Collection Tip - Slow Down!

Often, collection agents get frustrated on a call, or feel they are losing control, or just want to move on – and subconsciously, they start speeding up the pace of what they are saying, to try to wrap things up.  This is a mistake.

The consumer, on the other end, can often interpret what they hear from the collection agent as aggression, impatience, or unprofessionalness.  

Slow down.

If you feel a conversation going off the rails, speaking faster and louder does not bring the call back where you need it – speak calmly, slowly and clearly.  If the consumer starts speaking over you, continue to speak at a slow pace, it will cut through the conversation.

If you feel a consumer is being argumentative, refusing to pay, or is going in circles, you can decide to end the call, but don’t rush it!  Yes, your call might go another 1-2 seconds, but how you end a call matters, as how the consumer perceives how they are treated.  And for goodness sake, end the call with a calm statement on your side.

Also, as a bonus feature, to you personally as a collection agent, if you slow down, just a bit, you’ll keep your stress levels down.  Yes, you have to move quickly and efficiently in collections, but by unnecessarily rushing calls might only get you 5-6 more calls a day at the cost of maybe not handling 30 calls well.  Not worth it.

I know, I am saying this as the guy who back in the ‘90s, as a collection agent, drank 3-4 coffees each day, with five sugars, and could see through space and time, and made 160+ calls a day.  But I’ve got the benefit of hindsight.  I could have rushed a little less, and maybe only had two sugars in my coffee …

Approach each call with mindfulness, take 5-10 seconds to review the previous collection notes, handle the call and keep your mind focused on what’s being said (and not being said), and after the call ends, take a couple seconds to think ‘did I do everything right on that call, where did it go wrong, what did I say that went well?’.  Doing collections is a job that requires thought and analysis.

Got questions about how to handle difficult calls, or coach your team?  Drop me a note at blair@receivableaccounts.com.

Thanks kindly,

Blair DeMarco-Wettlaufer
KINGSTON Data & Credit
226-946-1730
blair@receivableaccounts.com