Debt collection campaigns: how to restore contactability

Spain, France, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Italy and Chile. These are the countries where restrictions have been introduced to ban the use of mobile numbers for unsolicited commercial calls.
Under the pretext of reducing phone scams, Spain approved Ministerial Order TDF/149/2025 last year. Since then, close to 135 million calls and 5 million SMS messages sent from mobile lines have been blocked when they:

• Had an empty CLI or an unassigned number
• Were used for unsolicited commercial calls or customer service
• Originated abroad while using a national prefix

When analysing these requirements, it quickly becomes clear that it is not possible to determine the intent of a call before blocking it. For this very reason, not all mobile calls originating from businesses can be blocked, although a significant number of them are.
In this context, large debt collection companies have opted to use geographic prefixes to ensure calls can be placed through their autodiallers. And, unsurprisingly, contact rates have declined.
In Chile, for example, debt collection contactability has dropped by 40%. Where it was previously possible to reach 100 people, now only 85 can be contacted. And where five call attempts were once sufficient, ten calls are now required.
Debt collection activities should under no circumstances be classified as unsolicited calls, as they are directed at a specific individual who is failing to comply with a contractual obligation.
The consequences of teams being unable to carry out their work are severe, as this situation may ultimately lead to an increase in delinquency and to banks reducing the volume of credit they extend.
If you work in a debt collection company or department, these are two strategies we recommend implementing:

TIPS TO RECOVER CONTACTABILITY

1. USE DIFFERENT NUMBERING FOR EACH ACTIVITY

In the current environment, regulation appears to be pushing companies towards having dedicated numbering for each area:

• • Geographic numbers for commercial activities
  • Geographic numbers for debt collection
  • Toll-free numbers for customer service

This is the time to assess whether this approach is viable. If the answer is yes, the next step should be to send an email informing customers of the changes to your telephony setup. It is also advisable to review and update the information shown on invoices, contracts and the company website to ensure the correct numbers are displayed in each case.

2. REBUILD CONSUMER TRUST

It is important not to forget that we are all consumers. The fear of opening an email attachment, clicking on an SMS link or answering a call is very real.
Companies that want to continue communicating effectively and securely with their customers need to implement a transparency plan that could include the following actions:

• Notifying customers when security breaches or hacks occur and there is a possibility that personal data may have been accessed.
• Informing customers when multiple cases of phishing, smishing or vishing have been reported using the company’s name.

What should be taken into account?

• The channels we use matter, a great deal. To rebuild consumer trust, it is essential to use contact channels that allow us to be identified unequivocally, such as in-app pop-ups on desktop or mobile applications.
• When using channels that consumers commonly associate with fraud attempts (email, SMS or calls), it is essential to ensure communications are always sent from an identifiable email address or from a CLI registered in the company’s name.

DO YOU NEED PERSONALISED ADVICE?

Our team of experts is available to advise you on the numbering plan that best suits your business. Contact us by calling +34 900 670 750 or by completing this form.