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Following a hat-trick of wins in 2021, we’ve been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Credit Strategy Credit Awards.

We have been shortlisted in two categories – Company Award for Business Continuity and Debt Advice Provider of the Year – for the ceremony that’s taking place on 29 June in London.

Company Award for Business Continuity

Having won last year’s Business Continuity of the Year award for the way we continued to provide the same high level of support to people who needed debt advice during the pandemic, we have again been shortlisted following a record year in customer enquiries.

Antony Price, Partnerships Manager, said: “Not only did the pandemic see us help more people seeking debt advice, unfortunately we also saw an increase in vulnerabilities, meaning we had to ensure our advisers were well-equipped to support.

“We continued to provide training across the industry. In 2021, approximately 3,000 agents received our training which led to a 173% uplift in referrals.

“Stringent planning means we’ve been able to handle these enquiries and continue to achieve the very best customer outcomes.

“We’ll continue to provide this high-quality training, so agents are best placed to support these customers.”

We also supported Grantham Foodbank over Christmas, delivering 100 care packages to families as well as donating gifts to families in need.

In response to the crisis in Ukraine, PayPlan teamed up with a secondary school with donations to support the refugee crisis.

Debt Advice Provider of the Year

We have also been shortlisted in the Debt Advice Provider of the Year category for a successive year – an award we won in 2021.

Post-pandemic saw an increase in customers presented with complex needs beyond their financial difficulty.

In response, we constructed a unique wider support network of 60-plus partners that customers can be referred to for holistic support, including specialists in mental health, addiction and domestic abuse.

We were approached by Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) and Money Advice Plus to pilot its Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF).

Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, CEO and Founder of SEA, said: “For survivors of economic abuse, debt can feel like an invisible chain which links them to a perpetrator.

“It’s amazing to see PayPlan put the form into use and to hear the difference it’s already making to survivors.”

We also facilitated Breathing Space for more than 1,500 customers – with an overwhelming majority saying it positively impacted not only their mental health but their finances as well.

Find out more about working with us here.