Effective Customer Communication Enables a Successful Debt Collection Process for PayEx
Sometimes, customers fail to pay their invoices on time. Debt collection is the systematic process of following up on and recovering outstanding debts. Unpaid invoices not only mean lost revenue and reduced liquidity for businesses, but they also risk damaging customer relationships.
Since its founding on Gotland in 1972, PayEx has been driving innovation in the industry and is now the Nordic region’s leading expert in billing and financing services. PayEx offers payment solutions, including invoicing and debt collection services. With extensive experience in respectful and balanced debt management, PayEx understands that debt collection is also part of the overall customer experience.
“There has always been inefficiency in making outbound calls—our agents spend a lot of time listening to ringtones and voicemails instead of actually talking to customers and reaching agreements. To address this, we were drawn to Wiraya’s solution, as it seemed both simple and well-established.”
Product Manager, PayEx
The Challenge
Rasmus Nordborg, Product Manager responsible for debt collection in Sweden, explains that PayEx has long used outbound calls as part of its collection process. However, in recent years, they have found this approach increasingly challenging.
Together with Wiraya, PayEx has adjusted its customer communication strategy to increase the number of successfully collected debts, improve the customer experience, and streamline internal operations.
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LF Västernorrland helped customers take action on unpaid invoices and book proactive insurance reviews.
“Together with Wiraya, we have automated our outbound calls in a highly effective way. This allows our agents to focus on providing the best possible service to customers. Thanks to Wiraya’s platform, we can also monitor and adjust the volume of incoming calls in real time, helping us optimize our team’s staffing and workload.”
Product Manager, PayEx
The Solution
Recovering overdue payments is a challenging task. These are customers who, despite previous reminders, have not paid their debts and have therefore entered PayEx’s debt collection process. Debt collection can be a sensitive issue and must be handled not only correctly but also tactfully to maintain customer trust in the company. This requires both effective customer communication and a clear plan for how information is conveyed throughout the process.
Wiraya and PayEx have implemented a new customer communication strategy using pre-recorded outbound calls. These phone calls are interactive, and depending on how the customer behaves in the call there is always a follow-up SMS sent to align with the customer’s behavior. This creates a seamless and personalized communication experience, effectively guiding the customer through each step of the process.
For PayEx, this approach ensures they reach customers with outstanding debts, alert them to the issue, and provide simple guidance on next steps. The pre-recorded calls cut through the noise and offer customers a quick way to receive personal assistance. Customers can use keypad selections to either connect directly with a PayEx agent or choose to manage the payment themselves. By offering multiple options, the likelihood of achieving the desired customer behavior increases. At the same time, PayEx agents can work more efficiently, focusing their efforts on customers who need and want assistance.
“Right from the start, we saw a return of twice our investment cost. If we also account for the increased efficiency among our agents, there’s no doubt that this is a highly valuable investment.”
Product Manager, PayEx
