Lady, 30 years old, lives in Panagyurishte, Pazardjik or Kardjali, with the amount of the obligation up to BGN 10 000. This is the profile of the well-paying client, who is in arrears, prepared by the Debt Collection Agency (DCA), a part of B2Holding .
The survey is based on the data of over 400,000 liabilities of individuals processed by DCA and the behavior of the individuals to whom these liabilities are committed for the period January 1, 2018 – April 1, 2019. Experts from the DCA provide data on the debtors’ attitude and their payment habits for the first time in terms of “good debtor”.
А few weeks ago the Association of Collector Agencies in Bulgaria (ACABG) outlined the bad debtor’s profile – he is most often a 30-year-old man from the city of Bourgas, who fails to properly estimate his income and expenses and often makes spontaneous decisions.
Trends
On the basis of internal scoring made by DCA, for the first time we are seeing a change in the trends that have been made in recent years for payment patterns. Until recently, the most widespread pay group was in the age of 50-60 years and now it is shifting among younger people aged 25-29. This is largely due to the improving economic environment in the country and the significant decrease in the unemployment rate in the last few years – according to National statistic institute data from 11.8% in 2013 to 6.1% in 2018, but also due to the change in the way of thinking of the younger generation.
On the south – more regular payment
According to the data, the cities with the best payers are Panagyurishte, Pazardjik and Kardzhali. Gabrovo, Radnevo and Peshtera are also among the places with regular payments, and from the big cities Plovdiv is the first place. DCA statistics show that there is a greater likelihood of regular payment if the debtor is from medium-sized settlements or cities with population between 10-50 thousands, surpassing a few large settlements. Thee interesting thing here is that Plovdiv and the nearby towns in its region – South Central (Asenovgrad, Karlovo, Kazanlak, Peshtera) have very high rates of pay ability exceeding the capital.
At the other side are towns such as Lukovit, Knezha, Berkovitsa, Vidin, Dobrich, Byala Slatina, Provadia. Common among them is poor economic development, high unemployment and very low average wages. In contrast, the South Central Region over the last decade has been increasingly active in economic terms. Overall, however, the average level of pay can not give a clear correlation between wages and good debtors.
How to pay easy and convenient
Тhe convenience of payment methods is one of the factors that influence the behavior of debtors. About this DCA is constantly developing projects to facilitate access and communication to its services. The latest innovation is an entirely new, online platform that allows 24 hours a day to pay seven days a week. The company is the first in its industry to introduce the opportunity to pay its customers’ debts through its website – theagency.bg, which can be done with quick access without registration, as well as creating a profile profile which, besides payments, the client can monitor the status of their obligations as well as the payments made.
In case of question or difficulty the user can quickly connect via the chat feature of the site or by telephone with a DCA employee to assist him or her. Internal company surveys show that payment convenience and anonymity are very important factors that affect the attitude and behavior of debtors. By allowing them to completely ignore the need for telephone conversations and letters, people feel more relaxed and do not have to worry their relatives if they do not want to share their financial difficulties.
It is equally important that the payment be as discreet and with the opportunity to be at any time of the day. Many customers now prefer the online channel.
Easy payment for consumer goods
A DCA study shows that most often the “good” debtors are those with a commodity credit, granted to buy a specific product. Credit card repayments and consumer loans are well moving up to BGN 10 000. Still indebted customers continue to serve their overdue bills to telecom operators, including mobile services, television, the Internet, mobile devices, with the lowest priority. Introducing new and more flexible ways of serving its customers, DCB believes that this trend can also be changed.
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