Making every conversation count

How we're raising the bar in collections with Sigma Connected

When customers are hard to reach, every conversation matters.

At Oakbrook, we exist to simplify and personalise borrowing. Through our brands, Oakbrook Loans, OakbrookAdvance and OakbrookOne, we serve customers who are often overlooked by mainstream banks. That responsibility doesn't stop when someone falls behind on their payments. It matters most then.

In March, we launched our 'world-class collections' initiative. It's built around three clear pillars: strong payment outcomes, genuine care and effort, and never leaving an opportunity behind. Sigma Connected, our long-standing collections partner, worked with us to bring those pillars into every customer conversation.

Why we did it

The challenge wasn't getting through to customers. Sigma Connected was already making contact. The challenge was making more of those conversations lead to a meaningful outcome, a payment, a repayment plan or a sustainable next step.

In collections, it's tempting to treat that as a conversion problem. We didn't. We never set out to push customers harder. We set out to help teams make better use of each conversation, with affordability, fairness and care at the centre.

That means recognising genuine opportunities, understanding each customer's situation and supporting the right outcome, including customers in vulnerable circumstances. It's how we meet our responsibilities under the FCA's Consumer Credit sourcebook (CONC), and it's how we believe collections should work.

How we worked together

We set the direction: a clear framework for what great customer outcomes in collections look like. Sigma Connected embedded that thinking across the operation.

This was a behaviour-led change, not a heavy process one. Advisors were encouraged to think about how they bring the pillars to life on every call, the language they use, the opportunities they spot, and how they balance payment outcomes with genuine care.

We also strengthened our reporting. Teams now have clear visibility of missed opportunities calls where a customer's account doesn't move forward. Sigma Connected used that insight in coaching, feedback and daily management. QA teams shared examples of strong calls. Team managers coached against the pillars. Daily huddles helped teams talk through what good sounds like.

The initiative also gave teams something to own. Every advisor made a personal pledge to the approach, symbolised through a shared handprint canvas. Small gesture, big signal: this is a culture, not a checklist.

Some of the early results

Since the initiative launched in March, early results have shown clear improvement across collections performance for both Oakbrook Loans and OakbrookAdvance.

By June, 67% of customers contacted made a payment or agreed a repayment plan, up from 60% in March, while the value of arrears recovered increased from 49% to 57%, the highest level recorded this year.

Other improvements include:

• Inbound plan rate reaching 143% of target

• Outbound plan rate reaching 131% of target

• Inbound missed opportunities reducing by 28%

• Outbound missed opportunities reducing by 44%

• Average repayment plan instalments increasing from £133 to £150

• Recurring payment usage rising from 73% to 76%

• The results point to stronger customer engagement and more sustainable repayment arrangements, with more customers engaging earlier and maintaining the plans agreed.

The partnership between Oakbrook and Sigma Connected has also created a clearer, more consistent approach to collections performance, helping both teams identify opportunities, improve coaching and provide customers with the right support at the right time.

Together, the teams are demonstrating that stronger collections outcomes can be achieved while keeping the customer at the centre of every conversation.

What the Sigma Team Said

“Oakbrook gave our team a clear set of principles, and our role was to help make them part of the day-to-day operation. This was about helping agents think more deliberately about each customer conversation how they listened, where they could identify an opportunity, and how they could support a fair and sustainable outcome.”

Colin McMahon, Director of Financial Services, Sigma Connected

“What made this work was the closeness of the partnership. Oakbrook brought the direction and the insight, and our teams worked with them to make it real in the operation. It was practical, honest and focused on helping agents make every conversation count for the customer.”

Kirsten Gibons, Operations Manager, Sigma Connected

What the Oakbrook Team Said

“World class collections started with a simple belief. Every customer deserves genuine care, real effort and the strongest possible support, especially those who need it most. Our ambition was to make that instinctive a culture rather than a checklist. Sigma Connected shared that vision from day one and brought the passion to make it real on every call.”

Matt Court, Head of Customer Operations, Oakbrook

“The strongest partnerships are built on trust, openness and a shared purpose. Together with Sigma Connected, we empowered our people to deliver the very best outcome for every customer. That's what genuine partnership looks like.”

Chelsie Mead, Operations Relationships Manager, Oakbrook

What's next

The work doesn't stop here. We'll keep using data and insight to sharpen coaching, strengthen conversations and support better customer outcomes.

Because when customers get the right support at the right time, everyone wins better outcomes for them, and stronger, more sustainable performance for the business.

You can also read Sigma Connected's version of this case study on their website.