Referring a customer to the right support service
Knowing the key support lines — and matching the right one to the situation — turns a hard call into genuine help.
What this scenario teaches
- Know the main Australian support services and what they cover
- Match the service to the customer's situation
- Make referrals warm and practical, not dismissive
- Combine debt help with crisis support where needed
- Stay reachable so the account still progresses
5 min read
The scenario
A customer's difficulty clearly needs more than you can offer — financial distress, a mental health crisis, family violence, or a tangle of debts. Pointing them to the right support service is one of the most valuable things you can do, but only if you give the right number and offer it as help rather than a hand-off.
A confident, well-matched referral can change someone's week. A vague "ring a helpline" tossed out to end the call does the opposite.
What's really going on
Australia has strong free support services, and matching the right one matters. For debt and money, the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) offers free, confidential financial counselling. For family violence, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) provides specialist counselling and safety support. For mental health and crisis, Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) are there around the clock. Often a customer needs more than one.
The value is not just in knowing the numbers but in offering them with warmth and a sentence of context, so the customer understands what each service does and feels encouraged to call. A referral made kindly is far more likely to be acted on.
Your options
- Match to the need. Debt to the National Debt Helpline; safety to 1800RESPECT; crisis to Lifeline or Beyond Blue.
- Combine where needed. Offer both debt help and crisis support if both apply.
- Add a sentence of context. Briefly say what the service does so the number means something.
- Stay reachable. Offer a pause and make it easy to come back to you.
Recommended approach
Offer the right service as genuine help, with context: "For the money side, the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free and confidential — and if things feel overwhelming, Lifeline on 13 11 14 is there any time." Match the service to what you have heard, combine them where the situation needs it, and make clear you will work with whatever support they get.
Keep your own line open and the account moving gently in the background. The broader guidance on when support fits into recovery sits in the Academy library, with Merion's overall approach on the Merion site.
What to avoid
Do not hand out a number purely to end a call, and do not give the wrong service for the situation — sending a person in danger to a debt line, or a debt problem to a crisis line, helps no one. Avoid a cold, contextless "just call this". And do not refer and then vanish; stay reachable so the support and the account both move forward.
The lesson
- Match the service to the need: debt, safety, or crisis each has its own line.
- Key numbers: National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007, 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732, Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
- Add a sentence of context so the referral lands as help, not a hand-off.
- Combine debt and crisis support where both apply, and stay reachable.
Frequently asked questions
Which service do I use for what?
Debt and money to the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007); family violence and safety to 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732); mental health or crisis to Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).
Can I refer to more than one service?
Yes, and you often should. Someone facing both debt and a personal crisis benefits from both the financial counselling line and a crisis support line.
How do I make a referral feel genuine?
Match it to what you have heard, add a sentence on what the service does, offer a pause while they make contact, and keep your own line open afterwards.
Real situations, the right call
When an account goes past talking, Merion recovers it — commission-only, no upfront fee.