Communications and engagement strategy and campaigns

Our work to date with HCEOA has included:

Research and strategy development

Using the Government Communication Service’s OASIS framework, we worked with the HCEOA’s leadership team to review existing practice and co-create a communications and engagement strategy for the organisation that set out:

• A clear aim, priority themes and agreed objectives for HCEOA communications activity
• Target audiences
• Agreed positioning statement (HCEOA in 100 words) and linked key messages
• Priorities for action in 2021/22
• Agreed tactics and channels with clearly identified roles and responsibilities
• Defined evaluation metrics for tracking success

In order to deliver this we used a range of research techniques to ensure our strategy was based on insight and the accurate current context for the HCEOA. This included:

• review and research of existing communications activity 
• a new all-member survey to establish their views on the effectiveness of current activity
• workshops and one to one interviews with HCEOA Board members
• comparative work to look at activity undertaken by other bodies operating in and around enforcement

This feedback and insight was incorporated into the new strategy which has been approved by the HCEOA Board and endorsed by members. All this activity was delivered remotely by our team as it was undertaken at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Improved customer journey and content for new-look HCEOA website

A major barrier to success was the existing HCEOA website, which was outdated in terms of style, imagery, content and language and didn’t provide a simple ’customer journey’ for either creditors or debtors.

We worked with the HCEOA team and its existing website provider to overhaul the site, hugely simplify the customer journey so creditors could understand their options and commission HCEOA members easily, and so that debtors could access simple and transparent advice about their situation with links to external debt advice charities and organisations.

All imagery and content was refreshed in line with the new strategy, with DTW working with the HCEOA team to review, challenge and refine the whole approach, structure and ‘feel’ of the website.

Proactive PR and stakeholder engagement

As our work began with HCEOA there were a number of live issues requiring urgent attention and support, namely:

• the Covid-19 pandemic and how the organisation and its members needed to respond to play their part in maximising public safety and to ensure a responsible and safe approach to enforcement
• upcoming new government guidance on VAT on High Court enforcement fees
• Legal hearings and new government initiatives around how the profession should operate in the future
• The encouragement of much needed reform to modernise government systems and guidance to enable creditors to be able to recover debts owed to them in a timely way