We recently started a series of blogs about how growing organisations can scale their collections and recoveries. In our last piece, I talked at a high level about the key areas to focus on.
In this article, I want to take a deep dive into how you can leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scale faster, make data-driven decisions, offer more personalised services, improve efficiencies and maximise recoveries – an absolute must to stay competitive as the demand for seamless, customer-centric financial services grows.
Enhancing your decision-making
Data is the lifeblood of a modern organisation and analysing it with speed and accuracy can help inform better decisions. Areas to explore include:
Predictive analytics
AI can analyse large datasets, predict payment likelihood, and identify debtors at risk of default. By segmenting customers based on their financial behaviours, collection agencies can target the right customers at the right time with personalised messages.
Real-time monitoring and reporting
Automated systems provide real-time data and insights into the health of the collections process. With continuous monitoring, businesses can track real time key performance indicators (KPIs), identify bottlenecks, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Optimising your customer engagement
Modern collections strategies need to focus on maintaining a positive customer experience to foster long-term relationships and avoid reputational damage. Areas to explore include:
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
AI-driven chatbots powered by NLP enable efficient, human-like interactions with customers. They can assist with queries, negotiate payment plans, and even handle disputes, improving customer satisfaction while reducing operational costs.
Efficient workflow management
AI based automation eliminates manual efforts by enabling self-service portals, automated payment reminders and scheduled calls. It allows teams to focus on more complex, high-value tasks instead of routine administrative work.
Protecting your business
We are all aware of threats to our technology, but we also need to think about threats to the health of our collections organisation. Areas to explore include:
Regulatory compliance
Treating customers fairly and ethically is essential in building trust and avoiding complaints. AI can help ensure that collection practices comply with regulations like GDPR, ensuring customers’ data is secure and their rights are protected.
Fraud detection
AI algorithms are adept at identifying fraud in early stages by recognising abnormal patterns in repayment histories. This adds a layer of security to collections and reduces the risk of financial loss.
Robust controls
Automation tools help standardise processes, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring adherence to best practices and legal requirements. For example, automated systems can flag cases where collections are handled incorrectly or where customer treatment falls below standard expectations.
Improving your P&L
The implementation of AI and automation in collections not only improves efficiency but also drives significant P&L (Profit and Loss) benefits, including:
Reduced operational costs
AI-based automated workflows help streamline repetitive tasks, enforce controls, and ensure consistency, which is especially important in smaller businesses where cost pressures can have a disproportionate impact on growth. Automating processes such as sending reminders and managing disputes reduces the need for large teams of agents. This leads to a reduction in labour costs, boosting overall profitability.
Higher recovery rates
By using predictive analytics and personalised engagement, businesses can prioritise collections efforts on debtors more likely to repay, leading to higher recovery rates and improved cashflow.
Lower compliance costs
Automated controls ensure that collections processes are compliant with evolving regulations, reducing the risk of fines and penalties associated with non-compliance.
By leveraging AI and automation in the collections and recoveries process, you can not only improve operational efficiency but also enhance customer engagement and maximise profitability. As we look to the future, the successful adoption of these technologies will be key to driving sustainable growth in the debt management industry.
Not sure where to start?
Arum has a global team of specialists in collections and recoveries that can assist you with your growth journey in any of these areas.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’d love to offer you a free one-day review workshop that looks at your entire collections operation, followed by a report of our findings and recommendations. This will help you to identify and prioritise areas to focus on as you scale.
Register for your free workshop and report
About the author
Forid Meah
Head of Advisory Services
Arum
Forid joined Arum in 2019 as a senior consultant and is now our Head of Advisory Services. He has over 25 years’ experience delivering transformational change and performance improvement in both small and complex organisations, across multiple industries and geographies. Forid draws upon the full range of Arum’s skills and capabilities to support organisations in improving every aspect of their collections and recoveries.