Clients

Seeking debt advice can be a challenging and emotional situation for clients. Advisers can build positive relationships with clients in a number of ways.

•When talking with a client, use simple, clear language and check beforehand if they’d like support from a third party at the meeting – eg, a family member, friend or interpreter.
•If possible, plan ahead by writing a list of questions to help navigate the interview.
•Aim to meet in a quiet space, with enough time to go through all the questions fully.
•Check whether the client prefers contact at a particular time of day – eg, some vulnerable clients do not sleep well and may feel better at certain times of the day.
•Avoid overloading clients with information and only move on in the discussion when everything is understood and clear.
•Consider what type of support your client may need. You may need to suggest options, as they may not know themselves or feel too overwhelmed to make any decisions.
•Check that the client understands what will happen based on any decisions they make. Some vulnerable clients may just want to ’sort’ their debt now without considering the consequences, so you may have to repeat information and check they understand it more often.
•Let clients know that they can come back to you for further explanations of any aspects they do not understand.