Why Agencies Replace DAKCS with Aktos

The Reality of Outdated Debt Collection Software

If your agency is still relying on DAKCS, you’re not alone. For decades, DAKCS positioned itself as an industry leader in debt collection software and accounts receivable management.

But in 2025, older software solutions like DAKCS are no longer helping agencies grow—they’re holding them back. Compliance demands are tightening, clients expect real-time dashboards, and consumers demand modern options like e-signatures and digital self-service.

Running on DAKCS today is like asking collectors to chase accounts with a rolodex and a landline while your competitors are using real-time dashboards.

And it’s not just theory. Customers tell us they’re frustrated:

• Agencies describe data entry as overly complicated, often requiring multiple steps just to post accounts.
• Many report difficulties bringing on 3rd party point solutions like dialers due to difficulties integrating with DAKCS.
• Leaders also shared frustrations about long contracts, conversion fees, and downtime when trying to exit.

No wonder agencies are searching for modern, cloud-based platforms that can truly streamline workflows.

What Is DAKCS?

DAKCS has its roots in Utah and got its start in 1981. It has largely taken an “all-in-one” approach to debt collection software, preferring to exclusively offer its own payment portals, payment processing through closely tied PDCflow, phone dialer, etc. For a time, it worked.

But much of that technology has barely evolved, and the technology landscape has grown increasingly complex and broad. What were once small add-ons to collection software are now entire companies (e.g. payment processing, phone dialing, etc.) in and of themselves. Agencies today report the same pain points over and over:

• Very old infrastructure: Many DAKCS agencies are still interacting with legacy, DOS-style screens. Agencies often describe DAKCS as extremely old—many even view it as more outdated than other legacy platforms still in use.
• Clunky user interface: Collectors waste valuable time navigating through outdated screens and fields instead of engaging with consumers—and every new hire dreads the steep learning curve.
• Closed ecosystem: Agencies struggle to bring in their preferred vendors. Agencies have reported being charged extra fees when attempting to use their preferred payment processors, leaving them feeling locked in to vendor relationships they didn’t choose.
• Manual processes: From compliance checks to custom reports, too much depends on human workarounds. Agencies often describe it as a system where everything requires custom programs and recurring upcharges.
• Limited self-service: Debtors can’t upload documents or use e-signature to resolve accounts. Staff ends up relying on fax and email.
• Rigid vendor lock-in: Agencies report being limited to a narrow set of ‘preferred’ vendors for payments and dialers—options that often feel restrictive compared to the flexibility of modern open systems.

Learn more: Avoid Vendor Lock-In: Hidden Costs of Debt Collection Software in 2025 

What Is Aktos?

Aktos was built specifically for today’s debt-collection industry. Unlike DAKCS, Aktos is fully cloud based on Amazon Web Services. That means:

✅ No servers or IT headaches.

✅ Instant scalability—from 100K to 30M+ accounts.

✅ Built-in compliance guardrails for FDCPA, Reg F, HIPAA, and stricter state rules.

✅ Open APIs that let you bring your own vendors for payments, dialers, and CRMs.

✅ Modern UI that collectors actually enjoy using.

Instead of a “one-size-fits-all” closed garden, Aktos embraces flexibility. You can integrate the best vendors, automate complex workflows, and build client and debtor trust with portals that offer real-time dashboards, self-service payment plans, and dispute resolution.

It’s everything outdated, legacy software solutions can’t do.

DAKCS vs Aktos: Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Deployment & Scalability

• DAKCS: DOS-based, expensive to manage and exit, limited scale.
• Aktos: Cloud-native and exclusive, auto-scales instantly, built to support hybrid and remote work.

Automation & Workflows

• DAKCS: Very manual. Agencies described “everything as a custom program with monthly fees.”
• Aktos: Drag-and-drop automation, AI phone agents, dispute automation, risk scoring, and built-in compliance checks.

Omnichannel Outreach

• DAKCS: Offers mostly home-grown solutions for consumer portals, SMS, email, dialers. Excludes most external vendors.
• Aktos: Bring your own vendors for SMS, email, voicemail drops, text-to-pay—streamlined and compliant. Aktos offers its own emailing and consumer portal as well— but not exclusively!

Portals & Self-Service

• DAKCS: Outdated portal functionality. Agencies report a lackluster consumer experience.
• Aktos: Real-time client portal and 24/7 debtor portal with secure payments, eSign disclosures, and instant documentation upload with full integration with the collection software.

Compliance & Reporting

• DAKCS: Manual audits, slow reporting. Compliance is risky.
• Aktos: Automated Reg F and state-law enforcement, real-time dashboards, complete audit trails.

Payments & Recovery

• DAKCS: Locked to certain vendors. Agencies have shared that they feel pressured into preferred vendor relationships, sometimes facing added fees when trying to use alternatives.
• Aktos: Bring your own processor, or use one of the many that Aktos supports. Supports ACH, card, convenience fees, etc.

Total Cost of Ownership

• DAKCS: High monthly fees (platform, maintenance, support, etc.) plus hidden IT costs and conversion fees.
• Aktos: Transparent SaaS pricing, no surprise add-ons, lower long-term cost, higher ROI.

Learn More: Top Debt Recovery Software Features for Agencies in 2025 

Why Agencies Are Leaving DAKCS Behind

When we talk to agencies, the same frustrations come up again and again:

• Agencies consistently cite that the system is too manual and requires constant workarounds.
• Many feel locked in to subpar vendors and nickel-and-dimed for every add-on.
• Collectors describe the system as slow and frustrating.
• Clients are asking for real-time dashboards, not emailed spreadsheets.

For agencies serious about growth, staying on DAKCS Software Systems is no longer a neutral choice. It’s a competitive disadvantage.

Meanwhile, competitors using modern, cloud-based software solutions like Aktos are streamlining operations, scaling faster, and winning client trust.

Final Thoughts: DAKCS Is Yesterday. Aktos Is the Future.

Here’s the truth— staying on DAKCS is untenable: 

• Black-screen, white-text legacy software can’t compete in 2025.
• Closed vendor ecosystems limit choice and innovation.
• Manual inefficiencies drag down staff productivity.
• Limited integrations block agencies from modernizing.

Aktos gives agencies the opposite:

• Open vendor ecosystem that gives you choices on 3rd party providers.
• Cloud-based scale from small businesses to enterprise-level.
• Collector-friendly workflows that streamline operations.
• Flexible portals that improve customer success and client trust.

For agencies ready to modernize, the choice is simple. DAKCS is yesterday. Aktos is the future.

👉 Ready to see the difference? Book a demo today.