Being Nice Pays Off!

At Greentree & Associates our strategy stands in stark contrast to a debt collection industry that has come under fire in recent years because of increased complaints by consumers over the way debts are collected. The idea that in order to successfully recover past due debt you need to be aggressive and mean is frankly old fashioned. Our collectors are trained to enter into every consumer interaction the same they would when speaking to a client. Of course consumers who find themselves in a coll...

At Greentree & Associates our strategy stands in stark contrast to a debt collection industry that has come under fire in recent years because of increased complaints by consumers over the way debts are collected. The idea that in order to successfully recover past due debt you need to be aggressive and mean is frankly old fashioned. Our collectors are trained to enter into every consumer interaction the same they would when speaking to a client. Of course consumers who find themselves in a collection situation can at times become aggressive themselves; however it is the responsibility of the collector to maintain control of the call and most importantly themselves. It is our experience that the most successful collectors are the ones that can “turn a call around” and convey to the consumer that they are being heard. Often collectors play the role of mediator between the debtor and the client. Of course our priority is collecting money for our client but often times the path to that result is simply breaking down for the consumer why they owe the debt instead of just insisting that they pay it. Every collector regardless of experience goes thru a training program when they are hired. This program has evolved over time and expands beyond the FDCPA. Negotiation skills and techniques to maintain control of a call are a large part of our training process. In addition to phone etiquette our office maintains a simple philosophy to be nice. It sounds simple but it really goes along way. Simple things like saying “good morning” when you walk in or holding the door open for a coworker help to promote an energy in the office that is positive and we believe more productive. Most importantly that energy is conveyed over the phone to the consumers and gives the consumer confidence that they are dealing with a trustworthy professional company. The bottom line is that this philosophy is working. Since we have made these principals actual company policies we have seen our collection figures rise. In addition we have discovered that when courting new clients there is a comfort level that they will be turning their consumers over to an agency that is interested in more than just collecting money. Being nice pays off!