Case Study: How Avid Acceptance reached 75% self-service payments while elevating the customer experience
Avid Acceptance is an auto finance company that prioritizes building strong, lasting relationships with its customers. By leading with respect and flexibility, the organization creates a financing experience centered on trust and care.
The challenge: Streamlining operations without sacrificing service
As Avid transitioned back from subprime to bankruptcy lending, the team faced a familiar challenge: how to serve more customers with fewer internal resources—without losing their personal touch.
High call volumes and manual payment processing made it difficult to scale operations. Leadership also saw an opportunity to recommit their internal culture from collections-focused to service-oriented. The team needed tools to modernize servicing, drive automation and empower customers to manage payments on their own.
We wanted to streamline operations, reduce overhead and deliver the kind of experience our customers deserve. That meant rethinking both our systems and our mindset.
— Lala Taumoefolau, SVP of Account Servicing, Avid Acceptance
The PayNearMe partnership
Avid turned to PayNearMe to help bring this new vision to life.
The platform gave Avid the flexibility to offer multiple payment types—including debit, ACH, mobile wallets and cash—through a single, intuitive experience. Features like Smart Link™, autopay and real-time reminders helped reduce agent involvement while putting more control in the hands of customers.
But it was the hands-on support that stood out most.
What makes PayNearMe stand out is their investment in our success—not just delivering a product, but helping us reduce costs and boost efficiency. Every vendor should have this level of commitment.
— Lala Taumoefolau, SVP of Account Servicing, Avid Acceptance
Results that matter
The impact of the partnership was immediate and measurable:
- Agent-assisted payments dropped from 33.8% to 23% in under a year
- Consumer self-service jumped from 37% to nearly 75%
- Payment volumes stayed stable at $114M/month—despite a 50% reduction in staff
- Customer reviews improved, with Google ratings increasing by nearly 2 stars
- Collected $500K in payments in only two weeks by integrating PayNearMe’s Smart Link™ with their tools
- Lower processing fees and real-time posting reduced operational drag
These improvements weren’t just about metrics—they were about making customers feel more in control.
With PayNearMe’s tools and support, consumer self-service jumped from 37% to nearly 75%. Together, we’re empowering customers with the flexibility they expect.
— Lala Taumoefolau, SVP of Account Servicing, Avid Acceptance
Cultural shift and operational wins
Internally, Avid made key structural changes to align with this service-first vision:
- Redefined “Collections” as “Account Management” to foster better relationships with customers
- Consolidated teams, brought outsourced work in-house
- Trained staff to build rapport instead of chasing payments
- Partnered closely with PayNearMe’s Client Success team for monthly reporting and strategy
What’s next
Avid and PayNearMe are working together with a goal to reduce agent interaction to below 20%, and a stretch goal of 18% by the end of the year. Monthly meetings continue to fuel improvements, from PayNearMe supported AI integrations to automation rollouts.
The team is also focused on increasing payment volume while keeping the customer experience personal and empowering.
“We’re building something that truly serves people,” Taumoefolau said. “And we couldn’t do it without the right partner.”
