Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/892369
WEEKLY EDITION OCT 25, 2017 Getting Paid Part II: How to Make Collections Calls…continued By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos • Your Voice: Sit up straight in your chair and picture the customer across the desk from you. Think how you would speak to them if they were in the room. A dull, monotone – or an overly apologetic, tentative choice of words - will leave your listener with little confidence in you or your message. The difference in your voice will make it far more likely the customer or his representative will take you seriously. • Focus: Since there is no eye contact when you're on the phone, try to remain focused on the call and not on anything else going on around you. Don't multi-task! Studies show that no matter how good you think you are at it, you're not that good -- and your distraction will show in how you come across. Think about how it feels when you are talking to someone who keeps looking around behind you to see what else is going on. Focus on your caller, listen to what they say and be prepared to respond. You should always structure your collection calls with specific goals in mind. This doesn't have to be about just one thing, and in all probability you'll have better results if you cover more than one thing in the conversation. Here are some goals that make sense for most collection calls: • Catch up with the customer – Before anything, you need to acknowledge the person on the other end of the line. Show the customer you care by remembering details of their personal life if you know them, make a comment about the weather or the performance of your local sports team - things you know they will enjoy talking about. It's important to never forget the relationship. • Talk about any current business – Not only should you care about what's going on in their personal life, but get an update on their business. Their business is a huge part of their life and it's also immensely beneficial for you to know what's going on professionally for them. • Establish the payment is late – You need to acknowledge the reason you are calling. Let them know their payment is past due. • Discover why the payment is late – Instead of simply listing off the facts to your customer, ask them why the payment is late. Listening will help you better solve the problem at hand. • Get a payment promise from the customer before you hang up – The call is useless if you cannot get that promise from your customer. Do everything in your power to make this happen. DEALING WITH EXCUSES When you finally talk with the person, you may get lucky and they will immediately apologize, take out a credit card, and pay you. Most of the time that doesn't happen and you have to deal with excuses. Customers might be confused, they might pass the buck, or they might be angry. Keep in mind that the purpose of your call is to get the bill paid. You can listen, let them know that you understand, and -- based on their situation -- offer a solution such as a payment plan or another option that will benefit both of you. Let's look at some common scenarios, which are adapted from an article published in 2014 by RTS Financial. PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3