Meanwhile, 1 in 4 deaths in the Netherlands are reported through Closure
Brussels, Dec. 27, 2022 - The Dutch DeathTech cancellation service Closure is expanding its operations to Belgium. The innovative scale-up with international ambitions helps - after the death of a loved one - to terminate or transfer ongoing subscriptions; canceling them is a labor-intensive process for both bereaved families and corporate customer service departments. By applying various machine learning techniques, a single Closure employee can handle hundreds of requests per day; faster, cheaper, less labor-intensive and more customer-friendly. Multiple rounds of investment totaling €1.5 million and a proven proposition in the Netherlands provided a solid foundation for expansion into Belgium.
Photo: Toon Lybaert (Country Manager Belgium) and Graciëlla van Vliet (Founder and CEO Closure)
Subscription culture
On average, a deceased person has more than 30 contracts, accounts and subscriptions. People live in a "subscription culture," and that figure is projected to keep increasing. When a loved one dies, bereaved families experience problems and stress in canceling all services and contracts. It is time-consuming and often difficult. Closure completely takes over the process of ending these subscriptions from the next of kin. Not only are next of kin relieved, subscription providers also benefit greatly from the service.
CEO Graciëlla van Vliet: "Closure operates as an external 'survivor desk': a customer care desk for multiple organizations specializing in death cases. Our corporate clients work with Closure because they want to provide their clients' heirs with the best possible support. Organizations themselves quickly have 10 to 30FTEs of work to handle subscriptions and contracts of their deceased customers. Closure runs on artificial intelligence and machine learning. As a result, the customer contact that remains is only there to provide additional support to relatives, not to keep operational processes running. We notice that, partly due to the staff shortage, our solution is being embraced all the more. In the Netherlands, meanwhile, one in four deaths is reported via Closure."
Belgium first step international rollout
The launch in Belgium is the first step in the international rollout of the Dutch scale-up. Graciëlla van Vliet: "To ensure a smooth rollout, we have appointed Belgian Toon Lybaert as country manager. This will enable us to keep in touch with Belgium and its local flavor and to continue to correctly translate the wishes from the market to the specific Belgian needs. Toon has built up a track record within artificial intelligence and machine learning in recent years and is therefore a good addition on several fronts."
First Belgium, Europe and then the USA?!
Closure does not seem intent on waiting long with further expansions. England, France and Germany are already (in pencil) on the launch agenda but the United States also beckons. Closure will continue to work with local teams to bridge cultural differences.
