As part of their UK consumer credit offering, the bank operates a large outstanding revenue collections division employing over 90 collection consultants. One of the department’s key objectives is to make contact with consumer debtors who have defaulted on their credit agreement with a view to arranging suitable collection terms.

In a continued effort to increase collection revenues, the bank performed a number of trial and error type experiments to find the most effective process for contacting and managing communication with their debtors. Completely by accident during this trial and error process, the bank discovered that by presenting a mobile CLI (Caller Line Identification) when attempting to contact debtors by telephone, they were much more likely to have the call answered than when they presented any other CLI or withheld the number all together. As a direct result of this discovery they found that they significantly increased their ability to arrange recovery of debts and so their collections revenues also climbed. The more debtors they were able to contact, the higher the success for arranging suitable collection. The bank decided to progress the project by providing all of their call centre operatives with a standard mobile handset to contact debtors on their landline or mobile numbers from details on a desktop CRM display. The project proved a great success and as they first thought, as a direct result of the increased success rate to communicate with debtors, our client saw a significant increase in collection revenues.

Having discovered this unique formula for increasing collections the bank faced some additional challenges before they could proceed with a fully working solution. The bank’s first problem was a legal one. One of the FSA’s regulations for communicating with debtors requires the creditor to record all telephone conversations with their customer for security and monitoring purposes. Our client had to find a way of continuing to present the mobile CLI whilst making sure that the conversations were being recorded to conform to this FSA regulation.

In addition, our client required a solution that enabled debtors who missed the call, to have the ability to call back to the correct team who originated the contact so to improve continuity of service and increase the accuracy of management information.

Packet Media supplied an initial consultation during which a detailed requirement brief was taken and a subsequent site survey was carried out.

Packet Media then presented the Bank with a tailored solution addressing all the key success criteria. Packet Media were to supply, install and maintain an intelligent GSM Routing solution.

Packet Media’s solution would hold 60 SIM cards across 60 SIM engines and be connected directly via E1 to The Bank’s main telephone system. All calls from the collection consultancy teams both here in England and additional call traffic travelling over IP from Dublin would be channelled through to the Bank’s main telephone system. The call would then seamlessly be routed to an available SIM engine and connected to the terminating party, CLI presented. In addition, all calls routed through the main telephone system would be routinely recorded by the onboard Voice Recording facility and therefore conform with the FSA regulation.

In addition, Packet Media were able to assist The Bank in configuring their telephone system so that debtors who missed the call were able to call back to the CLI presented and make contact with the original team who placed the call.

Packet Media successfully supplied, installed and now maintains the solution. The Bank has seen even greater increases to their collection revenues and has recently discovered another part of the business where an identical solution would add great value. Packet Media are in the consultation process to specify and tailor the solution to meet with this particular department’s requirements.

The Bank are currently using SIM cards in Packet Media’s device with a flat rate to call UK cross network at 15p. Phase 2 of this project is now well under way with Packet Media making recommendations for a suitable tariff to reduce however small in comparison, ever increasing costs associated with this new found successful revenue collection formula.