arum news

Overcoming global challenges in collections resourcing

Forid Meah, Director of Advisory · 21 November 2023 · 3 minute read

Despite all the recent buzz about AI, thankfully there is still a role for us humans for a little while longer. So, it may not be a surprise that many employers are still struggling to find the right skills for their organisation.

Forid Meah, Director of Advisory at arum

Forid Meah
Director of Advisory, arum

Challenges in recruitment globall y

A key recruiting challenge in 2023 has been a shortage in candidates to fill key roles. This is partly due to a reduction in international travel, meaning a reduced supply of international candidates alongside other challenges such as economic uncertainty, interest rates challenges, changes to visa rules and supply chain issues. These problems are even more acute when seeking specialist skills, and in markets which face geographic barriers.

Combine these and you have a challenge that can dent your growth ambitions, and / or create significant risks to the successful delivery of business-critical change.

What's the solution?

There is no single solution that fits all circumstances unfortunately.

Your organisation may be able to unlock talent pools by investing in training, adopting flexible working patterns, and expanding the use of apprenticeships. Investing internally can stimulate company growth and minimise the cost of recruitment going forwards. This strategy is best suited to meet medium to long term needs.

If your needs are more immediate, or only for the short term, you need to look to partners to help you obtain the right skills. Recruitment agencies are a well-tested route, but this option still has substantial risks ensuring recruiters can attract the right skills and experience. And, you still need to integrate those skills which can be difficult especially when multiple roles are involved.

Resourcing issues in banking sector collections

In the fast-paced world of banking, effective collections system management is paramount to the smooth operation of financial institutions. Banks across the world use collections systems like Experian PowerCurve Collections, C&R Software Debt Manager and other leading systems to ensure regulatory compliance, maintain financial stability, and keep customers satisfied.

However, as these systems evolve, banks are confronted with the need for continuous upgrades and enhancements to stay agile in response to market dynamics and regulatory shifts.

But what happens when banks cannot find the right professionals with the necessary skills and expertise to manage these changes?

This was a challenge faced by some of the biggest banks in Australia and New Zealand who came to arum to help them with the following challenges:

Resource scarcity: In the competitive job markets of Australia and New Zealand, locating professionals well-versed in collections systems was a herculean task.
Expertise gap: In-house teams lacked the specialised knowledge required to effectively implement and upgrade complex collections systems.
Cost pressures: Hiring full-time staff for short-term projects was leading to cost overruns and unnecessary overheads, which were far from ideal in today's cost-conscious banking environment.
arum helped our global banking sector clients overcome these challenges

arum provided the perfect remedy to address these challenges head-on:

We provided access to global talent: arum has a global pool of collections system experts. We provided the right skills and experience precisely when the banks needed them face to face or utilising the latest remote working technologies.
Close collaboration: Our team are experts in collaborating with in-house teams working closely with them to ensure knowledge transfer and a smooth transition during system changes and upgrades.
Cost efficiency: Our model optimised costs by deploying arum's expertise on a project-by-project basis, eliminating the need for costly full-time, in-house resources.
Comprehensive support: We provided end-to-end support, from project planning and scoping to implementation, testing, and post-implementation monitoring.
Reduced risk: Our experts bring a wealth of experience and best practices to every project, safeguarding your interests. We helped overcome issues before they became problems.
Click below to find out more about how our expert team can help you overcome your resourcing challenges and release the full potential of your collections system.

About the author

Forid Meah

Director of Advisory, arum

Forid joined arum in 2019 as a Senior Consultant and progressed to his current role as Director of Advisory. During this time, he has helped collections and recoveries organisations solve complex problems, deliver significant change and materially improve collections performance across the UK, mainland Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Forid has more than 15 years of advisory experience, working with executive stakeholders across a range of industries and organisations of all sizes. His clients include the Department for Work and Pensions, Barnsley MBC, Hoist Finance, Starling Bank, Synchrony Bank, HSBC, NatWest, Close Brothers Motor Finance, Walker Love, The Digital DRA and Qualco Technology. Before joining arum, he advised major blue-chip organisations in retail, manufacturing, higher education, and local and central government.