At Lantern, we believe we’re a shining example when it comes to the management of customers in debt. Since 2008, we’ve helped over 3 million people find a dignified way out of debt. More importantly, we’ve done it in a way that puts the needs of our customers ahead of our profits.
There’s plenty of talk across our industry of ‘vulnerable customers’. At Lantern, we recognise the reality that many customers in debt are also in vulnerable situations – and that it can be difficult to simply ascribe a label of ‘vulnerable’ to a proportion of these customers.
That’s why we take a whole-company approach to vulnerability – treating every customer as if they were vulnerable, and gearing our entire business around supporting people in vulnerable circumstances.
The good news? We’re now able to help even more vulnerable customers find a dignified way out of debt through our exciting collaboration with Sonex Financial.
Back in October 2021, we announced the acquisition of Sonex Financial. Based out of Llanelli & Cardiff, Sonex works on behalf of several of the Big Six energy companies, providing specialist management and engagement services to customers encountering vulnerability in one form or another.
There are three main reasons why we believe Sonex Financial is the perfect fit for Lantern as we look to grow our business and expand our services:
1) A shared specialism around vulnerability
Like Lantern, Sonex takes a whole-company approach to vulnerability. Instead of simply training one dedicated vulnerability team, the entire workforce specialises in knowing how to support customers in vulnerable circumstances. As the UK’s only debt resolution company who specialise solely in vulnerable customer management, they provide a bespoke service to help the most vulnerable in society get back on track and prevent them from making their financial situation worse.
2) A mutual focus on doing right by the customer
It’s easy to talk about “customer care” and “doing the right thing” – but, in our experience, much trickier to evidence it. Much like Lantern, the reputation of Sonex in the market centres around a deep understanding of vulnerability and a commitment to find the right outcome for each individual customer. From their unique relationship with medical professionals, to the type of person they employ to be part of the Sonex team, people are at the heart of the organisation, and it’s these carefully chosen and trained individuals, that make a difference to the outcome for every customer.
3) A broadened expertise and service offering
This acquisition broadens our expertise as a group and allows us to offer a wider range of tailored services to creditors when it comes to managing their vulnerable customers.
Addressing the opportunities coming out of this partnership, Lantern Group CEO Denise Crossley said: “We’re excited by the prospect of collaborating together in the market. I think together we do form a sort of ‘dream team’ for managing vulnerability, covering multiple sectors and circumstances. There’s a real opportunity here to reshape what vulnerable customer care looks like for those in debt.”
Stefan Russell, Managing Director of Sonex Financial, added: “We see this as the ideal partnership. Indeed, we’re already seeing the advantages of working together – and we’re looking forward to the benefits we’ll bring to creditors by working closely together.”
The recently opened Sonex office in Cardiff city centre will complement the existing Sonex team in Llanelli and allow the Sonex brand to expand and care for a growing number of clients looking for specialist vulnerability services.
We’re enjoying welcoming everyone at Sonex into the Lantern family and working together to deliver debt purchasing, recovery and management with a human touch.
There’s plenty of talk across our industry of ‘vulnerable customers’. At Lantern, we recognise the reality that many customers in debt are also in vulnerable situations – and that it can be difficult to simply ascribe a label of ‘vulnerable’ to a proportion of these customers.
That’s why we take a whole-company approach to vulnerability – treating every customer as if they were vulnerable, and gearing our entire business around supporting people in vulnerable circumstances.
The good news? We’re now able to help even more vulnerable customers find a dignified way out of debt through our exciting collaboration with Sonex Financial.
Back in October 2021, we announced the acquisition of Sonex Financial. Based out of Llanelli & Cardiff, Sonex works on behalf of several of the Big Six energy companies, providing specialist management and engagement services to customers encountering vulnerability in one form or another.
There are three main reasons why we believe Sonex Financial is the perfect fit for Lantern as we look to grow our business and expand our services:
1) A shared specialism around vulnerability
Like Lantern, Sonex takes a whole-company approach to vulnerability. Instead of simply training one dedicated vulnerability team, the entire workforce specialises in knowing how to support customers in vulnerable circumstances. As the UK’s only debt resolution company who specialise solely in vulnerable customer management, they provide a bespoke service to help the most vulnerable in society get back on track and prevent them from making their financial situation worse.
2) A mutual focus on doing right by the customer
It’s easy to talk about “customer care” and “doing the right thing” – but, in our experience, much trickier to evidence it. Much like Lantern, the reputation of Sonex in the market centres around a deep understanding of vulnerability and a commitment to find the right outcome for each individual customer. From their unique relationship with medical professionals, to the type of person they employ to be part of the Sonex team, people are at the heart of the organisation, and it’s these carefully chosen and trained individuals, that make a difference to the outcome for every customer.
3) A broadened expertise and service offering
This acquisition broadens our expertise as a group and allows us to offer a wider range of tailored services to creditors when it comes to managing their vulnerable customers.
Addressing the opportunities coming out of this partnership, Lantern Group CEO Denise Crossley said: “We’re excited by the prospect of collaborating together in the market. I think together we do form a sort of ‘dream team’ for managing vulnerability, covering multiple sectors and circumstances. There’s a real opportunity here to reshape what vulnerable customer care looks like for those in debt.”
Stefan Russell, Managing Director of Sonex Financial, added: “We see this as the ideal partnership. Indeed, we’re already seeing the advantages of working together – and we’re looking forward to the benefits we’ll bring to creditors by working closely together.”
The recently opened Sonex office in Cardiff city centre will complement the existing Sonex team in Llanelli and allow the Sonex brand to expand and care for a growing number of clients looking for specialist vulnerability services.
We’re enjoying welcoming everyone at Sonex into the Lantern family and working together to deliver debt purchasing, recovery and management with a human touch.
