Chapter 5
Support should not end with settlement
Past-due shouldn’t mean overlooked
Just because a balance is resolved doesn’t mean the relationship is. For many customers, the collections experience leaves a lasting impression, good or bad. Brands that continue to provide support and care after resolution stand out not just as service providers, but as trusted partners. Many companies treat collections as a finish line. But in reality, it’s just another point along the customer journey. Your customers remember how they were treated when things were tough — and that memory shapes their loyalty and future behavior. By maintaining consistent care even after the debt is paid, brands can reinforce trust, rebuild goodwill and open the door to continued engagement.
Here are four best practices to keep in mind to show your support:
Maintain service quality and personalization before, during and after collections. Your tone, channels and support standards shouldn’t dip just because a customer is in collections. Ensure every interaction reflects your overall brand values.
Provide ongoing support channels for questions and guidance Offer post-resolution support via chat, phone or digital self-service tools. Customers may still have questions or want reassurance, and being available reinforces care.
Measure CX through surveys and feedback loops Don’t stop measuring experience just because the account was late. Feedback from collections interactions is gold for improving your strategy… and your brand perception.
Follow up with care, not pressure Re-engage customers gently, with thank-you messages, satisfaction surveys or helpful resources. Avoid overly transactional language or upselling too quickly.
For example, CX that is measured through surveys such as CSAT can be invaluable. Take Encore Capital Group, for example: in 2024, 92.5% of consumers who participated in a post-call survey rated their experience with their account manager as positive, with a score of 8 or 9 out of 9.6
What that looks like in action:
Send a thank-you message after resolution to acknowledge the customer and reinforce appreciation, not just closure.
Keep support channels open post-settlement through phone, chat, or digital self-service, so customers can easily reach out with questions or concerns.
Follow up with a satisfaction survey to gather insights and show customers their feedback still matters.
Reconnect with care-focused outreach, like helpful resources or check-ins, rather than pushing sales or upsells.
Maintain brand tone and service quality across all post-resolution interactions, treating collections customers with the same personalization and empathy as any other.
Use customer feedback and sentiment data to improve the post-collections experience and strengthen future CX strategy.
Real-world example
A fintech leader turns collections into customer care
A leading fintech company partnered with Foundever to improve delinquency rates and payment retention across multiple lines of business — from auto repair loans to newly launched credit card products. Customers often turned to this company in moments of financial stress, making the collections journey a critical touchpoint for long-term loyalty.
To ensure those moments were handled with care, our dedicated and comprehensive collections-expert leadership took the following steps:
- Designed a custom plan to accelerate performance, rooted in empathy
- Created tailored strategies utilizing Foundever Intelligent Treatment Paths for each delinquency bucket, aligning coaching and call-handling techniques
- Developed an organic growth plan for agents to advance in, from one bucket to another based on performance
- Strategized with month-to-month planning, identifying consumer accounts that are likely to bring their accounts to a current status
The results
increase in recurring automated payment (rACH) activations in early-stage delinquency
quality score with low variance vs. client audits
This success was about treating customers like people, especially during difficult conversations. By combining data-driven strategies with a human touch, the brand turned what could have been a point of friction into a foundation for trust and future engagement.
6 - Encore Capital Group, “Our industry leading consumer focus,” encorecapital.com.
Ebook
Humanizing CX in collections: How to balance empathy and efficiency
