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Digital transformation is high on your agenda This one isn’t really a choice. The business sector is prone to disruption. There are estimates that new business models could impact up to 80% of existing business revenues by 2020. To compete, companies have to transform their business from the top down. Collection, as a central pillar of modern business, is not immune. Software makes your debt recovery easier, cheaper and more effective, while keeping customers happy and away from the amorous attentions of newcomers. You operate across different cultures As we said earlier, consumers aren’t all the same. They have different debts, requirements, needs and cultures. And if your organization is operating somewhere like the Middle East, cultural attitudes to debt play a big role. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, interest on late payments is prohibited under Sharia Law, and legal costs relating to enforcement proceedings are not always recoverable. In territories like Saudi Arabia, an inflexible approach to debt recovery won’t work. Cultural considerations take precedence over the debts owed to you, all without damaging your performance and efficiency. You want to introduce Artificial Intelligence into your collections Artificial Intelligence has already had an enormous impact in organizations, with applications ranging from fraud detection to customer service. Going forward, analysts expect Artificial Intelligence to save the business sector a lot of money by 2030. It is an exciting time, and for collections teams, there is a big opportunity, too. Collections software with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning elements can sift through mountains of data, spotting patterns and enabling smarter decisions by agents. It’s not just about software Of course, software isn’t the sole answer to efficiency. But collections software can help address the many issues we have identified in this article. With the right software and strategy operating in tandem, organizations can operate more efficiently and economically with improved customer service. For collections managers, effective software eliminates many of the frustrations inherent to the debt recovery process. No more cavernous spreadsheets or cumbersome CRMs, just peak performance for you and your collections team. Wasilwa Miriongi is a Certified Credit Professional currently working as the Managing Director, Del Creder Credit Management Limited. You can engage him on this or related matters via email at: [email protected].