Collections: Customer Service- The Importance of Documenting Communication

Hi:
When an individual or a business finds it necessary to contact a collection department or customer service department, here are some tips on documenting the phone call:
1) Get the full name, ID number, if applicable, of the person representing the company during the phone call.
2) If it's a payment arrangement that is being requested, communicate it to the collections person and document his or her response. Most reasonable requests will be accepted, and it is important to put down everything in writing to validate the agreement.
3) If the collector offers an alternative arrangement that is acceptable, document it the same way.
4) If the initial payment arrangement is denied, but is reasonable, ask to talk to a supervisor. Make sure to get the supervisor's name and ID number as well.
5) After a suitable payment arrangement has been hammered out, make sure to read it back to the collector, informing him or her that you've documented the call.
6) If the payment arrangement extends over a long period of time, it is a good idea to have the creditor put the arrangement in writing and send a signed copy to you.
If you are calling a creditor because the company has made a billing error on your account, the call should be carefully documented in the same manner. Since corporations have so many customer service call centers located all over the country, it is extremely important to document the name and ID number of whomever handled your call in the event that your call needs to be referenced in a future conversation. Generally speaking, documenting phone calls and creating a phone log about each problem or issue will allow you to remedy disputes in a more efficient manner. Tomorrow I'm going to start writing about collection negotiation.
Until then,
Alan

When A Business Should Use A Collection Agency: Part 1

Hi,
There are many different reasons why all kinds of businesses hesitate to utilize collection agencies. Over the next couple of days I am going to discuss some of the fears and misgivings companies have about whether or not to turn their accounts receivables over to collection agencies. One of the most common fears businesses have is that it will hurt their public image. Businesses provide goods and services, expecting to be paid. When customers don't pay, pursuing payment is a normal course of business action. Another common fear is that collection agencies operate outside the law and without professionalism. The best way to alleviate this fear is to go to the collection agency and become comfortable with the people and surroundings. The last major objection businesses have in turning their accounts over to collection agencies is the cost which is almost always on a contingency basis, ranging from 10%-50% of the amount owed. This objection is understandable. However 50%-75% of something is better than 100% of nothing. Large corporations generally have an intermediary step in the collection process, as they have an in-house collections department. Statistically, by the time an account goes through the collection process from the credit department to the collections department, the company's chance of successfully recovering payment on that account is almost nil. As I've referred to in previous blogs, many large companies have gotten away from professional collectors and replaced them with customer service people who have only a generic menu available to resolve accounts. Three major reasons a large corporation should send an account to a collection agency:
1) The account will be serviced by a person skilled in the collection process, and who specializes in the field of difficult collections.
2) If accounts need to be litigated, they can be assigned to the collection agency and therefore sued under the collection agency's name. This helps to preserve the corporation's public image.
3) Sending accounts to collection agencies allows companies a partial recovery on accounts which would otherwise be charged off.
These are just some of the reasons companies should take advantage of utilizing collection agencies. Due to the generic approach large companies are taking in regards to collections, the personal touch used by collection agencies may make the difference in the successful resolution of past due accounts. Tomorrow I will talk about the benefit of collection agencies for small businesses.
Until then,
Alan