Across Canada, organisations are facing increasing financial pressure from multiple directions:

• Rising household debt
• Increasing cost of living
• Higher interest rates
• Consumers avoiding engagement with creditors
• Increased reliance on short-term credit

At the same time, many organisations are still relying on manual, outdated, and fragmented processes to assess affordability and manage financially stressed customers.

This creates several challenges:

• High operational costs
• Poor engagement rates
• Limited visibility into consumer financial capacity
• Difficulty identifying vulnerable customers early
• Slow adoption of digital and AI-driven solutions

The result is inefficient processes, poor customer experiences, and missed opportunities to support consumers before problems escalate.

Simon helps organisations modernise the way they understand and engage with financially stressed customers by combining strategy, technology, and data.

His work focuses on four key pillars.

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1. Digital Transformation of Customer Engagement

Helping organisations redesign how they interact with customers during financially sensitive situations.

Focus areas include:

• Digital communication strategies
• Omnichannel engagement (SMS, digital portals, AI assistants)
• Behavioural psychology in customer engagement
• Reducing avoidance and increasing response rates
• Designing frictionless digital journeys

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2. AI & Data-Driven Financial Insights

Using modern data and AI capabilities to improve decision-making and operational efficiency.

Key areas include:

• AI-assisted affordability assessments
• Automated categorisation of financial data
• Identifying patterns of financial stress earlier
• Predictive insights for repayment behaviour
• Improving operational efficiency through intelligent automation

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3. Affordability & Financial Capacity Assessment

Helping organisations understand what customers can realistically afford, rather than relying on assumptions or outdated processes.

Focus areas include:

• Income and expenditure assessment frameworks
• Use of banking data and consumer-permissioned data
• Identifying disposable income pressure
• Designing sustainable repayment plans
• Supporting thin-file and credit-invisible consumers

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4. Vulnerability Identification & Support

Helping organisations recognise and support customers experiencing financial vulnerability.

Focus areas include:

• Vulnerability frameworks and identification
• Ethical and supportive engagement strategies
• Referral pathways to advice and support organisations
• Cross-sector collaboration between lenders, utilities, and advice agencies

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Typical Advisory Work

We support organisations through:

Strategic Advisory

Executive-level guidance on affordability strategy, digital transformation, and AI adoption.

Operational Reviews

Assessment of customer journeys, collections processes, and affordability assessment frameworks.

Workshops & Training

Practical sessions for leadership and operational teams on digital engagement, AI use cases, and affordability frameworks.

Innovation & Technology Strategy

Helping organisations explore how technologies such as AI, open banking, and data analytics can modernise their affordability and customer engagement strategies.

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Why Breathe TCS

We bring a unique international perspective to the Canadian market.

His experience combines:

• Global affordability and regulatory frameworks
• Global best practice in digital engagement
• Application of AI and financial data analytics
• Emerging consumer-driven banking in Canada

BreatheTCS is also the creator of SmartI&E, a next-generation affordability and financial capacity assessment platform designed to help organisations understand consumer financial health more accurately using AI and consumer-permissioned financial data.