18/12/2025
Three customers. One hour. More insight than a week of dashboards.
Last week, we hosted our first DebtManagers Australia Customer Focus Group in Brisbane, and it reinforced something we’ve believed for a long time.
If you want to improve customer experience, you have to listen to customers in the context of their real lives.
A few themes that stood out:
1. Face-to-face is a game changer. When someone is dealing with debt stress, a respectful in-person conversation can cut through fear, shame, and confusion in a way digital channels simply can’t. It builds trust faster and creates better outcomes.
2. Digital has a role, but it’s not the relationship. Portals, email, and SMS are great for convenience and follow-through, but they don’t replace human connection, especially when hardship or vulnerability is in the mix.
3. Blended contact works best. Customers want options: Establish trust and clarity through real conversation, then make it easy to maintain momentum with simple payment tools.
4. Credibility matters. People are quick to ignore anything that feels like spam, so clarity, consistency, and the right communication mix are essential.
5. Remove friction wherever possible. If payments aren’t easy, people can lose momentum at the exact moment they’re trying to take a positive step.
Another key takeaway is the work we all need to do to continue to raise awareness of the incredible free support financial counsellors provide. That’s a gap we want to help close through better signposting and stronger connections to support services.
We’ll be running more focus groups like this because understanding the customer experience is key to supporting people better, helping them get out of debt, and getting back on their feet.
