Persuasion · Randomized trial · text messages

Which text reminder got more people to pay court fines?

UK Courts Service × Behavioural Insights Team · 2012

Text reminders to pay court fines. Which message got more people to pay?

Version A: Standard reminder — AStandard reminder

Version B: Reminder with their name — BReminder with their name

Make your call. Which version won, and why? Decide before you open the result. Guessing first is what trains your judgment.

Made your call? See the result

Payment rose to 33%, from 23% for the standard text.

What happened

Sending any text beat sending nothing (about 5% paid). Adding the person's name increased payment further.

Why it worked

A name makes a message feel addressed to you, not to a list.

The takeaway

Personal and specific beats generic, even in a one-line message.

Source

Behavioural Insights Team · Fraud, error and debt (2012) (gov.uk)

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