Register with us for free to get unlimited news, dedicated newsletters, and access to 5 exclusive Premium articles designed to help you stay in the know.
Join the UK's leading credit and lending community in less than 60 seconds.
A campaign designed to encourage customers to actively engage with its members at the earliest opportunity has been launched by the Credit Services Association (CSA).
Editor at Credit Strategy. Previously held roles at Accountancy Age, Accountancy Daily and the Leicester Mercury.
The body, which represents debt collection agencies and debt purchasers, is running #heretohelp with the backing of the CICM and Money Advice Scotland. The campaign is also seeking to combat poor and misleading advice that many customers encounter online, which it warns can often make matters worse.
It is estimated that there are currently more than eight million people in debt in the UK, according to the Money and Pensions Service.
"This important new initiative shows our industry and our members at the heart of helping customers who are in financial difficulty,” said Peter Wallwork, CSA chief executive.
“We want to remove the understandable fear and uncertainty that many customers face. We want to build confidence in debt collection so that whatever their circumstances, people will know that they will be treated with fairness, understanding and compassion. We want everyone to get behind this serious drive to remove the stigma of debt once and for all."
Philip King, chief executive of the CICM added: “The campaign highlights the importance of talking to real people with the experience and expertise to improve customer outcomes, rather than trusting spurious and often poorly-informed advice being offered on the internet via consumer forums."
Credit Strategy is holding the Collections & Vulnerability Summit in Manchester on October 16, 2019. To see the agenda and to book your tickets, visit its website.
Get the latest industry news