WEEKLY EDITION AUGUST 28, 2019
G et ti ng Pa i d: Part II
H ow t o Ma ke Col l ect ions Ca l ls
By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director
Well, you can hope and pray … or you can spring into action by making collection calls. This is no one's
favorite thing to do, but it doesn't have to be the most dreaded either. You can learn ways of handling it
that maximize your returns and minimize your headaches. In this article we'll look at two options. The first
is making the calls yourself and/or having someone at your company do it. The second is hiring an
outside firm to do it for you.
PREPARING TO MAKE COLLECTION CALLS
No one is born knowing how to make collection calls, but it is a skill you can develop. You have to be
able to anticipate what the customer is going to say and be ready for anything, and you must remain in
control of the call. For your collection call to be a success, it must always result in agreement as to what
is to be done. Here are some tips to get started:
• Make this someone's job. If you are a "one man band," then make sure you build time into your
schedule to make the calls yourself. The longer you let it go, the less likely it is that you'll get
paid.
• Regardless of who does it, the person making collection calls should schedule a regular time or
day each week to make collection calls.
• Nowadays, it is comparatively easy for delinquent customer to ignore you by letting calls go to
voice mail and deleting email. Understand that the collection process may take multiple tries and
a variety of media including calls, emails, texts, and/or letters. Create a process and accountability
system within your office for this.
• To make the collection process easier in the long run, prepare some standard email text and a
phone script ahead of time. That will ensure you cover all the relevant points and give you some
guidance when the customer raises objections or disagreements about what is owed.
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