gap? DC: I think that the regulator could become concerned about the way some businesses market themselves, such as saying the customer journey is
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Left-right: James Squires; Jattinder Singh; Jeremy Baber; Kam Gill March 2020
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