How Onward Homes Streamlined 15K Direct Debit Updates with Automation

15K

 Direct debit updates processed

 £81K  

 Annual cost savings

22%

 Increase in first-contact resolution

Overview

Onward Homes transformed its annual direct debit uplift process using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) delivered by Enterprise RPA (now part of Voicescape). The solution reviews 32k customer accounts, automatically identifies and updates 15k direct debits with greater speed, consistency, and transparency.

A previously manual process is now automated, reducing the need for manual intervention. The end-to-end process has been shortened from five weeks to 16 days, while processing productivity has improved by around 10×, delivering measurable operational and financial improvements, whilst enhancing customer experience.

The Challenge

Every year, Onward Homes needs to update thousands of its customer’s accounts during the annual rent review process. This involves applying complex rent rules, payment frequencies, benefit deductions, court-ordered payments, and more under strict regulatory deadlines.

Previously, this fully manual process consumed significant colleague time, with updates often completed close to the deadline triggering a surge of enquiries to the Customer Service Centre (CSC).

The Solution 

Enterprise RPA worked with Onward’s Customer Accounts Team to design a data-led automated process capable of handling complex rent rules and various payment scenarios. Historical data analysis identified recurring errors and exception patterns, allowing consistent policy rules to be embedded directly into the automation.

The robot consolidates data from multiple systems to calculate and amend direct debits, preparing records for a timely upload to AllPay for processing and collection using the updated amounts. Notifications for Onward’s customers are sent in controlled batches, preventing a flood of enquiries to its CSC. It also generates output reports and amendment notes which are automatically recorded on customer’s accounts within Onward’s housing management system to support first-contact resolution.

Key Benefits

• Reliable, compliant processing: Complex rent rules applied consistently, reducing errors and operational risk.

• Clear visibility for teams: Automated reports and amendment notes provide audit trails, helping teams resolve enquiries at first contact.

• Improved customer experience: Accurate, consistent updates and clear account notes give customer’s confidence in their payments.

• Maximising existing automation investment: Builds on the automation platform first implemented for Universal Credit verification, now leveraged to streamline direct debit updates.

The Results

Operational impact

• 15k direct debit updates processed automatically

• End-to-end process reduced from five weeks to 16 days

• Processing productivity improved ~10×

Customer impact

• 22% increase in first-contact resolution

• 20% fewer rent-related enquiries

Financial impact

• £81k estimated annual savings

• Income collection increased to 99.9%

Rob Davies, Head of Customer Accounts and Money Advice at Onward, said:

“Partnering with Enterprise RPA to harness innovative technology has transformed our annual direct debit uplift process. Since integrating RPA, we have not only reduced operational risks but have also seen measurable improvements in financial performance. Most importantly, we’ve also seen a rise in customer satisfaction, with automated solutions allowing our team to step away from manual tasks and provide more personalised support and care to customers.”

Future Steps

The direct debit automation was introduced in 2025 using a hybrid model. Following the strong results, Onward plans to move to a fully trusted automation model in 2026, where the majority of updates will be handled automatically. A dashboard will also be implemented to provide ongoing analytics, helping managers monitor trends, identify bottlenecks, and make more data-driven decisions.

Industry Recognition

The direct debit uplift solution was highly commended in the category Best Use of Technology by a Social Landlord at the Housing Innovation Awards in 2026, and has been shortlisted in the same category at the Northern Housing Awards which is scheduled to take place later this year.