Financial pressure continues to affect millions of people across the UK. In 2025, 39% of households experienced serious financial difficulty, while 21 million adults expected their financial situation to worsen. Hundreds of thousands of low-income households are now going without essentials. These challenges are not abstract trends. They appear every day across collections, recoveries and enforcement activity.
At Equivo, we believe how we respond in these moments matters. We realise that every case represents a real person with their own story, often facing complex, stressful and deeply personal circumstances. Supporting vulnerable customers is not only a regulatory requirement or a moral obligation. It is fundamental to delivering better, more sustainable outcomes.
Our approach was recognised at the 2025 Collections & Vulnerability Awards, where Equivo received Best Vulnerable Customer Support Initiative. The award reflects our belief that ethical, informed and human-led practices are not only possible but essential in today’s operating environment.
Equivo employs five key approaches to support customers experiencing financial vulnerability while safeguarding client relationships and promoting sustainable outcomes.
1. Early Identification Through VulneraTrack™
Identifying vulnerability early can fundamentally change the outcome for both customer and client. That is why Equivo developed VulneraTrack™, our bespoke vulnerability identification and monitoring system.
VulneraTrack™ uses insight-led indicators to flag potential financial stress and vulnerability at the earliest possible stage. This allows cases to be approached with greater care, awareness and proportionality before situations escalate unnecessarily.
Research shows that vulnerable customers are more likely to report negative experiences. However, outcomes improve significantly when firms ask the right questions and take time to understand individual circumstances. Early identification enables more constructive conversations, improved engagement and a far higher likelihood of resolution.
By embedding vulnerability awareness into the earliest stages of case handling, Equivo ensures support begins before financial difficulties deepen, enabling more considered interventions, improved engagement and better outcomes for both customers and clients.
2. Tailored and Flexible Solutions
No two customers experience financial difficulty in the same way. A one-size-fits-all approach rarely delivers fair or effective outcomes.
Equivo designs tailored solutions based on individual circumstances. This may include flexible repayment arrangements, voluntary terminations, early-stage arrears support or carefully managed late-stage recovery strategies. Each option is assessed with the customer’s current situation and long-term outcome in mind.
Regulatory guidance consistently highlights the importance of flexibility when dealing with customers in financial difficulty. In practice, this approach reduces friction to avoid unnecessary escalation, and in turn, improve engagement rates.
For clients, tailored solutions lead to improved recovery performance, fewer disputes and reduced reputational risk. For customers, it ensures they are treated as individuals rather than case numbers.
3. Clear, Transparent and Supportive Communication
Communication plays a critical role in how customers experience collections and recoveries. Confusing, overly technical or aggressive messaging can increase stress for vulnerable customers and drive higher disengagement rates.
Equivo prioritises clear, transparent communication at every stage. Customers are given straightforward explanations of what is happening, why it is happening and what options are available to them. Language is accessible and supportive without removing clarity around obligations or next steps.
The FCA Consumer Duty reinforces the need for communications that are understandable and supportive, particularly for vulnerable customers. Clear communication reduces misunderstandings, builds trust and leads to more productive engagement.
For clients, this approach helps minimise complaints and protects long-term customer relationships, even in challenging circumstances.
4. Connecting Customers with Specialist Support
Not all challenges can be resolved through collections activity alone. Some customers require specialist advice or additional support to stabilise their financial position.
Equivo maintains clear referral pathways to trusted debt advice and vulnerability support services, ensuring customers can access expert help when appropriate. This may include independent debt charities or specialist organisations equipped to address complex needs.
Providing access to external support demonstrates care, improves customer confidence and helps prevent repeat financial distress. Regulatory guidance encourages firms to embed referral pathways, but for Equivo, this goes beyond just being compliant. It is about enabling sustainable solutions rather than short-term fixes. We ensure that customers feel heard and supported, rather than feeling left to navigate their challenges alone.
This collaborative approach supports customers more effectively while protecting client interests over the longer term.
5. Ongoing Training and Vulnerability Awareness
Technology and processes are most effective when supported by skilled, knowledgeable people. Equivo invests heavily in ongoing training and vulnerability awareness across all teams.
Training focuses on recognising signs of vulnerability, understanding financial difficulty and responding appropriately with empathy and professionalism. Teams are supported by structured processes and clear escalation pathways, enabling informed and consistent decision-making.
This focus is particularly important for our front-line field personnel and enforcement agents, who are often the first to engage with customers face to face. Agents receive specialist training to identify vulnerability during visits, assess individual circumstances and adjust their approach in real time. They are empowered to pause action, escalate concerns or connect customers with additional support where needed, ensuring decisions reflect the situation in front of them.
Regulatory reviews have highlighted that gaps in training as a contributor to poor outcomes for vulnerable customers. By prioritising education and awareness, Equivo ensures high standards across every interaction.
Ensuring Positive Outcomes for Vulnerable Customers
Supporting vulnerable customers experiencing financial difficulty requires more than good intentions. It demands insight, structure, expertise and a genuine commitment to doing things differently.
At Equivo, technology, regulatory understanding and human awareness work together to deliver outcomes that benefit everyone involved. Our award-winning approach demonstrates that ethical and thoughtful practices are not a barrier to results. They are a driver of them.
As financial pressures continue into 2026, organisations need approaches that recognise vulnerability, protect relationships and apply proportionality at every stage. These principles are now central to sustainable outcomes for both clients and customers.
