Graham Cassidy This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Collecting thoughts

   www.lewisgroup.co.uk/news_pres - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/6/2006   Last Visited: 1/24/2008

   As Graham Cassidy, Project Manager at the DWP explains: "Most of our debt comes from benefit that has been overpaid to individuals," he says.
   ...
   Of course, Graham acknowledges that with a private company dealing directly with DWP 'customers', there has to be certain parameters in which they can operate to take into account the sensitive nature of the task. Data, for example, has to be ring-fenced, and they cannot take credit card payments, ("We don't want to be adding further to the debt problem," Graham says). But to a very large extent, the agencies have a degree of freedom in which to operate, and to this end he allows them to adopt whatever traditional techniques are most appropriate to ensure the debt is recovered. This can include doorstep collections and in certain cases, and always when fraud is suspected, litigation.
   
   So how does Graham and his team measure success? "We have four measurement tools," he explains.
   ...
   Surprisingly, perhaps, Graham does not view the relationship with his agencies as a 'partnership'. "The agencies are supplying a service to DWP Debt Management, we are utilising their skills, and to this extent they are our suppliers," he says. That said, there is a 'partnership' in as much as there is a definite transfer of knowledge and skills between organisations, and the DWP is looking to learn how it can improve its collections early on, such that it can better allocate specialist resource where it is most needed.
   
   The DWP is also different, certainly from smaller organisations or companies, in that it employs multiple agencies to recover debt, and has them operating within a competitive framework. Graham even publishes a league table to compare and contrast agency performance. "We keep measuring performance and everyone seems to welcome the open approach. If one agency is having particular success with a particular type of debt, then there could be lessons there for everyone to learn," he says.
   ...
   Asked whether there are any disadvantages to debt collection, Graham can only see one , having to pay commission! But then, as he says, they are recovering money that would otherwise have been written off, so it is a 'win win' situation for all concerned, including the public.
   
   And what advice would he give to anyone planning to take on a traditional debt collection agency? "Employ them sooner in the process rather than later," he says.

2. 2. Debt Services

   www.lewisgroup.co.uk/news15.ht - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/12/2006   Last Visited: 4/17/2007

   As Graham Cassidy, Project Manager at the DWP explains: "Most of our debt comes from benefit that has been overpaid to individuals," he says.
   ...
   Of course, Graham acknowledges that with a private company dealing directly with DWP 'customers', there has to be certain parameters in which they can operate to take into account the sensitive nature of the task. Data, for example, has to be ring-fenced, and they cannot take credit card payments, ("We don't want to be adding further to the debt problem," Graham says). But to a very large extent, the agencies have a degree of freedom in which to operate, and to this end he allows them to adopt whatever traditional techniques are most appropriate to ensure the debt is recovered. This can include doorstep collections and in certain cases, and always when fraud is suspected, litigation.
   
   So how does Graham and his team measure success? "We have four measurement tools," he explains.
   ...
   Surprisingly, perhaps, Graham does not view the relationship with his agencies as a 'partnership'. "The agencies are supplying a service to DWP Debt Management, we are utilising their skills, and to this extent they are our suppliers," he says. That said, there is a 'partnership' in as much as there is a definite transfer of knowledge and skills between organisations, and the DWP is looking to learn how it can improve its collections early on, such that it can better allocate specialist resource where it is most needed.
   
   The DWP is also different, certainly from smaller organisations or companies, in that it employs multiple agencies to recover debt, and has them operating within a competitive framework. Graham even publishes a league table to compare and contrast agency performance. "We keep measuring performance and everyone seems to welcome the open approach. If one agency is having particular success with a particular type of debt, then there could be lessons there for everyone to learn," he says.
   ...
   Asked whether there are any disadvantages to debt collection, Graham can only see one - having to pay commission! But then, as he says, they are recovering money that would otherwise have been written off, so it is a 'win win' situation for all concerned, including the public.
   
   And what advice would he give to anyone planning to take on a traditional debt collection agency? "Employ them sooner in the process rather than later," he says.