The credit management industry is being challenged: How do you put the user first and bring empathy to digital (debt collection) experiences? In a digitizing society, the gap between users and service providers is growing. Evaluating the impact of developments is essential for improving the customer experience. Jasper Kense, UX Designer at coeo, sees a positive trend. “The role of human-centered design in credit management is growing, making collection processes more accessible and modern.”

What exactly does HCD entail?

Human-centered design (HCD) is the design discipline concerned with designing an experience that puts the user first. It helps establish a level of empathy that makes any experience human. This balances the often static digital experience with a service that is accessible to its users. By deploying deep user understanding and dialogue, we work toward a more inclusive collection process with high customer satisfaction.

The user as co-pilot

“Applying HCD is all about addressing user concerns,” Jasper said. “Regular user surveys reveal improvements in usability, while deep user understanding is gained through both quantitative and qualitative research.

In the challenging debt collection industry, this is especially complex because people don’t always feel comfortable sharing their experiences with debt and are careful to trust. Nevertheless, dialogue with customers is essential, even when it is difficult. At coeo, these insights are considered crucial benchmarks, making debt collection processes more accessible to users.”

Challenges of the credit management industry

“Within credit management, challenges and opportunities around digitization go hand in hand,” Jasper also observes. “Especially in the ever-changing debt collection industry where new rules and regulations call for smart and innovative solutions. Gaining the trust of consumers in these sensitive situations requires a careful approach and some distance. coeo understands the importance of a well-thought-out user experience (UX) to address these unique challenges. The technical and flexible nature of coeo allows for design adjustments to be made quickly, which has led to internal initiatives to promote HCD, with the goal of accommodating customers in difficult situations and providing a unique and personalized experience.”

A more inclusive collection process through a human-centered perspective

“At coeo, we are increasingly adopting these design methods. New projects are designed to make the debt collection experience more enjoyable for every customer. We work closely with people who share their debt experience. Conversations with users reveal new needs. This gives us tools for an increasingly inclusive debt collection process.

We work closely with people who share their debt experience. This input is then used to create a more accessible debt collection process. Examples include the introduction of a read-aloud button, new letters in more understandable Dutch and one central place to quickly gain insight into your financial situation. In this way, people in financial stress are relieved as much as possible.

Thanks to HCD, we are making debt collection processes more inclusive. We work with users to understand their needs. The whole user experience takes on a new dimension. Empathetic debt collection becomes the norm, and our high customer satisfaction scores prove it. User surveys show our progress: the experience is now more unique, personal and accessible than ever.”

By: Jasper Kense | Original article on www.coeo-incasso.nl

Jasper Kense
User Experience Designer

Jasper Kense specializes in Design for Interaction and Strategic Product Design. In 2022 from TU Delft, Jasper did research on an inclusive revision of the private debt collection process and recognition of vulnerable groups with an inclusive debt process. Since 2021, Jasper has been involved with coeo and currently works as a freelance User Experience Designer, helping coeo put the customer at the center of its customer journey. “In my work you will find that I am committed and progressive. I like to think about problems practically and solve them purposefully. Listening to different parties and finding compromises are my strong assets.”