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Login or register to view category criteria, what judges seek, and to start your entry. Select a category, edit your entries as needed, and submit when ready. To enter multiple categories, simply return to this page and restart the process by choosing a new one.
Important dates & information
An early entry fee of £188 +VAT will be applied until 06 June 2025. A standard entry fee of £298 +VAT will be applied until 11 July 2025.
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Whether that be support with writing your entries or suggestions on which categories are best fit for you, we’re here for you.
Financial Services categories
Agent of the Year
Who should enter?
An individual customer service/collections agent working for any of the following: Financial services firms, local authorities, central government departments or agencies, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms.
Agents working for an energy, water or telecoms company cannot enter this category.
Best Company to Work For
Who should enter?
Any UK creditor or supplier, operating in either the financial services sector, public sector or utilities & telecoms sector, which has made a step change in its existing procedures, operations and/or technology within their collections/customer services function, with demonstrable benefits for their organisation.
Best Conduct and Culture
Who should enter?
Financial services firms, local authorities, central government departments or agencies, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms, energy, water or telecoms companies.
Best Contact Centre Team
Who should enter?
Financial services firms, local authorities, central government departments or agencies, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms, utilities, and telecoms providers.
Excellence in Customer Service
Who should enter?
Financial services firms, local authorities, central government departments and government agencies, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms, energy, water, or telecoms companies.
Best Outsourcing and Partnership Initiative of the Year
Who should enter?
This award is for BPO providers, debt collection/purchase businesses, plus all other types of businesses and organisations working with, or providing services to either debt purchasers or creditors in the financial services, public sectors, and/or utilities & telecoms sector. Public sector here refers to both local and central government.
Debt advice bodies and publicly-funded organisations may also apply. Joint submissions are encouraged from third party partners and creditor organisations, to demonstrate how the firms have been working together to enhance business performance, reach satisfactory conclusions for all parties and enhance the customer journey.
Best Legal Services Provider
Who should enter?
Law firms with a strong or predominant focus on collections or litigation activity, legal divisions/companies within debt purchasers, legal divisions/companies owned by outsourcing companies, legal teams working within BPO businesses, legal teams and practitioners working within creditor organisations.
Best Public Sector Collections Team
Who should enter?
Collections teams from any of the following:
- A government department, authority or agency such as HMRC, DWP, Cabinet Office, Treasury, Border Agency, Insolvency Service.
- A local authority.
- Government-founded organisations such as UKAR and Student Loans Company.
- A joint venture between a private company and a government department/agency, such as Indesser.
- A private company whose team specialises in local authority, central government or government agency collections.
The winning entry will: Demonstrate how the team has achieved exemplary performance, both in achievement of KPIs, cash collections, conduct standards and genuine teamwork.
Best Technology Provider
Who should enter?
Technology and data services providers of all kinds, operating in either the financial services sector, public sector or utilities & telecoms sector, who are serving the collections function. Companies have the option of sending a joint entry with the user of their technology.
The company that created and provides the technology, along with the company deploying it, will both be named as joint entrants should the entry make it to the shortlist.
Creditors in the financial services or utilities & telecoms space may nominate a provider.
Best Use of Technology
Who should enter?
Any creditor in the financial services or utilities & telecoms space, or any debt purchaser, DCA, law firm, or credit reference agency, using technology to improve customer service in the collections and recoveries field. Alternatively, any combination of a technology user and supplier can submit a joint entry.
Technology can be viewed for this category in its broadest description – which can also include software applications and business methods. Examples will be needed as to how the technology has benefited the business operations or its service customers.
Best Vulnerable Customer Support Initiative
Who should enter?
Creditors in the financial services, utilities & telecoms or public sectors, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms.
Joint entries will be accepted from any of these companies and one of its service providers.
Best Vulnerable Customer Support Team
Who should enter?
Creditors in the financial services, utilities & telecoms or public sectors, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, debt advice and debt management providers, judicial services & enforcement providers, law firms.
Joint entries will be accepted from any of these companies and one of its service providers.
The entry must relate to one initiative undertaken in 2024/2025.
Debt Advice Provider of the Year
Who should enter?
Organisations that provide free or fee-charging debt advice, or personal debt solutions such as IVAs, debt management plans, bankruptcies, protected trust deeds, debt relief orders and the debt arrangement scheme in Scotland.
Debt Purchaser of the Year
Who should enter?
Any company purchasing, investing or co-investing in portfolios of consumer or commercial debt, in the financial services sector.
Excellence in Training
Who should enter?
Trade bodies, academic institutions, debt advice providers, consultancies, accountancy and professional services firms, law firms, banks and other financial services firms, utilities & telecoms companies, debt collection agencies, debt purchasers, BPOs & third party administrators, judicial services & enforcement providers.
The entry must document training services on either collections, debt advice, pre-arrears treatment, enforcement or litigation, which have been provided for creditors (financial services or utilities & telecoms), or firms operating in this space.
Responsible Debt Seller of the Year
Who should enter?
Any creditor or lender in the financial services, utilities or telecoms space, or if applicable, the public sector, that has sold portfolios or a single portfolio of performing or non-performing debt, comprising of consumer and/or commercial debt, in 2024/2025.
Special Award for CSR & Charitable Initiatives
Who should enter?
Any company, either creditor or otherwise, considering itself a part of the collections industry, which is active in the financial services, utilities & telecoms or public sectors. Public sector here refers to local and central government.
Energy, water or telecoms companies cannot enter this category.
Company Award for Climate Risk Action
Who should enter?
Any creditor in the financial services, utilities & telecoms or public sector, or any debt purchaser, DCA, BPO, law firm, credit reference agency, or any other service provider working for creditors in the public sector or financial services, where the service relates to collections.
Transformation Programme of the Year
Who should enter?
Any UK creditor or supplier, operating in either the financial services, utilities & telecoms or public sector, which has made a step change in its existing procedures, operations and/or technology within their collections/customer services function, with demonstrable benefits for their organisation.
Vulnerability Champion
Who should enter?
As opposed to a frontline agent, this category is for managers, senior managers, directors, divisional heads, c-suite executives, or any other business leaders, working for any of the following: creditors in the utilities and telecoms sector, financial services sector or public sector, DCAs, debt purchasers, BPOs and third-party servicers.
This individual must have led either an initiative, set of initiatives, programmes, policy or process changes, a team or set of teams, with a specific focus on supporting vulnerable customers.
Rising Star Award
Who should enter?
An individual working for any of the following: creditors in the utilities and telecoms sector, financial services sector or public sector, DCAs, debt purchasers, BPOs and third-party servicers, with less than five years’ industry service.
More information
Confidentiality
All materials will remain confidential to the judges. Winning case studies may be used in post-event materials to promote best practice but permission will be sought from entrants before publishing.
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