If you are a business and are trying to recover a debt, it’s not unusual for the customer to disappear leaving you in a difficult situation. You may not know where to start when trying to trace a customer but there are steps you can take.

In most cases, the customer will leave an electronic trail. This can be through a variety of different ways such as depositing money into a bank account, paying income tax or even buying or selling a house. This can be extremely useful when trying to track down a customer.

You may wish to enlist the help of a professional tracing company who will know the best methods to use. Many will offer electronic tracking or even physical tracking if necessary. Some companies will also offer pre-legal financial checks. This is where the tracing company will investigate the assets of the customer and find out their real financial position before you embark on expensive legal proceedings.

Many tracing agents will have access to a variety of investigative channels such as the Land Registry, the UK Direct Enquiry Database, credit databases showing applications made for credit, insolvency searches, electoral roll information and birth, death and marriage records. All of these means can be helpful in establishing contact with customers.

However, trace exercises don’t just have to be used for recovering a debt. Recently, the debt collections agency Wescot provided trace support to Swift Advances as part of a remediation plan whereby it was required to offer small refunds to previous customers.  The company used lead generation and contact activity to successfully trace 80% of customers.

Tracing and contact services are becoming a vital part of customer service and remediation across a wide range of sectors. If your business is owed money, locating your customers is a crucial part of ensuring successful receipt of payments. There are many different techniques which can be employed to track down customers and achieve positive trace results. A professional tracing company will be able to advise you on which approach is best for your needs. With UK personal debt at a staggering high, it’s all the more important for businesses to recover funds as quickly and cost effectively as possible.