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WEEKLY EDITION October 25, 2017 Getting Paid Part II: How to Make Collections Calls By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos You've done everything you needed to do. You delivered and serviced your equipment, you have a rental agreement in place, you've sent timely invoices, and your customer isn't paying you. Now what? 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 lo ok 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. • Regardl ess 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. STRUCTURING AND MAKING THE CALL S When you make the calls, be sure to have all the account information on hand. If you get voice mail or speak to an administrative assistant, leave messages, but do not reveal that the call is about an unpaid bill. It is essential to convey confidence wh en speaking to customers about a past - due bill or discrepancy in payment. Does your phone language say you and your company are competent, confident, and need to be taken seriously? Here are some tips for a confident phone voice that will help you to colle ct more money: • Your Greeting: People often make a judgment about a caller in the first two seconds of an interaction. It's not what you say in that short time that matters most, but often how you present yourself. Use a friendly, forthright tone of voice and greet the person the same way you would if you were meeting them face to face. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2