PayPlan
For debt-advice firm PayPlan, it’s vital to identify customers’ vulnerabilities not only accurately, but as early in the customer journey as possible. Only in doing so can it provide the best possible tailored, meaningful support. Adopting MARS (the MorganAsh Resilience System) is helping PayPlan do this in a more scalable way – with better identification of vulnerabilities and more detailed management information.
Established to help people manage multiple debts, PayPlan offers free debt advice and services, including debt management plans, individual voluntary arrangements, and other debt solutions. Funded by the credit industry and commercial partners, PayPlan charges no fees to clients – removing barriers to access.
“PayPlan’s culture has always been one of supporting its clients’ wider needs,” says Emma Gibbons, PayPlan’s vulnerability lead. “For us, Consumer Duty isn’t just about compliance, it’s about creating a more inclusive, data-informed and person-centred service that consistently delivers excellent outcomes for everyone.”
At the core of this approach is MARS – the MorganAsh Resilience System, which PayPlan uses to enhance its vulnerability management process. MARS enables PayPlan to more readily identify those clients who may need additional support.
Clients complete a MARS assessment, and MARS automatically identifies their types and severity of vulnerabilities. It also suggests ‘next steps’ – pathways for additional help for the client. MARS ensures assessments are both consistent and objective –delivering scalability. It also provides PayPlan with structured, valuable management information upon which it can base decisions.
“Using MARS helps clients feel more comfortable when sharing personal information,” says Emma. “By reducing the pressure of face-to-face disclosure, we get a fuller, more honest picture of a client’s situation – without stigma.”
Since all of PayPlan’s clients are in debt, they are financially vulnerable – but it is important to understand any other vulnerabilities. For example, prior to using MARS, 54% of all PayPlan’s clients have disclosed a vulnerability. For clients where MARS assessments were completed, this identified that 92% were vulnerable and 7% potentially vulnerable. PayPlan sees using MARS as an opportunity to better pinpoint the root causes of the client’s situation – so that more effective, practical strategies can be put in place. Many clients also struggle with mental health challenges – “85% of PayPlan’s clients say that being in debt has negatively affected their mental health,” says Emma. The MARS assessment helps PayPlan to get a more complete picture of clients’ situations. For example, it helps clients to disclose issues such as depression and anxiety, compulsive gambling behaviour, recent relationship breakdowns and the risk of homelessness.
PayPlan isn’t just working towards compliance: it has bigger goals. The firm is enhancing the whole customer journey, with the goal of ensuring that vulnerable people are not only identified but also supported. For example, being able to work with clients for whom British Sign Language is their first language and offering translations in over 240 languages. “We want to make sure that language is never a barrier,” says Emma. PayPlan also trained team members as ‘Plain Numbers practitioners’ so they could make financial information more understandable. These and other initiatives all provide increased access to services and promote inclusion.
In addition, MARS delivers detailed, consistent data – which helps PayPlan to make informed business decisions about products and services. The data also helps the firm assess service outcomes and identify areas for improvement in fairness, quality and effectiveness.
Emma says that “MorganAsh is excellent to work with. The team listened to our perspective and understood where we had experience, but they also pushed back when their nurses had a different perspective, backed by their knowledge and experience. We added in more detailed questions to which we needed answers, things we need to know about addictive behaviours or domestic abuse. We’d also say that the perception that ‘clients won’t answer these questions’ just isn’t true.”
Emma concludes, “We see Consumer Duty not as the end goal, but as the baseline. Our ambition goes beyond meeting regulatory requirements. We aim to deliver meaningful, long-term outcomes – and build financial resilience for clients.”
PayPlan’s approach is rigorous, data-driven and person-centred. It’s designed to go way beyond compliance with Consumer Duty and deliver the best possible service for all clients – demonstrating what genuine commitment to consumer care looks like in practice.
MorganAsh also partners with PayPlan to provide a route to PayPlan’s services for those in debt, via MARS’s support pathways. If a MARS assessment uncovers debt, contacting PayPlan is one recommendation.
PayPlan’s secure referral hub: free debt help and advice
