Alliance and Leicester has used Chris Firat Training on more than one occasion to complement the courses already provided by its well established in-house Training Department. CFT is able to provide in-depth specialist knowledge on debt collection tactics and techniques as well as giving delegates the legal and regulatory knowledge they need to conduct their debt collection role efficiently and effectively within the Law.

The training services provided were quirky, informative and fun. The delegates thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and retained the information they were given. Chris Firat's style is unique!

Chris Firat worked with Bank of Ireland to design and deliver a training module entitled 'Fair and Effective Mortgage Debt Collection by Telephone.' 

Working with Chris and her team has been a most rewarding experience. They brought a focused, practical approach that built on proven experience to help support our staff when handling the tough realities of today's business challenges. Following participation on the programmes our staff are more confident in their ability to handle difficult conversations in a manner that helps and supports our customers while delivering business outcomes.The sessions have been really well received and we get consistently excellent feedback from the participants. The trainers have also found the experience very worthwhile and have all benefited from working on the programme.

Over the last 2 years, CFT has assisted in training more than 500 of our collectors, including those responsible for the collection of credit card, personal loan and current account debt. The training sessions have taken place both in the UK and South Africa, and each course has been tailored to the unique environment of the collections unit in question. Without exception, the trainer has brought an in-depth level of knowledge to each of the training sessions, strengthening both the capabilities of the business and the collector.

The feedback received from the courses has been exceptional, and Barclaycard is continuing to work with CFT on maintaining the high standard of debt collection achieved to date.

Bolsover District Council enlisted the help of CFT to develop and deliver a bespoke training workshop to its Recovery Officers entitled, 'Effective Debt Collection by Telephone' in March 2007. Jane Lapins, Billing and Recovery Manager for Bolsover District Council made the following comments after the training had been completed and the success of the workshop assessed:

"Following the training at the end of March 2007, debit card transactions taken by Revenues staff alone increased by 27.8% from April to June in 2007, compared to the same time last year. Direct Debit take up has increased by approximately 4% during this same period.

The training had a positive effect on staff and they really took on board the points made. They felt 'empowered' that they could be in control, assertive and induce payment.

I certainly feel that the training has been, and will continue to be, a key factor in our performance."

We at Brachers decided to engage Chris Firat Training after seeking personal recommendations from other contacts within the industry. This was the name that kept coming up and we haven’t been disappointed.

Emma Vigrass initially spent a day with us, tailoring a bespoke course primarily for our consumer collections and recoveries unit. This focus was essential as the team has to deal with a specialised and varied portfolio. In the event, Emma was able to reinforce our own specific training requirements as well as communicating good practice from her experience throughout the industry. 

To ensure that there was no operational impact, Emma was happy to deliver the course over two days, covering half of the team at a time. Without exception, every member of the team advised that they found the training extremely useful. It was delivered in a very accessible manner, with plenty of opportunity for individual participation, which was eagerly embraced.

Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited has benefited greatly from the collections skills and training provided by Chris Firat Training. The trainer spent time on site understanding what our business was about. As a result, a bespoke course was developed and delivered to support and strengthen the implementation of our other key initiatives to enhance performance. Since the running of these collection workshops our overall cash collection has increased significantly and many of our agents have received personal best targets not previously achieved.

We are continuing to use the services of CFT in our ongoing business development.

I have used Chris Firat for both training and consultancy on many occasions over the last 10 years. These assignments have varied in scope, and have included debt collection training for new starters, enrichment training workshops for experienced staff, team leader training for collection supervisors, and consultancy 'Health Check Reviews' to determine the strengths and areas for improvement within various debt collection operations.

Chris Firat has always delivered what I wanted and the delegates on training courses have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. If you want 'real world' collections training, CFT is the company for you!

Commercial Credit Management Limited, the Knowsley based debt collection agency, called in the services of Chris Firat, one of the industry's leading trainers.

Managing Director of CCM, Steve Murray, commented, "We have a mission and a reputation for going the extra mile and paying attention to detail in all areas of our operation. As we've had a few changes within the Operations Department recently, I wanted to fast track and motivate the team to help them excel at what they do, which is collect the money our clients can't. I was confident Chris Firat could help me achieve this."

Joe Smith, Senior Account Manager, said, "Chris's knowledge and approach to debt collecting was refreshing and powerful, and we can immediately see the results of putting her style into our ethic. A very beneficial days training."

CFT had an existing long term training relationship with Cooperative Financial Services but this was the first occasion that we had looked to engage with the company to deliver Effective Collections training to our Secured Operational Arrears Management team. Maximising collections while adhering to both the letter and spirit of TCF principles was paramount.

Prior to commencement of training delivery, we worked with CFT to ensure that the company understood our business, culture and collections philosophy, particularly considering that the training would be delivered to colleagues working both Mainstream and Specialist accounts, across two sites. Following design of the training material we worked collaboratively with CFT to refine the material, obtain sign off and agree measures of success. A pre delivery workshop was also held for operational managers to ensure understanding of the training approach and objectives. CFT advised on changes to our call audit scorecards to align with the training principals, provided train the trainer courses to enable our coaches to deliver a consistent message going forward, and undertook follow on 1 to 1 meetings with collectors to ensure that "good habits" have been embedded.

Feedback on the training, both from the workshop assessment forms completed and anecdotally from collectors, was very positive. CFT`s approach and energy in delivery was new to our collections staff, but the majority responded very well and were keen to put their new skills into practice at the earliest opportunity.

The training continues to be embedded so it will be some months before we can undertake any meaningful analysis of arrears performance and, if appropriate, attribute that performance specifically to the CFT training. However, actual cash collected has exceeded previous records (and expectations) and arrears performance continues to run well below forecast. This performance is due to a number of contributory factors but I believe that the CFT training has enabled our collectors to maximise the benefits of the system and process improvements that we were implementing in parallel with the training. Collectors now have increased confidence to have quality conversations with customers, improved questioning techniques and the ability to effectively manage objections. Ultimately, it is the quality and outcome of conversation with the customer that determines how well a plan sticks, how much cash is collected and how quickly a case recovers (or progresses to Litigation due to a lack of engagement).

I would be happy to recommend CFT`s training services and would have no hesitation in commissioning the company in the future.

EBS Limited first engaged Chris Firat Training in 2011. The original request was to provide collections training for the Arrears Support Unit.

The tailored training was designed to equip the team with the tools required to operate in the current challenging environment. The feedback from course attendees has been excellent and we could almost immediately see the positive impact of the training in our monthly MI. Participants have particularly commented on Chris’s natural training style as well as her in depth knowledge of the industry. We have an on-going relationship with CF Training and look forward to working with Chris and her team in the future.

CF Training Limited (CFT) wrote and delivered a 2 day course, entitled, ‘Fair and Effective Debt Collection by Telephone,’for delegates who litigate on mortgage arrears.

CFT took the time to visit our offices, listen to our calls and understand our business.  The course material was bespoke, clear and helpful.  Our trainer, Emma Vigrass was excellent, receiving positive feedback from all who attended. We have seen a marked improvement in the behaviours addressed within the training since the course.

My overall satisfaction with CFT's service is high, and I would recommend CF Training Limited to similar businesses.

CFT developed and delivered a unique Soft Skills course, customised to the requirements of FRA UK Ltd.

As a new Debt Collection Agency with new staff who had limited knowledge of the Debt Collection world, the training gave us an excellent insight into what to expect and then gave us the tools to be able to handle the calls effectively and with confidence.

The training was delivered with such enthusiasm that the delegates' attention was captivated with the real life debt collector stories that the trainer can tell from her own personal experience. The trainer's unique style of delivery brings the training to life. The role play sessions were fun, but also very productive. These embedded the training we had received and made taking that first call a lot easier for the new Telephone Collectors.

Even when delivering the legal material, the trainer made it interesting and kept the learners interested throughout.

We received excellent feedback and evaluation from the delegates about the course.

GE Money Home Lending ("GEMHL”) has worked with Chris Firat Training Limited (“CFT”) on a few key projects since 2009, to significantly improve the performance of our telephone-based Mortgage Collections and Litigation teams.

In early 2012 GEMHL implemented a new call quality process, to build upon best practice and encourage Mortgage Account Managers to reach their full potential, by having better quality conversations with customers.

CFT's work provided an invaluable, robust foundation for the embedding of best practice collections throughout GEMHL, feedback from the staff has been excellent and improved customer interactions have enabled GEMHL to deliver better outcomes for customers.

Chris Firat Training Limited (CFT) was approached by Luminus Group (Luminus) in September 2012 to potentially put together a training package intended to optimise the performance of our Legal and Revenues Officers.

CFT initially worked with us to understand the specific needs of Luminus and attended our offices to conduct a thorough Training Needs Analysis, as well as sit with our key staff members, review our processes and listen to actual calls. Following this, CFT designed and delivered a workshop tailored to our requirements, and including their suggestions based on an in-depth knowledge of the industry, the culture of Luminus, the regulations and customer behaviours. CFT worked with us throughout the development process to ensure the final product was within budget, on time and of a very high quality.

The training workshop, 'Effective Debt Recovery' was conducted at our offices in November 2012, and included interactive exercises, call listening (using our calls, which had been re-recorded by CFT to ensure agent anonymity) and a professional presentation and hand-outs. It was important to us that the audience felt challenged, whilst having their substantial experience fully respected. The trainer, Emma Vigrass, achieved both these aims, fully explaining the new call techniques and rationale behind the suggested implementation. In addition, Emma managed interactive and lively discussions throughout the workshop, which ensured maximum buy-in to the new techniques.

We have had excellent feedback from all those who attended the course, which included a representative from a local authority. Collections performance has improved since the course delivery in November 2012. I would wholeheartedly recommend CFT to any business seeking best practice in collections performance with lawful techniques that never violate the right of the debtor to be treated fairly and respectfully at all times.

CFT understood the industry well, and took the time to understood our specific business needs and requirements. The training was delivered in-house to a high standard, as per the Proposal, and all reasonable changes and requests were accommodated.
The feedback from the attendees of the sessions was positive, and we have seen a marked improvement in the behaviours addressed within the training since the course.

CFT made appropriate recommendations for business changes that would be beneficial following the training, and my overall satisfaction with CFT's service is extremely high. I would recommend CF Training Limited to similar businesses.

I have used Chris Firat Training to support the re-write of our Induction Training Programme and to deliver development courses. Managers have also attended CFT's public courses.

Chris Firat's enthusiasm and knowledge of debt collection in terms of negotiation and legislation is the best I have ever witnessed. Everybody who has attended one of Chris' workshops said it was the best course they had ever been on. They were full of admiration and gratitude for Chris as she supported them in the challenges we face day to day. Chris keeps things real by providing examples and sharing her experience. Her courses are always interactive and promote best practice.

Chris keeps people's attention whilst embedding the message you want to get across. Following each course, both my managers and collectors have come back to the operation motivated, and have made a positive change to the way they were doing things.

I would highly recommend Chris Firat Training to anybody who wants to make a positive difference to their debt collection operation whilst remaining within legislative guidelines but achieving excellent results.

ScotCall have employed the talents of CF Training for the past two years where we have run an annual course internally to train our newer Account Managers and do refresher training for more experienced Account Managers. Feedback from our staff has been excellent but the real gain has been increased collections across the board, where we have seen between a 30% to 40% increase in the first year, but also significant increases so far in year two. We have also sent our Collection Management Team on CFTs public seminars with their peers and they have benefited greatly from that. I have no hesitation in recommending CF Training to any company in our industry as the training is all tailored to both our industry and your company. Indeed it is our intention to look at increasing refreshers from the current once a year.

Southern Finance has used Chris Firat Training on several occasions to deliver training days and presentations to its in-house collections staff, and Area Managers whose role includes doorstep collecting.

"We are delighted that our staff has been able to enjoy the professional expertise and training solutions provided by CF Training. In our opinion, having experienced a number of training providers over many years, Chris Firat consistently displays sound unsurpassed knowledge in the subject, which is delivered in a style that never fails to captivate delegates' attention. We very much expect to continue our association, which to date has existed since the first training session provided for our staff by Chris in 2001."

I would like to offer my feedback on the training sessions recently undertaken by Chris Firat Training. To say that I am delighted with the content and quality of these sessions would be an understatement. In the past, I have used various providers to deliver telephone collection skills, and they delivered very little at an exorbitant cost. This time it was different.

In preparation for the sessions, the trainer familiarised herself with the unique product that is a Student Loan, and ensured she was well versed with the many challenges facing our staff. This earned her the admiration of her audience who all commented that, "she certainly knows her stuff and she knows what we do inside and out." This thorough preparation encouraged open participation as the attendees felt in Chris they were with someone who could relate to the key issues of the day. After the first session, I had Team Leaders contact me to tell me how great they thought the course was. One had even begun to put the outputs of the session into practice and was already seeing results. The attendees were all enthusiastic, motivated and are looking forward to putting what they learnt into practice.

I would urge that this training course is a must for any organisation looking to maximise their collections performance through the use of innovative and highly effective telephone collection skills. Since running this course our overall cash collection has increased by 19% and for some agents has increased by 30%.

My collections team are very experienced, competent at what they do, and knowledgeable about the systems and regulatory framework in which they are required at work. However, in view of Swift's sub prime customer base, we wanted to find a training provider who could deliver a course on telephone training to ensure our borrowers continued to be treated fairly and professionally, but at the same time provide a fresh look at skills that could be used to handle difficult borrowers and to maintain control of the conversation.

We chose to work with Chris Firat Training, in view of their ability to develop a training course tailored specifically to the needs of our business and the experience of our existing staff. The debt collection experience of the trainer engaged the delegates and ensured that they all contributed positively to the session from the start, and came back from the training enthusiastic and ready to try out different tactics and techniques on their debt collection calls. The impact of this training has been extremely positive for Swift, and we are now considering a follow-up training session to build further on the success of the initial one day course.

I was curious about Chris Firat Training having heard many endorsements from other collection managers across the industry. After an initial meeting with Chris it was clear that she had a passion for debt recovery rather than an enthusiastic sales pitch which I have encountered through other training providers. Chris was appointed to perform a one-day bespoke workshop for all collectors within the department and this was conducted over a two-month period. I was particularly impressed with Chris' flexibility as she was more than happy to work in to the evenings to accommodate shift workers and would adjust the course for collectors who managed different products. Chris' style as a trainer was one that the collectors had not encountered before, as previous trainers had been quite staid and rigid, however, they found Chris to be innovative and engaging. The feedback from the attendees has been remarkable with collectors actually sending me messages of thanks for scheduling them on the course, which is something I have never received before. The fact that Chris is an experienced collector is one of the reasons why she gained credibility and buy-in from the attendees. As they had collected in a particular style for many years, I knew that the collectors would find it difficult to adapt to a whole new approach and this has been the case for a few. However, Chris has worked with the Team Managers and I to ensure that her techniques are taken on board and has revisited the site to perform follow-up coaching and assessments. We are already starting to see the impact of Chris' training through results as well as from individual feedback, and many collectors have managed to adapt quickly and are performing at a much higher level. I hope to continue to employ Chris as a trainer in the future and have her regularly revisit us to reinforce the training given and help shape and mould new recruits.