Brett Ellis: Removing Friction in Collections

On this episode of AI Unplugged, Brett Ellis—Head of Partnerships & Enterprise at DebtStream—shares how modern collections teams are winning with self-service, automation, and focused partnerships. From a career reboot in the UK to scaling fintech partnerships, Brett explains why “don’t wait” is the only sane AI strategy, how to separate value partners from vanity partnerships, and why the fastest path to better outcomes is removing friction at every step of the customer journey.

What You’ll Learn

• Why self-service is now table stakes and how to design it for real-world, high-stress scenarios.
• A pragmatic AI adoption path: start small (e.g., ID&V), prove value, then expand—no “boil the ocean.”
• Partnerships that actually move revenue vs. handshakes that eat calendar time.
• Build vs. buy in collections tech—and why specialist vendors usually win on cost, speed, and outcomes.
• How to align teams around AI so operations see it as an amplifier, not a threat.
• The north star for CX in collections: relentless removal of friction.

Key Takeaways

• Friction is the enemy. Every barrier (wrong-time calls, limited channels, clunky forms) kills engagement. Remove friction and conversion rises.
• Start narrow, win fast. Ring-fence one use case (like ID&V), deploy, measure, iterate. Momentum beats moonshots.
• Self-service isn’t optional. The question isn’t if—it’s how good is your experience and how many choices do you offer.
• Partnerships must be reciprocal and revenue-linked. Set shared goals, agree on give/get, review regularly. Otherwise, downshift to low-cadence referral—or walk away.
• Build if tech is your core business. Otherwise, buy from specialists who live and breathe collections UX, compliance, and iteration.
• AI anxiety is solvable with inclusion. Bring ops and agents into the design loop; position AI as a teammate that handles volume, not a headcount threat.
• Data > dogma. Let your numbers reveal friction points (e.g., 10k calls → 30 connects). Then switch channels, add automation, or change timing.
• Adopt now, not “next year.” Leaders waiting for perfect AI will be outpaced by those compounding small wins today.