Personalized SMS for Court Fine Repayment

Summary

Among 12 message variants tested, simply including the debtor's name in an SMS dramatically increased repayment. Including the exact amount owed reduced effectiveness slightly. The cheapest intervention—one SMS with a name—recovered far more revenue than traditional debt collection escalation. The Behavioural Insights Team used this as a foundational case for personalization in government communications.

Research question

"Can personalized text reminders increase delinquent court fine repayment?"

Methodology

Result

Positive

Personalized SMS with debtor's name: £12.87 average payment vs. £4.46 control (189% increase)

Evidence strength

Strong

Randomized trial, replicated across multiple sites or studies.

Replication status

Replicated