AKUVO’s goal is to be the leader in collections and credit risk management solutions and consultative services for financial institutions. With over 15 years of experience, Lauren Sybesma, VP of Marketing and Partners,  shares her insights on the culture, values, and true meaning of what AKUVO really stands for. Read more below:

Since joining AKUVO I find people having the oddest response to the company name. Normally, when you tell someone where you work, the response is, “What does the company do?” But I find with AKUVO, individuals respond, “What’s an AKUVO?”

As a marketing professional, I find this to be an excellent opportunity to talk about what the company “is” instead of just what it “does.” And as a new employee, I now feel equipped to articulate the answer to the question. So, what IS an AKUVO?

It’s a small company with big ideas

The founder and leadership team wake up every day with big plans to improve the way financial institutions do business. Their goal is to help organizations embrace new technologies and thrive. AKUVO may be starting with a collection and credit risk platform, but there is SO much more under the hood. Data science, predictive analytics, natural language processing, AI and more are all technologies the team feels passionate about using as the foundation of the product so it can be of long-term value to its customers.

It wears many hats

Everyone who works here wears a lot of hats…and fashionably! People at AKUVO sincerely enjoy being involved in many things. This is particularly visible within the customer loyalty team where all Customer Loyalty Specialists are required to understand how to implement, train and support/troubleshoot so that they can be of the utmost assistance to customers both pre and post go-live. Afterall, the team’s goal is to create raving fans!

Speaking of hats….don’t forget the sleeves!

During one of my early conversations with Steve Castagna, the company’s COO, he asked if I was wearing sleeves. I said “yes, but why?” He responded, “Roll them up because that is what we do here.” And based on my experience since joining, he was completely right. There is no job too big or too small for anyone at this company. Need proof? Just watch Jay Mossman (our CEO) and Steve Castagna set up a complex booth at a trade show!

It has great balance

This trait is a bit hard to put into words, but there is a unique balance within the day-to-day operations of AKUVO. The dreamers are balanced by the doers. The risky by the risk adverse. The creative by the practical. There is a team mentality, and a level of respect and willingness to listen to different views that fosters excellent decision making.

It loves a good happy hour

And no, I don’t just mean the cocktails 😊… I mean the celebration! The people at AKUVO really enjoy being around each other and interacting with members of the financial services community. They like to celebrate the results of their hard work, and the hard work of their customers.   

Overall, “an AKUVO” is the product of its people. All of the traits above can be seen in the individuals that work here, and I am proud to be part of the team!

So to all my new colleagues at AKUVO, how’d I do? And to all those out there who have never heard of “an AKUVO” – now you know. ,