Rescue

Collections technology implementation rescue and recovery.

Stalled programmes can recover. We find what's really wrong, stabilise delivery and get you back on track, and through to go-live.

99.8%

Of customer accounts migrated successfully over a single weekend, on a divestment programme that could not slip.

Source: arum, UK retail bank divestment migration
“I can confidently say without any doubt, arum became an intrinsic and well-respected part of the team, without whom we would not have achieved all that we have so successfully.”
Programme ManagerA top five UK retail bank

Sound familiar?

Implementation problems rarely arrive neatly labelled.

These are the situations clients describe when they call us. Every one of them can be recovered.
  • The go-live date has moved again, and confidence in the programme is falling.
  • The vendor, the implementation partner and your team don't agree on what's wrong.
  • Requirements have shifted and decisions have stalled.
  • Critical skills are missing from the team.
  • Testing, data migration or integration problems are blocking progress.
  • An AI pilot is stuck at governance, proof of concept or the move to live.
  • The programme looks busy, but nobody believes the plan will deliver.

What recovery looks like

A stalled programme can be back on a plan the business trusts within weeks.

Implementation rescue is the work of finding out why a collections technology programme has stalled, then getting it back to a plan the business can trust, and through to go-live.

Getting there quickly matters. Every month recovered brings the value forward, protects internal capacity and rebuilds confidence with the vendor and the board.

Where we start

Find the problem before trying to fix it.

We start with a rapid, evidence-led assessment. We review scope, requirements, governance, the plan, vendor commitments, team capability, dependencies, testing, data and readiness.

You get a clear diagnosis, the decisions that need making and a prioritised recovery plan.

The recovery

Five steps from stalled programme to controlled delivery.

  1. Diagnose

    Find what's really blocking progress, and where the programme, including any AI, is at risk.

  2. Reset

    Reconfirm scope, priorities, governance, responsibilities and a credible route to go-live.

  3. Resource

    Fill skill gaps, strengthen your team or provide the leadership and delivery team.

  4. Recover

    Drive the new plan, clear blockers, manage vendors and rebuild momentum.

  5. Go live

    Take the programme through testing, readiness and cutover, then stabilise it through hypercare.

The team

Recovery doesn't always mean replacing the team.

Sometimes a programme needs a reset and a few experienced specialists. Sometimes the team needs a lot more capacity. Sometimes we need to take responsibility for the recovery. We fit our role to the problem, not the other way round.

Case study

Delivery under pressure: a divestment with no room to slip.

Not every call is a rescue. Sometimes the plan simply can't be allowed to fail. A top five UK retail bank had a complex divestment to deliver. It needed a newly released version of Debt Manager live on a demanding timeline, with little specialist capability in-house.

Our Debt Manager specialists worked across the whole programme. They rebuilt the environment, designed the migration of more than 60,000 customer accounts and supported the bank from mobilisation to post go-live.

The migration completed over a single weekend. 99.8% of accounts moved successfully, collections carried on without disruption and the programme landed on time and on budget. The bank was left able to manage and evolve the solution itself.

99.8%

Of customer accounts migrated successfully, over a single weekend

60,000+

Customer accounts migrated, on time and on budget

Why arum

Part of the largest rescue operations in collections for 28 years.

A fresh perspective

We don't need to defend the original technology decision, vendor or plan.

We know how programmes recover

We have seen the recurring issues that stall collections programmes, including AI programmes, and what gets them moving again.

The team that finds the cause helps fix it

No hand-off between advisers and a separate delivery team.

9.25 out of 10

Clients who would recommend arum, across 16 client surveys.

FAQs

Questions about recovery

How do you know whether a programme can be recovered?
We start with a rapid, evidence-led assessment. It shows the real causes, the remaining risks and whether the current scope, plan and delivery model are credible.
Do you have to replace our current team?
No. Often we strengthen the existing team. Where a bigger intervention is needed, we can lead the recovery or provide a broader delivery team.
Will you work with our existing vendor?
Yes. Rescue is about getting the programme delivered. We work with your teams, vendors and partners, and reset responsibilities and governance where needed.
Can you take the programme all the way to go-live, and beyond?
Yes. We can move from diagnosis into delivery, through testing, migration, cutover, go-live and hypercare. Once it's stable, Optimise can improve adoption and value.
Do you rescue AI programmes too?
Yes. The same diagnose, reset and recover approach works for AI pilots and programmes stuck at governance, procurement or deployment.

Let's talk.

Still waiting for go-live? Thirty minutes with one of our senior experts. Tell us where the programme is stuck, and we'll help you decide what to look at first.
General enquiry
  • AtlantaAtlanta Financial Center, 3343 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 145, Atlanta, GA 30326
  • London1 Lyric Square, London W6 0NB
  • Sydney97-99 Bathurst St, Suite 1087, Ground Floor, Sydney NSW 2000