People remain at the heart of successful customer engagement.

In the closing session of the UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Robbie Hunter-Paul (Founder of Remain Strong) explores how behavioural science, wellbeing and resilience can support better outcomes for both employees and customers.

Drawing on his experience as a performance coach and mental health advocate, Robbie shares practical strategies for managing stress, building healthy habits and supporting teams working in high-pressure environments.

What does the future of customer engagement and responsible collections look like?

In this interactive panel discussion from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, industry leaders from across financial services and utilities discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities shaping the sector today.

Hosted by Ian Parry (coeo UK), the panel features:

Ash Freestone - So Energy

Eleanor Kumar - Barclays

Karen Ryan - Clear Business

Tom Squires - Close Brothers

Ben Calvert - coeo UK

Together they explore changing customer expectations, trust, personalisation, regulatory pressures and the role of technology in shaping responsible collections.

How can AI support customer engagement without losing the human touch?

In this session from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Jules Sharples (Head of Change Management at coeo UK) introduces coeo’s cAI voice agent and explains how automation can support collections teams.

The session explores how AI can handle routine interactions, support payment journeys and free up human agents to focus on more complex and meaningful customer conversations.

Omnichannel customer engagement is often misunderstood.

In this session from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Alex O’Leary (Marketing Automation Lead at PayPlan) explains why effective engagement is not about being everywhere, but about delivering the right experience in the right channel.

Alex explores how different communication channels shape customer behaviour, why many organisations fall into the “copy-paste multichannel” trap, and how to design smarter engagement journeys that improve outcomes for both organisations and customers.

How can data help organisations identify vulnerable customers before financial difficulty escalates?

In this session from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Tim Anderton (GTM Consultant at Data on Demand) explores how enhanced data insights can support earlier identification of financial vulnerability.

Tim discusses how organisations can use richer datasets and analytics to recognise emerging signals of financial stress, enabling more proactive, responsible and supportive engagement with customers.

How is the collections industry evolving and what challenges lie ahead?

In this session from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Chris Leslie (Chief Executive of the Credit Services Association) shares an overview of the current state of the UK collections sector.

Chris explores regulatory developments, public perception of the industry, the impact of AI and digital transformation, and the opportunities for greater collaboration across the credit ecosystem.

An insightful perspective on the trends shaping the future of responsible collections.

What does the latest economic data tell us about the future of credit and collections?

In this opening session from our UK Customer Focus Summit 2026, Dennis Sanford-Casey (Director of Data Strategy at Equifax) explores the key economic indicators shaping consumer behaviour and credit performance in the UK.

Drawing on Equifax market insight, Dennis discusses inflation trends, consumer confidence, credit usage and emerging risk patterns; alongside how new data sources and analytics are helping organisations better understand and respond to financial pressure.

A must-listen session for anyone working in credit, collections, risk or financial services.

In the first episode of In Conversation With coeo UK the podcast, we sit down with Jane Austin, HR Director at Wave Utilities, to explore what it really takes to build a culture that inspires people and drives customer happiness.

From emotional intelligence in leadership to empowering people managers and creating 'moments of joy' at work, Jane shares her experience in shaping one of the UK’s most recognised company cultures, and what every business can learn from it.

At coeo, we believe strong culture builds strong relationships; with our teams, our clients, and our customers. Join us as we explore fresh ideas, proven approaches, and human stories that help make every cash journey a positive one.

From our latest event, Elevating Collections 2025, watch Robbie Hunter-Paul’s session explore the fascinating and timely topic of Managing Digital Media. From understanding the evolution of smartphones to uncovering how digital media uses us through dopamine-driven algorithms, Robbie highlights the impact of digital addiction on mental, physical, and social well-being. Most importantly, he shares actionable strategies for rewiring habits, fostering healthier relationships with technology, and reclaiming control over our digital lives.

From our latest event, Elevating Collections 2025, watch Ian Parry, CEO & Founder of Future Leaders and CEO of Mangrove Energy, bring his expertise with a brand-new Industry Temperature Check session. This dynamic, Q&A-style discussion delivered real-time insights into the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of credit and collections. Using exclusive pre-event surveys, live Slido polls, and expert video insights, Ian explored what’s driving change, what needs to improve right now, and where future investment should be directed. Importantly, this session laid out the foundation for the first-ever coeo Industry Report, ensuring that the voices of industry leaders are heard and used to shape future strategies.