Wescot knows technology ought to be combined with communication skills to deliver best outcomes

For those individuals or organisations looking to outsource debt collection work, it is worth taking time to work out a list of priorities of what they want from a service provider. Value for money is likely to be top of the list (especially for those businesses that are still recovering from the effects of the economic downturn). Another item that ought to be high in any list of priorities is fair treatment of customers.

Those organisations unfamiliar with the workings of the debt collections niche may assume that fair treatment of customers is more to do with pure ethics and bears little or no relationship to achieving successful outcomes. In fact, as the leading UK debt collection agency Wescot demonstrates, fair treatment of customers tends to result in outcomes from which all parties benefit. This particular company has been at the forefront of best practice and has a proven track record when it comes to setting an example to other operators within this niche.

wescotUse of technological solutions has an important part to play in this particular sector, as Wescot is well aware. Many companies use ‘smart data’ tools in which databases are cross-referenced as a method of tracing customer with whom organisations have lost contact. These can be useful but they can also have their limitations. One issue is that the majority of operators in this field use similar types of credit reference agency lead-generation data tools. The same information and data sources tend to be accessed on multiple occasions. If part of that information happens to be incorrect, multiple mis-traces can happen. It can be all too easy to assume the data is valid when in fact it is not. One of the unfortunate consequences of this can be that third parties are contacted in error on multiple occasions by multiple organisations.

Wescot knows that technology, when used in isolation or when put to use by inexperienced staff can have its limitations. When it comes to tracing customers, the company uses effective validation technologies coupled with experienced staff. Once a likely trace has been established, the company also recognises the value of re-establishing meaningful contact with that customer. This provides the opportunity for outstanding issues between organisations and their customers to be resolved in a manner that is appropriate to the circumstances of the customer.

Wescot knows the potential value of combining effective tracing methods with actual customer contact

wescotSome organisations may be tempted to look for a ‘quick fix’ approach to tracing customers with whom they have lost contact. This is especially the case in the current economic climate where companies are keen to keep overheads to a minimum as they recover from the deepest recession for decades. A trend over recent years has been the development of ‘data cleansing’ solutions. These are often referred to as ‘light touch’ indicators of where an individual customer may currently be living. This approach is often coupled with treating all or the majority of gone-away debt scenarios as ‘trace and collect’. This type of approach might be appropriate in many situations. As Wescot is aware however, businesses may be missing out on valuable opportunities if they rely solely on this type of method. An organisation may find there are considerable advantages to making actual and meaningful contact once customers have been traced.

Rather than taking formal action against the customer once he or she has been re-located, there is a lot to be said for making contact and attempting to resolve the outstanding issue in a sensible way. Responsibility for regulation of the consumer credit niche has now been transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority. One of the implications of this is that there is a much greater emphasis on delivering outcomes appropriate to the customer as an individual. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer acceptable. Rather, companies need to have procedures in place that take into account the personal circumstances of the individual. There is certainly room for high-tech solutions in the tracing and debt collection (especially when it comes to data validation, appropriate data handling and avoiding the type of situation where third parties are repeatedly contacted in error). At the same time however, organisations should also seek out those agencies who appreciate the value of engaging with customers in an effective way.

There is also an important reputational element to this. It is no longer acceptable for organisations to decide on a certain course of action merely because letters and telephones have gone unanswered. Organisations that engage in inappropriate behaviour risk serious damage to their brand image. Wescot is a natural choice as the provider of trace and debt collection solutions for organisations looking for a company with a proven track record in both data validation and treating customers fairly.

Wescot appreciates making actual customer contact is a vital element of effective tracing

Where an organisation needs to re-establish contact with its customers, the temptation may be to concentrate solely on trying to find the quickest and cheapest option on the market. Against this backdrop, some businesses may be tempted to choose what is often referred to as a ‘data cleansing’ product to provide a light-touch indication of where a customer is likely to be currently residing. In some circumstances, such a product is probably going to do the job it is designed to do perfectly adequately. In other situations though, such an approach could result in missed opportunities for the business concerned. If it was to be used in isolation, this type of solution could end up doing little or nothing to help the organisation rehabilitate its relationship with the customer in a meaningful way and in a manner that is potential beneficial to both parties.

wescotWescot points out that once a likely location has been identified for a previously gone-away customer, there is a lot to be said for attempting to make actual contact with that customer. Assuming of course, the agent involved in this is has the requisite skill-set, effective face-to-face re-engagement makes it much more likely that a solution to the outstanding issue will be worked out that meets the needs of the business in question and at the same time, is realistically achievable from the customer’s perspective. Wescot is a leading UK debt collection agency that appreciates the value of treating customers fairly. This ethos has obvious benefits to the customer. It has advantages for the business too. It makes it much more likely that a meaningful relationship between the organisation and the individual can continue to exist after the issue in hand has been sorted out.

Once a likely location has been identified for a previously gone-away customer, there are also advantages to making actual and meaningful contact from a compliance perspective. Under the current regulatory framework, it is no longer acceptable for a company to press on with formal action and to ignore the fact that telephone calls have gone unanswered or that letters have not been responded to. Nor is it acceptable to engage in aggressive door stepping or other forms of inappropriate behaviour. As well as falling foul of the regulations, such behaviour is likely to have significant reputational repercussions for the company involved.

Wescot knows traditional standards of professionalism are still vital if companies wish to reduce mis-trace scenarios

So far as the credit services sector is concerned, a lot of changes have occurred over the last five years since the beginning of the economic downturn. Some of those changes have come about as a consequence of the new regulatory framework ushered in by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Other changes are linked to the habits and circumstances of consumers.

wescotBefore 2008, there was a much higher prevalence of interest-only and high loan-to-value mortgages. Over the last five years, these products have either disappeared completely or else have become much less common. This has implications for those companies who operate within the credit services industry and whose services include attempting to make contact with customers with whom businesses have lost contact. More individuals (especially would-be first time buyers and younger people) are more likely to be living in short-term rental arrangements. There is also a greater likelihood that customers are living with friends or family under informal arrangements. For those involved in the consumer credit industry, this can make it difficult to differentiate between the type of scenario where a customer has moved on and has merely forgotten to update his or her contact details and those situations where customers are actively trying to ignore attempts to re-establish contact.

What has also happened over the last few years is that more organisations are relying on ever-more technologically-driven methods of tracing customers. As Wescot understands, there is definitely a place for technology when it comes to validating customer details and ensuring that customer contact details and other information is correct. As far as Wescot is concerned, this is all part and parcel of treating customers fairly. Nevertheless, there may be limitations to relying solely on what is generally referred to as ‘smart data’. The company points to a noticeable correlation between the use of smart-data driven products on the one hand and an increase on mis-trace situations across the industry as a whole on the other.

Technology is a useful tool; but so is proven experience. Wescot is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is a member of the Credit Services Association. The company has the processes in place to ensure full compliance with those bodies’ rules and guidelines. The company successfully combines up-to-date validation processes with vast experience in the field.

Customer Engagement and Collections Trends in the Debt Recovery Industry

In keeping with an increasingly customer-centric approach towards collections taken by the debt recovery industry in the UK, leading agency Wescot has worked to ensure the development of enhanced arrangement management processes. The improved processes will help make certain that reasoning behind defaults is understood and also to enable appropriate action when needed to maintain an affordable repayment plan. The improved arrangement management will help determine what should be done in a given situation, taking into consideration any changes that have occurred in the circumstances of the customer.

A review of Wescot’s collections performance over the 12-month period before September 2013 demonstrated a significant increase in overall collections delivery from prime banking stock across that period. The improvement, in excess of 15%, occurred although the market has been experiencing economic and regulatory pressures that might have been expected to induce a downward trend. The shape of recovery curves is being altewescotred by customer-centric and other practices that have recently come into use in the debt recovery industry. There has been a greater focus on delivery of top-quality customer contacts, alongside investment in improved and ongoing processes of arrangement management. There has also been more of a focus on productive customer engagement and working on delivering repayment plans that are sustainable.

While lower contact conversion rates have been observed, with a coinciding reduction in initial break-in delivery, this has not prevented uplift in collections delivery trends. The uplift can be credited in part to improved stick rates and the benefit built from them in the long run. That in turn provides an explanation for the significant growth in established, paying stock’s value that Wescot has recently observed. The current collections trends indicate the increasing embedded value of recoveries stock. A larger number of truly sustainable repayment plans are being established and managed in the industry, driving that increase in value.

The long-term benefits of positive customer engagement is shown by these recent results, with more appropriate outcomes for lenders and individuals emerging from a compliant collections approach. Debt collection agency investment in analytical capability as well as technology is vital to the success of this approach, as it provides for the optimisation of positive contacts. Further, organisations should invest in agent development so that customer interactions can be of a consistently high quality. A strong long-term collections curve is likely with a sustainable cash flow coming from repayment stock.

Debt Collection Agencies and Effective Customer Interaction

wescotGoneaways have become more difficult to identify for debt collection agencies, complicating tracing methods utilised in order to access and interact with customers. It used to be the case that all goneaways could be identified quite easily and treated equally, but major changes in the industry and in housing have made this much more difficult. The industry is facing the challenge of ensuring that organisations avoid repeated, contact with third parties to whom the relevant accounts do not belong. Such incorrect contact has significant consumer impact and this is among the issues Wescot, along with other ethical debt collection agencies, wish to resolve.

One problem facing the industry is the tendency of many organisations to regard trace activity as a mere exercise in data gathering and not as an investment. This attitude has led several organisations to choose cheap and quick approaches to trace and to miss out on the benefits, to the consumer and organisation, of approaching trace with more care and attention. The necessity of finding solutions that enable ethical and effective customer interaction, in particular with no-contact segments, is becoming increasingly pressing within a culture that is more and more customer-centric. It is estimated that 30-40% of no-contact segment populations are ‘hidden’ goneaways and how to approach this issue remains a major concern within the industry.

Simon Armitage, the head of product development at Wescot, has emphasised the vital importance of customer contact. It is clear that investing in the cost associated with a trace or a contact is critical in many cases, but the industry remains challenged by how organisations within it may demonstrate a good return against such investments made. The value of such investments, Armitage says, is in the results’ visibility alongside the organisation’s consequent capability, which is to consider the results in question and apply the most appropriate treatment. Mis-use of third-party data is unlikely when this approach is taken. It is also the case that correct, ethical treatment is made easier, with appropriate ways of dealing with the situation being clearer in such instances. Older tracing formats are evolving alongside the emergence of new trace products to accommodate this responsible approach. The broader market can significantly benefit, alongside organisations in the sector, from a product that delivers live customer contact and not merely data validation in its basic form.

Improving Trace Procedures

wescotAn integral part of collecting debts is the trace procedure, which is why companies like Wescot are able to find the customers and begin the collection process. Given that the company will only receive payment from a client once the collection has been made, it is important that the trace procedure is as efficient as possible. Customer’s residency is a common issue with tracing as residency is far more fluid and transitional than in years gone by. With the rise in people renting as opposed to getting a mortgage, customers are able to move around a lot quicker, which makes for a large number of mis-trace results if data sources are not cleansed regularly.

Another significant change to the way that debts are collected is the switch from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as to which body regulates debt recovery and management. The FCA has enforced new rules regarding the image of the industry as a whole and how customers are treated once they have been found. ‘Goneaways’ is the term used for customers who cannot be contacted and it is estimated that 30-40% of those who have not replied are in fact a goneaway. The FCA has ruled that companies can no longer ignore a goneaway customer.

There is one important way in which companies such as Wescot can continue to thrive despite the fluid nature of customer residency, as well as not only abiding by the rules as set down by the FCA, but embracing them. Contacting customers is the only sure way to validate the data as presented by a credit reference agency (the common database provider that many debt recovery agencies use). A potential solution to this growing problem of goneaways is using a service that relies on live customer contact. This will ensure that the company is in line with the FCA’s requirements to improve customer service.

Tracing costs money as much as it costs the company time to complete a successful trace. By creating a new live customer contact product, debt recovery companies will see a greater improvement in a number of aspects.

Wescot | Experian’s ExPin Service Receives New Client

Experian is one of the largest credit management companies in the world, they are most famous for leading the way in providing rapid results on credit history checks, ensuring that lenders know exactly who they are about to hand a loan over to. While Experian is based in Dublin, they have operational centres in Nottingham, Sao Paulo and in California and they employ a total of 17000 people. Their job is to compile all the data on purchases, income and outgoings on individuals so that when that individual next goes to apply for credit, they can quickly give the lender an assessment on whether they can afford it or not. ExPin is the name of the new system that Experian have developed to further assist third parties in lending.

ExPin’s focus is on the customers of Experian’s clientele. The system compiles data from Experian’s already considerably database and then delivers this information directly to the client. Each ExPin client is given a bespoke service that matches the customers that they might come into contact with, it constantly updates itself so wescotthat the information is always current and relevant to the transaction they are about to make. The quantitative assessment that ExPin will make for clients will take a lot of the hassle out of making a credit assessment themselves, and clients can have confidence in the accuracy of the results that the system provides.

Recently, as part of a multimillion pound deal, Experian have teamed up with Wescot, a debt recovery agency from Glasgow, to allow them to use the ExPin system. This move is set to rapidly speed up the process with which they can recover debts. There are a certain amount of pressures on debt recovery agencies to act within stricter guidelines as per the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as well as the limited funds available to most people as a result of the global financial crisis. By utilising the ExPin system, Wescot are now able to rapidly make an assessment on just how much the customers can pay by looking at how much money they spend each month.

The speed at which ExPin can now deliver results to the clients of Experian has helped to ensure the credit management company’s success in the future as well as helping thousands of clients make credit decisions across the world.

Wescot | Efficient Complaints Process for Debt Recovery

WescotFor many large companies, it is important that they should attempt to speed up the efficiency of all the processes that enable the business to keep running. This goes for not just the primary systems that make up the initial business model, be that credit lending or selling watches, but the background processes that are necessary for any business to work, departments such as human resources have to be as efficient as possible reduce costs for the business as a whole. The Equinti group specialises in improving these systems through the use of IT programmes and software. One of the more common products that Equinti offer is called Perito and the Perito system is used extensively in automating many processes and actively reducing the costs for Equinti’s clients.

One of Equinti’s current clients is a credit management company from Glasgow. Wescot is one of the UK’s largest debt recovery companies, employing over 650 people in three locations throughout the North. Because the debt recovery industry has recently been put under increased pressure from the new regulatory body, the Financial Conduct Authority, companies have had to greatly improve their customer relations and complaint management systems. Perito is one such automated system that has been shown to reduce the ‘risk associated with manual processes’, so says a spokesperson for the debt recovery company. Wescot is now in a position whereby they can much more efficiently deal with complaints from third parties by utilising the Perito system. Each mistake that is left absent by implementing Perito is a mistake that will no longer affect the running of the business. The programme works by sorting the complaints into a database with each one ranked in severity. This means that the more imperative complaints will be dealt with quicker, in accordance with the FCA regulations.

Equinti have worked closely with large IT companies, Microsoft and IBM in order to create their automated IT systems. With the backing and support of these companies, clients of Equinti can rest assured that the most efficient and best quality programmes are in their hands, actively contributing to both a more efficient and cost effective business. For Equinti, their philosophy is the continued reduction in unnecessary costs and this can be seen through the software programmes that they develop.

Wescot / Treating Customers Fairly

As one of the largest debt collecting agencies in the UK, Wescot Credit Services takes its responsibility as a market leader extremely seriously. As an ethical company Wescot focuses on compliance at the centre of everything it does, not only surpassing everyone else in the filed in terms of levels of compliance, but also helping to shape certain government regulations. Treating Customers Fairly is also at the heart of the Wescot values, with the 650-strong team striving to always exceed client expectations and to deliver solutions which maximise profitability. Professionalism and quality are ever watchwords at Wescot, a quality assured company accredited to the BSi 9001:2000 quality standard, active member of the Credit Services Association and keen supporter of the free Money Advice Agency Network.

WescotAs an employer, Wescot recognise that people are their most valuable asset. Wescot believe in treating their employees as fairly as they treat their customers and aim to make each role in the company one which provides job satisfaction and enjoyment for the mutual benefit of Wescot as a whole and the individual employee. Wescot is committed to the learning and development of all employees and each has equal access to training sessions and independent learning opportunities both within the company and externally.

As a prime services provider in the credit industry, Wescot maintain the highest quality levels of service at all times, seeking not to meet but to exceed client expectations and provide a service which is tailored to individual specific needs, which are identified through close working relationships. The general public has lost a lot of faith in the financial services industry over the past few years. Wescot are committed to rebuilding relationships based on trust in order to instil a new faith in the credit services sector, by maintaining high quality products and services which meet client needs and deliver effective solutions for both companies and individuals. Wescot endeavour to protect investment and brand for each client through a fully tailored service package, which goes above and beyond each and every time.