In this period between Christmas and New Year, it is always interesting, albeit maybe a little self-indulgent but ’tis the season, to look a little in the rearview mirror over the year that was.

So here are some of the themes and stories that you have found most interesting* in 2022.

Freezers and Financial difficulties – I am not quite sure why this headline caught the imagination but somehow it did and reflected on the small observations that we can make, even whilst shopping at Tesco and what this means for the wider economy. This time the state of the economy and the increasing stress that consumers are under, shown in a behavioral change. Post here

Ukraine war – This started less than a year ago, is still continuing. The invasion was shocking, still is today and has changed the global economy, not least with energy pricing. Let’s hope this resolves soon. Post here

Energy prices – Linked to the war in Ukraine. With much of our lives based around energy – food production, heating, and transport – this has been a dominant theme. It is now also impacting us with inflation too. There is some hope this will moderate in 2023, however, the next couple of months over winter in the northern hemisphere are going to no doubt be a challenge for many. Something to continue to watch closely. Post here

Digital Cultural changes – A switch to largely digital processes has been continuing to build. How we interact and build relationships with customers is clearly changing and there is plenty of development in this space too. More here

Digital Contact channel effectiveness – Digital contact, a key theme throughout the pandemic, picked up momentum and continued into 2022. We ran a survey on digital collections and how this can be optimized.. Some interesting themes on digital channels moving up the rankings, although telephony is still not finished. Post here… (feel free to complete the survey for the results 🙂 )

Digital Affordability assessment – Some of the latest areas of development in capturing I&E data also generated much interest…. A theme that will likely continue into 2023 no doubt. More here

Customer Journey Orchestration – Now we have all these channels thoughts are turning to how to fit them all together. Understanding how they interact with each other and across the customer journey is going to be important. This is a theme I would expect to be built upon next year. More here

MaPS announcement on Debt Advice funding – This announcement came as a bit of a surprise and as it changes future funding for Debt advice. It will likely have implications for the structure of the free debt advice sector in the UK as this rollout. One to watch closely next year. More here.

Income Maximisation – There is only so much trimming of expenses that can be done sometimes, and you have to look at the Income side of the equation in the I&E. Income Maximisation (to maximise benefits, and it is suprising how many people are actually eligible for support) is a key and growing theme in many sectors, now and likely into next year. More here.

Machine Learning – Still of interest. As our access to data increases is, so does our ability to process and usefully interpret the data. It’s also fascinating how techniques from other disciplines can be used in Collections… More here

Open Banking – A hot topic in previous years, it really felt like this is an area that started to mature and be adopted more widely this year. Areas such as payments and VRP seem to be taking off and really embedding financial payments into processes. More here

Phew, what a year… although definitely some common themes… What does all this mean for 2023… something to think about this week.

Have a good week everyone.

* with apologies to those posted more recently… some great stories here too including

• The growing needs around debt advice
• Is it time to look again at pre-arrears again?
• The end of telephone calls – developments in chat and messaging
• The limits of digital collections – what is the best approach for implementation

And, of course, all other articles and opinion pieces too.

Last week I descended into the rabbit hole of Generative AI, with ChatGPT. It really is very compelling and impressive.

Need an essay on predictive dialling… no problem… how about an article on why predictive dialling is being replaced by SMS contact…. in the style of Shakespeare… it is all there…

---

Shakespeare: Dialers vs SMS

Ah, predictive diallers, once the beacons of communication
But now, alas, they face obsolescence and their downfall’s culmination
For SMS, the newer technology, doth reign supreme
Leaving the old diallers to gather dust, a forgotten dream

Gone are the days of endless ringing, a pestilence to the ear
Now, a simple notification doth bring the message clear
No longer doth one have to wait for a call that may come late
SMS doth allow for replies at one’s own pace, a trait most great

But why doth SMS surpass the predictive diallers of yore?
Perhaps it is the speed, or the ease of use, or something more?
Surely it is all of these and more, for SMS doth reign
Leaving the diallers in the past, a fading memory, a mere refrain

So farewell, predictive diallers, we bid you adieu
SMS doth rule the communication world, a newer way that’s true
Gone are the days of endless ringing, a thing of the past
SMS doth reign supreme, a technology that’s built to last.

---

It feels as if all of this has huge implications for media and content. Suddenly it becomes easy to fill the page, generate content, compose music or write lyrics… and content that by everyday standards is perfectly acceptable and created at speed.

It is plausible that we are very near to interacting with computers in a much more human way, on a regular basis and at massive scale, without even realising it… this could be a watershed moment…. and mixed with the metaverse, VR suddenly it becomes much more realistic and accessible.

Computer small talk

But, looking more carefully and as clever as it is, it is also generative.

For example, I can ask it to write why diallers are better than SMS, or SMS are better than diallers and it will give me an answer every time.

No opinion or recommendation, no smart turn of phrase or juxtaposition or ideas, just content perfectly generated from the starting conditions.

And, whilst the output is competent, it can easily also be banal, following accepted patterns. The computer equivalent of small talk if you will.

This is good news… we humans are still needed… providing the spark of creativity, deciding topics, and how they are linked together.

Creativity is also hard

And, the fact we find this content so readily acceptable, could actually be a comment on much of what we see today… and with the internet we are awash with it, so much we have termed the phrase, information overload.

To meet this demand, how much of our time, today is spent filling the page, churning the handle vs generating really new and creative ideas? Does it really add value, and where it does not, maybe we should let the computer take the strain.

So this could be a watershed moment in another sense.

It could be an opportunity, freeing us from generating content and allowing us to create content instead? Quality rather than volume… less really could be more.

Have a good week and happy holidays, everyone.

With the nights drawing in a new TV season is upon us. There have been some great new series released; The Crown, Andor and of course, the finale of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (don’t ask… ).

Yet with this new raft of entertainment also comes the specter of binge-watching TV.

Getting sucked in

It is all too easy to lose an evening watching a TV series. They seem to have really mastered the formula for compelling viewing… just one more episode, you say, only to turn around at 12:30 am to wonder just where the evening has gone and what exactly has been achieved (apart from learning more about N-S9 Starpath Units!).

It is a problem.

On sitting down you are of course looking forward to the episode, wondering what will happen and how will they resolve the situation from the end of the last episode… for it to be only set up again with a new cliffhanger… you are compelled to keep watching… go on just one more.. this is how you lose an entire evening!

A solution

But, I have a strategy! It is my 50-50 watching strategy, a solution to regain back control.

The realization was that you really do not have to watch an entire episode to the end… I can actually stop halfway through… it will be there tomorrow as it is not live TV (yes, it was a real thing, pre-VHS in the ’70s and ’80s and clearly engrained in my brain)!

By watching midpoint to midpoint, I found I can break the cycle. It means you get to watch both story cliffhanger and resolution each time, finish satisfied and avoid the next episode setup. If they have very episodic stories, for the most part, it works a treat.

Story arcs – for TV

All of this got me thinking about series, plots, and in particular their story arcs. Most series, it seems, are written with multiple arcs;

• One within the episode itself – it has a start, an end, fulfilling in itself
• One across multiple episodes – this is what compels us to watch the next episode
• One across the season – An underlying story that keeps us engaged across the season
• One across the entire series – a wider story arc tying it all together into a bigger narrative.

We all know of shows which have been wildly popular, yet run out of road, yet others just keep on going.

A series can survive episode to episode, or even for a season, without a longer story arc. But to be really successful all elements are needed, to keep you engaged and coming back for more.

Story arcs – for life and work

And, much of this is an analogy for our own lives, careers and businesses too. We all have our narratives and story arcs ourselves…

• Short ones: the mystery of what’s for lunch, taking a break and how to relax
• Medium ones: looking forward to events and conferences, holidays, striving to meet your annual goals or targets
• Long-term: Completing qualifications, buying a house, building a family, owning a business, international expansion
• Longest term: Lifetime achievements

And, we all play leading, A-lister, roles in these stories too.

Why this is important

Yet with the end of the pandemic, changes to the economy, the energy market, and international unrest, it does feel as if we are at a moment where multi-story arcs are finishing.

Of course, there are still things to look forward to, but they are short or medium-term, long term is seemingly harder at the moment, in such an uncertain world.

Yet, as we have seen from the world of TV, having those longer-term plans is so important. They keep us engaged, interested and motivated, striving to do more. We need to create a compelling series for our lives and businesses, not just to survive for another season, but to thrive to the end of the entire series.

So, despite the uncertainty, it feels like maybe it is time to put pen to paper to create some new storylines, plot new ways of doing things and refresh the longer-term outlook… after all what is the wider story you want to tell and your business achieve?

And, the good news… this is something you can do in front of TV…!

Have a good week everyone.