With four years at Cloud Payment Group under his belt, Justin Smiley is our in-house expert in legal debt recovery.
Joining Cloud Payment Group in 2020, Justin Smiley was originally lured by the role of Local Government in debt recovery and the complexity of the legal work required, however four years later he has found his calling by giving advice on debt recovery within complex situations.
As Legal Business Manager – a critical job whose daily outlook involves managing legal files, preparing court documents and giving legal advice on debt recovery to clients – Justin says he has seen consumer and small business payment arrangements at an all-time high.
The number of legal actions requested by clients has increased significantly over the past few years. People are more aware of how to avoid debt collectors – as social media is showing them how to do it. Even a simple Google search reveals articles such as “9 ways to avoid debt collectors”, or numerous Reddit threads on the same topic – with most of them giving people the wrong information. It’s a real issue at the moment for the industry and one that I have a strong desire to change through education.
Cost of living crisis
With the cost-of-living crisis worsening, it has become one of the single biggest challenges for our clients from a debt recovery perspective. As they say, how do you get blood out of a stone? The strain on finances of not only individuals, but also businesses, is at an all time high. People are turning to additional borrowing to cover everyday expenses, and the buy now, pay later industry is thriving.
From a legal perspective I actively encourage people to have honest conversations with their debt collectors – clients would much rather regain the amount through a payment process , than go through a potentially costly legal process, which is where I would come in to provide that advice.
Switching off is critical
This is a high-pressure environment that understandably comes with days of high emotions, so switching off and removing himself is an important part of Justin’s work-life balance.
I make sure that I switch the phone off once as soon as I enter the house, and it goes on do not disturb – unless you’re family! I honestly enjoy the flexibility that I get at Cloud Payment Group and can definitively say that no one day is the same – the past four years has flown by.