September 10, 2025
Digital-First Collections with Print Where It Counts
By Frank Woodhouse, Digital Product Manager, RevSpring Inc.
When it comes to consumer engagement in the ARM space, there’s no shortage of opinions on what works best: print, digital, or something in between. But from where I sit, working with agencies every day to improve how they reach and motivate consumers, the most effective strategy isn’t either-or. It’s both.
Blending digital with your print communications isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a smart, scalable way to reduce costs, increase response rates, and drive more payments. It also supports compliance and minimizes operational friction.
Here’s why this hybrid approach is working so well for collection agencies right now.
Digital Doesn’t Replace Print, It Enhances It
Print has always been a dependable communication channel in collections. It’s tangible, trackable, and for certain consumers and compliance scenarios, it’s still required. But when agencies stop at print alone, they miss out on faster, more responsive ways to engage people.
Adding digital touchpoints like email and SMS to your existing workflows gives you more chances to reach consumers where they actually spend time. And that leads to one thing we all care about: more payments, sooner.
It’s not about abandoning print. It’s about using digital to support it, optimize it, and in many cases, replace it when and where it makes sense.
Start with Digital to Lower Costs and Improve Speed
One of the biggest advantages of a digital-first strategy is cost savings. We’ve seen agencies reduce print and postage costs by 35 to 45 percent by shifting initial outreach to digital. Instead of immediately triggering a printed letter, they start with a payment reminder text or email that includes a direct link to a payment portal.
If the consumer doesn’t respond or digital delivery fails, then the print letter is queued as a fallback. You still meet your compliance requirements, but now you’re spending far less per engagement and collecting faster.
It’s a simple but powerful shift that delivers real ROI without requiring a major overhaul of your existing workflows.
Faster Payments Through Smarter Engagement
Digital communication also opens the door to smarter targeting. Using tools like behavior-based messaging, engagement scoring, and channel preferences, agencies can tailor outreach based on what works best for each segment of their portfolio.
For example, a prime financial account may respond well to a mobile-friendly email with a one-click payment link, while a post-prime medical debt may benefit from a multi-channel strategy that includes both text and print follow-ups. The key is knowing how and when to combine these channels in a way that drives action.
And that’s where the right platform matters. When all your channels—print, email, SMS, payments—are integrated into one system, it’s easier to deliver that kind of intelligent, coordinated experience.
More Channels, Fewer Vendors, Better Results
I talk to a lot of ARM leaders who are juggling multiple vendors for communication and payments. They’re using one tool for email, another for print, a third for payments, and maybe even more for tracking, analytics, and compliance.
Not only is that inefficient, it creates fragmented consumer experiences and slows down decision-making.
A unified approach solves that. When you manage all channels from one platform, you simplify your tech stack, reduce costs, and maintain consistency across every touchpoint. You also eliminate the common gaps that lead to missed contacts, delayed payments, and regulatory risk.
The Bottom Line
If you’re still relying solely on print, you’re spending more and collecting less than you could be. And if you’ve gone digital but haven’t integrated it into your broader strategy, you’re missing out on its full potential.
Blending digital with print isn’t just the future of collections. It’s the smart play for right now.
Want to learn more about how agencies are getting results with this approach? Our latest eBook breaks it all down with strategies, use cases, and tips for getting started.
Download the eBook: Maximizing Collections with Smarter Digital Communication Strategies
Talk to a digital solution expert about how you can make this shift work for your agency. Contact us today!
About the Author
Frank Woodhouse is the Digital Product Manager for Financial Services at RevSpring and brings over 33 years of experience in collections, operations, and debt purchasing. As the founder of Alpha Recovery Corp., Frank grew the agency into a high-performing operation with over 100 collectors and offices in Colorado and Arizona. Today, he helps ARM organizations accelerate payments through digital-first strategies.
