Where an organisation needs to re-establish contact with its customers, the temptation may be to concentrate solely on trying to find the quickest and cheapest option on the market. Against this backdrop, some businesses may be tempted to choose what is often referred to as a ‘data cleansing’ product to provide a light-touch indication of where a customer is likely to be currently residing. In some circumstances, such a product is probably going to do the job it is designed to do perfectly adequately. In other situations though, such an approach could result in missed opportunities for the business concerned. If it was to be used in isolation, this type of solution could end up doing little or nothing to help the organisation rehabilitate its relationship with the customer in a meaningful way and in a manner that is potential beneficial to both parties.

Wescot points out that once a likely location has been identified for a previously gone-away customer, there is a lot to be said for attempting to make actual contact with that customer. Assuming of course, the agent involved in this is has the requisite skill-set, effective face-to-face re-engagement makes it much more likely that a solution to the outstanding issue will be worked out that meets the needs of the business in question and at the same time, is realistically achievable from the customer’s perspective. Wescot is a leading UK debt collection agency that appreciates the value of treating customers fairly. This ethos has obvious benefits to the customer. It has advantages for the business too. It makes it much more likely that a meaningful relationship between the organisation and the individual can continue to exist after the issue in hand has been sorted out.

Once a likely location has been identified for a previously gone-away customer, there are also advantages to making actual and meaningful contact from a compliance perspective. Under the current regulatory framework, it is no longer acceptable for a company to press on with formal action and to ignore the fact that telephone calls have gone unanswered or that letters have not been responded to. Nor is it acceptable to engage in aggressive door stepping or other forms of inappropriate behaviour. As well as falling foul of the regulations, such behaviour is likely to have significant reputational repercussions for the company involved.