Client onboarding at EOS: How new customers are connected to the system.

Before work can begin and the first receivable finds its way into the EOS system, a secure interface has to be created for the data transfer. At EOS, new customers benefit from a clearly structured and transparent client onboarding process that connects them easily to our processes and systems.

  • A well-organized onboarding process makes it easier for new EOS customers to take the first steps in debt collection.
  • The focus is on the interface via which the files can be transferred quickly and securely.
  • In its onboarding process, EOS consistently strives to meet the preferences and individual requirements of each customer.

The terms and conditions have been negotiated and the ink has dried on the contract, so we’re good to go. For customers, the start of a new collaboration can often feel like the first day at work in a new company: Although you have a rough idea what to expect, you do not yet know exactly how things will turn out. In an approach that is similar to the induction of new employees, a well-structured onboarding process leaves no questions unanswered and enables productive collaboration to quickly start.

Step by step through the onboarding process.

The biggest challenge for onboarding in the debt collection context is to make sure that the correct data take a secure route from the customer to the debt collection service provider. At EOS, this is the responsibility of three teams, i.e. Client Onboarding & Projects, Client Data Integration and Client Data Exchange, which are part of the Client Services unit. They personally support new customers through the onboarding process step by step:

1. Signing of the contract

You have already arranged the most important underlying conditions for the collaboration with our Sales Team and included them in the contract. Once the contract has been signed by both parties, the Client Onboarding & Projects, Client Data Integration and Client Data Exchange teams get down to work and will approach you to initiate the first steps of the collaboration.

Data exchange either automated via an SFTP interface of individually using a secure portal.

2. Correct formatting of the data

To enable your receivables cases to be processed smoothly and seamlessly, the first step is to determine the scope and format in which you will supply the data in future. We will send you a sample file as a guide, which primarily answers two questions:

Which data are needed?
The sample file shows which data we need from you to be able to subsequently achieve the best possible outcomes. Generally, these are the personal data of the defaulting payers such as personal particulars, address and contact details. We also need various data relating to the receivable, such as amount and due dates. In special cases we will need additional data like the details of legally enforceable claims or certain industry-specific information.

In which format are the data needed?
To allow us to seamlessly integrate the data into our system, they need to be prepared in a certain way beforehand. The sample file provides a template of the arrangement we need. The more transparent and clearly structured the data in the transfer file, the better we will be able to work with it. In particular cases it may be helpful for you to provide us with a dataset description that clearly shows where we can find which data in the file. Generally we work with all file formats, the most common being Excel tables and CSV, XML or TXT files.

3. Choosing a secure interface

The next step is for us to reach agreement on how the data you are transferring is going to reach our system. Debt collection cases involve particularly sensitive data, so when choosing our interfaces our priority is a secure transfer that complies with data privacy legislation. The simplest and most secure transmission channel is our web portal and the SFTP interface:

Web portal
Our web portal is encrypted using the HTTPS protocol (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) and can be accessed via all major browsers. You can log on to our web portal using your login and upload your files at the agreed intervals. 

SFTP interface
When transferring files via the SFTP protocol (Secure File Transfer Protocol) a direct IP interface is created between you and EOS. You simply place your files on the server, whereupon we receive a corresponding notification. Beforehand, we work with you to complete an SFTP application that determines what is to be transferred when and how often. The Client Data Integration team will set up the server and support you through the entire process.

4. Test run and enabling the interface

The last step is to simulate the data transfer in a test environment and to check whether all data arrives at the correct location without errors. If this is the case the interface is enabled and the work can begin. For quality assurance purposes we continue to monitor the initial data transfers so that we can identify and rectify any transmission errors in good time. 

The EOS client journey: transparent, flexible and personalized.

To maintain the transparency of the onboarding process, every client goes through a client journey tailored to their particular circumstances. After all requirements have been recorded and questions clarified, it takes around 14 days until the interface has been set up for you and the first cases can be transferred. The process can be adapted flexibly to your specific requirements and preferences.

Overall, it can be said that every customer has their own very individual requirements of the onboarding process, either due to little or absolutely no previous experience with debt collection or because of industry-specific complexity. Our onboarding experts will support you through the process from the signing of the contract to the first transfer of a receivables case.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are still looking for an expert debt collection partner.

EOS Deutschland GmbH

Sales

Steindamm 71
20099 Hamburg
Germany

Telefon: +49 40 2850 1911

sales@eos-deutschland.de

Photo credits: Getty Images