PreCollect

Our largest challenge in debt recovery is communicating effectively with consumers.  While contact by telephone has been the primary means to communicate for years, today’s consumers prefer alternate methods to communicate particularly by age group.   As an industry, we can no longer rely solely on telephone calls or letters.  To be successful, we need to employ multiple methods to reach the maximum number of consumers.  Statics support websites are having a positive impact, however many consumers do not like to read a long text document.  Therefore in response to these tendencies,  Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is using Avatar presentations to enhance the consumer experience.   By employing an Avatar to present essentially the same information a collection representative would say on a telephone call, we now can reach more consumers who prefer not to talk to a live representative.

We recommend the use of Avatars for your organization and suggest using them early in the collection process as a pre-collect or early stage effort for 90-120 day program.  We believe many consumers will listen to the Avatar Q&A’s and elect to pay without speaking to a live representative.  CRI can offer a customized Avatar program for you at a much lower cost than a traditional third party collection referral.  The key is no proactive human involvement.  Of course this program can be expanded to provide additional communications for your organization as it is customizable.

“Avatars are the perfect answer to improving effective communication for your employees and customers.  The time is right to employ them in support of your business as they satisfy various business needs.” said Don Taylor, CRI’s Chief Strategy Officer.

Avatars also can speak in multiple languages, can be played on computers, tablets or smart phones.  One way to look at the use of Avatars is to relate it to a personal video, but using an Avatar supports longevity as the Avatar never leaves your organization.  It can be changed easily to adjust the text or personalize it using a custom background in addition to the spoken text. Avatars can be made in any likeness should a custom Avatar be desired. Using Avatars for training will revolutionize the process making your employees more knowledgeable. We are excited to employ Avatars for training!

Excerpt from a  Stanford University Study on “The Benefits of Interactive Online Characters:”

Research about interactive characters suggests substantial opportunities for them to enhance online experiences.  Automated characters take advantage of social responses that are natural reactions to interactive media.  They can be perceived as realistic and well- liked social partners in conversations that simulate real-world interactions. Characters can express social roles, emotions, and organized personalities that match learning goals, company brands, and transaction needs.  Characters can increase the trust that users place in online experiences, in part because they make online experiences easier.

CRI is also promoting the use of Avatars for training staff or communicating with customers.  To see more information on this topic, please click on this link https://www.central-research.com/training/.