What 2026 looks like for digital collections, in the industry's own words

The industry is optimistic. Placements are expected to climb. Consumers, it turns out, are more ready for digital than the businesses serving them.

So why does it still feel so hard?

That question is at the heart of The Digital Communications Pulse Report, a new research briefing from AccountsRecovery.net, sponsored by TCN. We surveyed credit and collection professionals at agencies, debt buyers, banks, credit unions and fintechs about how they are deploying text, email and digital channels, where those channels actually work and what is holding everyone else back.

What's inside:

• Which communication channel now beats email, web portals and the phone for consumer engagement, and the data behind it

• The six-month forecast for placement volume, contact rates and collection rates, and the squeeze hiding inside the numbers

• Where in the collection lifecycle digital communications actually perform best

• The single biggest barrier stopping organizations from going fully digital (hint: it isn't the consumer)

• How the industry really decides which channel to use, and how few have automated it

• Candid, unfiltered quotes from practitioners on what has surprised them most

One respondent summed up the state of play better than any chart could: "How far behind we are. It's a journey I wasn't expecting."

Find out where you stand. The full report is free to download.