Bristow & Sutor wins Silver at UK Digital Experience Awards
Bristow & Sutor and Palladium Digital have been named as runners-up in the Digital Change & Transformation category at DXA’20.
DXA’20, the UK Digital Experience Awards, is run by Awards International. Founded in 2008, the organisation aims to encourage and reward examples of positive business practice. This year, finalists across 11 categories included the likes of BT, Plusnet, Mitie, EE and Octopus Energy.
One of the leading debt recovery specialists in the UK, Bristow & Sutor found themselves and Palladium Digital competing against ASDA in partnership with HCL Technologies, Chipside, Ascenti Publicis Sapient & Centrica, Foolproof and Shell for the coveted Digital Change & Transformation Award. The winners were named in a virtual ceremony on Thursday 16th July, with the company successfully receiving the Silver Award.
Bristow & Sutor has collected council tax, non-domestic rates and penalty charge notices for over 42 years. They have found success with Palladium Digital after driving internal innovation and successfully implementing change throughout the business. The two companies began working together in January 2019 and since then have defined a clear strategy for technological improvement, which has impacted a diverse range of areas in positive ways.
In particular, Bristow & Sutor has become more data driven and has optimised the manner in which decision making takes place prior to collection visits. Information is identified as early as possible to support vulnerable debtors and ensure they receive a tailored approach that is suitable to their needs. Insight and investigation into areas such as behavioural science has also had an effect on engagement with debtors, optimising these processes to maximise the chances of reaching a positive outcome. Over the past 10 months, investment in new structures, frameworks and systems has made processes more efficient and scalable, ensuring clients and customers receive a seamless and pro-active service at all times.
Business user experiences were also considered during this time, which led to an unexpected benefit when the coronavirus lockdown was implemented in the UK. Prior technological planning and transformation of older systems meant Bristow & Sutor customer service employees were immediately able to transition to a ‘work from home’ environment. A new contact centre was rolled out within days and consequently, support and availability for clients and customers has remained constant throughout the lockdown period.
Andy Rose, Bristow & Sutor CEO, said, “We are delighted to have won silver at DXA’20 for our recent digital transformation and continued commitment to change. We would like to thank Palladium Digital for their support and consolidating our approach to innovation. To be recognised for our investment in technology and our dedication to providing an optimal service is something we are very proud of.”
Bristow & Sutor also invests heavily in training, spending over £800k annually on courses and continual professional development. This has continued to be supplied to furloughed Enforcement Agents (EAs) throughout the coronavirus pandemic.