Learnings from Riverty: how can social debt collection boost your business

In a recent interview with Lenhard Hubscher, Country Lead Benelux & France at Riverty, we tackled the topic of social debt collection and Riverty’s human-centric approach that positively impacts clients and their financial habits.

Ahead of the upcoming Credit Expo conference on 6 November 2025, we’re excited to spotlight innovative approaches in the credit management landscape. In the Netherlands, we currently see an increased focus on social debt collection. What is social debt collection, and why is it important?

One aspect of the problem is the broader impact of debt on Dutch society. In the Netherlands, approximately 47% of households are in debt, with an estimated economic impact of around EUR 8.5 billion per year. This includes costs associated with social anxiety and underperformance at work. These pressures weigh heavily on society, and that's where the concept of social debt collection emerged from. Social debt collection focuses less on the debt itself and more on the person owning it, and it aims to find a sustainable solution to prevent escalating this behaviour in the future.

Most people want to pay their debts but lack the means or the knowledge to do so. Our goal is to support these individuals by having a clear overview of their situation from the outset and helping them regain control and stability. Ultimately, the aim is for them to participate fully in the economic environment.

What is Riverty’s approach towards social debt collection?

Our vision at Riverty is to become the most human-centric fintech. We were looking for new ways to reform the debt collection process, see what makes us unique, and where we can make a difference as a company. These questions further helped us create a shift in our mindset, where the collection part is not the end of the relationship, but a pinpoint in a broader customer journey.

We are a debt collection company with digital roots, and our goal is to become more human-centric. Our digital native approach leverages data points and AI tools to detect financial stress early, before debt becomes problematic. The earlier we engage with our customers, the greater our chances of success are. We personalise the communication process by creating personas – a tool based on user research to help us better understand the needs of our target audience. Additionally, we monitor and measure every step of the customer journey, ensuring that each touchpoint is digitised and can be adapted as needed.

At the same time, we empower our customers by providing them with self-help tools, and we engage with them via multiple channels, including our personal app, SMS, letters, emails, and in-person meetings. This approach allows our clients access to various support options, from requesting payment processes to setting up payment plans and managing their own resolution processes.

Riverty doesn’t solely rely on regular debt collection call agents but invests in certified budget coaches as well, who help customers gain valuable insights about their financial situation.

To better understand our future trajectory, we collaborated with Purpose, the leading consultancy in the Netherlands on social debt collection. Together, we developed a tool to measure and analyse several aspects of our operation: debt collection metrics, how human-centric we are, how debt collection functions, how customers perceive our company, and areas that need improvement. Riverty was the first debt collection company to undergo this process, which offered us the opportunity to reflect on whether we were heading in the right direction.

Following our collaboration with Purpose, we developed a shared understanding of what social debt collection entails. We also introduced loyalty scores, which track how people follow the agreements made earlier in their contracts. For instance, if a person enters our debt collection process and agrees on a payment plan, the loyalty score helps us monitor the plan and identify ways to prevent them from falling into the same debt situation again.

What results have you seen from implementing a more human-centric approach to debt collection in terms of customer outcomes and business performance?

First, we assess how our approach affects the customer, then its impact on debt collection, and finally how employees perceive the process.

Looking at our consumers, we see a rather large uplift in customer satisfaction, which we measure via Trustpilot. We started the measuring process about a year ago, and we have noticed gradual increases in scores on Trustpilot, leading up to where we are now, which is a 4.2-star score across all our products and services. This is exceptionally high for a company active in the debt collection field. At the same time, we noticed a significant increase in loyalty rates or how people follow up with the agreements we made earlier.

With Riverty, customers are more likely to respect their agreements, which allows us to solve debts better and faster. As previously mentioned, we aim to start the process as early as possible, in a pre-collection stage, to identify potential issues. We then use our own concepts or personas to identify how to properly interact with specific customers and reach out quickly to provide the necessary support.

By initiating contact with customers early, we can also understand their preferences for handling the process – whether they want to manage it themselves or with support from a certified budget coach.

Moreover, we aim to find sustainable solutions not only for our customers but also for the companies we work with. Our goal is to build a loyal customer base that continues to return. To achieve this, we focus on providing an exceptional consumer experience. This approach challenges –  and even redefines – the concept of debt collection, which was often seen as the final step of the process, with the customer leaving once their debts were paid.

Finally, we train our employees to conduct meaningful conversations and identify the best solution for each client. They are encouraged to be empathic and provide clarity on what is feasible when it comes to collecting debt. We also have a dedicated team of certified budget coaches to conduct in-depth financial discussions. As a result, our employees focus on helping customers rather than creating unrealistic repayment plans. Riverty’s mission is to support clients, not just collect outstanding debt.

 

About the author

 Lenhard Hübscher is Country Lead Benelux & France at Riverty, overseeing payments,  BNPL, and debt collection. With over 15 years of leadership experience in financial services across the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, he has a proven track record in consumer lending and payments within Europe. Lenhard is passionate about combining data-driven innovation with a human approach to promote responsible, socially sustainable lending and debt collection.

 

About Riverty

Riverty, the fintech company of Bertelsmann, supports thousands of merchants and over 28 million consumers by processing more than 80 million transactions monthly. Offering flexible payments, debt collection, and smart accounting solutions, Riverty empowers businesses and consumers with cutting-edge financial services. With a dedicated team of over 4,000 employees across 11 countries in Europe and North America, Riverty is a leader in delivering comprehensive financial solutions. www.riverty.com