How InCharge Debt Solutions Is Helping More People Get Out of Debt — with OnRamp’s Help

A Critical Gap Between Enrollment and Commitment

When David Sanchez joined InCharge as COO, he quickly identified a systemic problem: the moment a counseling call ended, client engagement effectively stopped. Clients would agree to enroll in a Debt Management Plan during their counseling session and InCharge sent an agreement by email — and then they waited.

There was no structured follow-up and no way to keep the value proposition alive once the phone call ended. And the numbers reflected it:

• ~40% of clients who received agreements never returned them
• An additional ~30% who signed agreements never made their first payment
• Industry-average first-payment failure rate: ~15% — a benchmark InCharge was not reliably beating

Building a dedicated human onboarding team wasn't viable. "We can't scale that with people power," David said. InCharge needed a technology-driven solution that could provide the guidance clients needed — for every single client, automatically.

The InCharge Launchpad, Powered by OnRamp

InCharge deployed OnRamp as its "InCharge Launchpad" — a branded, guided onboarding experience triggered automatically the moment a client agreement is sent. Rather than waiting for clients to reach out, InCharge now proactively delivers a structured, step-by-step journey that meets new clients where they are: uncertain, overwhelmed, and in need of reassurance.

The Launchpad walks each new client through:

• A personalized welcome video from InCharge's CEO — reinforcing the client's decision to enroll and setting expectations for the journey ahead
• A step-by-step tutorial for completing the multi-page client agreement — eliminating a primary source of drop-off
• A guided walkthrough of creditor authorization forms — reducing inbound support calls
• Instructions for accessing InCharge's self-serve client portal — a platform correlated with 90% higher program stickiness
• Financial literacy modules, client testimonials, and a goal-setting exercise — reinforcing the "why" behind the program

OnRamp also solved a secondary challenge: portal adoption. InCharge knew from internal data that clients who regularly logged into their proprietary self-service portal were significantly more likely to remain active. But take rates were low. By embedding portal onboarding directly into the Launchpad experience, InCharge now drives clients into their portal as a natural step in the journey — not an afterthought.

Measurable Impact on Conversion, Retention, and Revenue

Since deploying OnRamp, InCharge has fundamentally changed its first-payment conversion and early retention metrics — with results that compare favorably not just to their own historical baseline, but to industry benchmarks.

• 95% of OnRamp completers made their first payment (vs. 80% for non-completers)
• 15-point improvement in first-payment conversion
• 5% first-payment failure rate for completers (vs. 15% industry average)
• 90% 60-day retention among completers (vs. 51% for non-completers)
• 18% more likely to fund their account
• 98% conversion rate from commitment to first payment for grant-funded clients
• 96% probability of remaining active past 60 days once first payment is made

Among clients who completed OnRamp, 95% made their first payment — compared to 80% for non-completers. That 15-point gap represents a significant improvement on the industry average, where roughly 15% of enrolled clients fail to make their first payment. InCharge has cut that failure rate to just 5% for completers.

The retention story is even more striking. OnRamp completers showed approximately 90% retention through the first 60 days — compared to just 51% among clients who never engaged with the Launchpad. Given that the average InCharge client stays on the program for ~23 months, improving early retention has compounding downstream effects on lifetime revenue.

Critically, once a client makes their first payment, there is a 96% probability they will remain active past the first 60 days — signaling long-term program commitment. OnRamp is the bridge that gets them to that pivotal moment.

With a strong foundation in place, InCharge is focused on creating a unified client environment where OnRamp and their self-service portal converge into a single destination that clients return to throughout the life of their program, not just during the onboarding window. As InCharge undergoes a major CRM transformation and brand refresh, this integrated experience represents the next phase of innovation.

"It has significantly improved retention and especially the improvement of making that first payment," says David. "Now we want to throw gas on the fire."