What if the biggest challenge in utility debt isn’t a lack of data, but a lack of insight?

Utilities suppliers know when a customer falls into arrears, how much they owe and whether a payment has failed. But this doesn’t necessarily tell them why a customer is struggling, what they can afford or what support would deliver the best outcome.

As utility debt rises and expectations around affordability and vulnerability grow, the question is changing from:

“How do we collect the debt?”

to:

“How do we better understand the customer behind the debt and respond appropriately?”

From data to financial insight

AperiData, part of the PayPoint Group, helps utilities suppliers integrate regulated Open Banking data to develop a richer, evidence-based view of their customers’ financial circumstances.

With customer consent, utilities can access insight into:

• Income and expenditure
• Disposable income and affordability
• Financial behaviour and pressure
• Vulnerability indicators
• Debt and repayment capacity

Turning Weeks into Minutes

We are already seeing the impact of real-time affordability assessments across our utility clients.

88% of customers consent to share their financial data across the journeys we support.

Other process transformations results include:

• Weeks reduced to minutes
• 30-day SLA reduced to same-day support
• Hardship funds approved and paid on the same day
• A single, end-to-end customer interaction
• Fully auditable, evidence-based affordability decisions

By reducing the time spent gathering and reviewing financial information, advisers can focus on supporting customers and helping them access appropriate assistance sooner.

Open Banking is not simply about accessing more information. It is about turning financial insight into better-informed affordability decisions and improved customer outcomes.

Supporting better decisions across the customer journey.

Financial intelligence can help utilities suppliers identify early signs of financial pressure, assess affordability and determine the most appropriate next step.

Rather than simply asking, “Can this customer pay?”, utilities suppliers can consider:

“What repayment arrangement is realistic and sustainable for this customer?”

Our approach is built around three principles:

• Assess — Understand the customer’s financial situation and ability to pay.
• Agree — Establish an affordable and sustainable repayment arrangement.
• Adapt — Respond as circumstances change to support flexible repayments options.

Not every customer experiencing financial difficulty needs another collections intervention. Sometimes the right response is hardship support, a sustainable repayment plan or a connection to independent debt advice.

Connecting insight with flexible payments

Financial assessment is only part of the solution.

By connecting AperiData’s financial intelligence with PayPoint’s payment capabilities, utilities can explore more dynamic repayment journeys that reflect customers’ circumstances.

This creates an opportunity to move beyond repeated payment attempts that may be unlikely to succeed and towards arrangements that operate within customer-agreed parameters and adapt as circumstances change.

Understand what a customer can afford—and enable payments that reflect that understanding.

This approach supports the growing focus on flexible payment options, proactive interventions and better customer outcomes.

Smarter collections. Better customer outcomes.

The future of utility debt management is not simply about collecting more. It is about understanding more:

• What customers can realistically afford
• When financial vulnerability may be emerging
• Whether a repayment arrangement remains sustainable
• When hardship support or independent advice is more appropriate

Better financial intelligence → Better decisions → Better customer outcomes → More sustainable collections.

AperiData and PayPoint are helping utilities bring together financial insight, payment capabilities and trusted infrastructure to create more responsive customer journeys.

PayPoint has supported the utilities sector for more than 30 years. Today, AperiData extends that capability into regulated Open Banking and financial intelligence, helping organisations make better-informed decisions and deliver more appropriate customer outcomes.