Our new debtor app - launch preview
We are delighted to announce that our new app for debtors, built by our in-house IT team, will be available on the Apple Store, Google Play and the Microsoft Store from 7th October 2019.
Excel quick pay
The app will allow our clients’ customers to have another method for managing the payment of the sums they owe.
The app forms part of our commitment to providing easy ways for customers to pay, which also include mobile and text reminders, letters and emails, as well as our online payment portal on the Excel website.
Functionality
The app will send notifications to the debtor’s mobile phone reminding them about payments due with a link to the secure payment page with a unique reference code to correctly allocate the payment.
The app shows the amount owed, what has been paid (including date and amount), payment arrangement details and what is outstanding. We have developed a user-friendly colour-coding status system – green for accounts that are up-to-date and red for those in arrears.
If they have another case that Excel is managing, they can add this using the case reference number, so they can see all their activity in one place, giving them a single of view of their debt.
Links to debt advice
The app has a useful links sections, which takes the debtor to the websites for all the main debt advice organisations, should the debtor need any assistance.
GDPR and privacy first
We have taken into account data privacy issues when developing the app, so that it only includes personal contact data which was included in the initial letter the debtor receives from us.
In terms of GDPR compliance, if the debtor wants to add other information into the app, such as their date of birth, address or phone number, they can do so, but this data will be stored separately from our case management system. We are not recording the app user’s location.
The debtor will need the case reference and their name as shown on the letter to register, to prevent anyone other than the debtor accessing the information. Once they have registered, they need to verify their email and then have access to their account.
Development
We have also developed versions of the app for our other company brands, High Court Enforcement Group and The Sheriffs Office. The app will only allow the debtor to access debt being managed by that company.
After the app launch, we have a programme of enhancements for the app over the coming months, so watch this space!
