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Make The Most Of The Telephone

Few would argue that effective use of the telephone provides a powerful tool in the collection of outstanding debt. Even if the call results in nothing other than a refusal of the debtor to speak, the exercise has not been entirely fruitless.

The telephone has put the collector where the debtor is, however uncomfortable that may be for the debtor, and the likelihood of future contact has increased together with the prospect of a positive, moneybased result.

Assess intent to pay

If a customer's intent to pay has been assessed as weak, the first-class collector will avoid asking too many questions, but use verbal statements instead such as, 'I'm afraid that doesn't alter your obligation to pay', or 'in view of the arrears already on the account, I must press for payment today'. Although the appropriateness of questions cannot be dismissed completely, I believe they can be dangerous, as the low-intent customer has a greater likelihood of responding to questions inaccurately and diverting attention away from the key goals on intent and ability to pay.

The use of 'confident silence' after each and every statement that is made is then imperative in putting the ball firmly in the customer's court for some form of reply. To optimise the power of the verbal statement and silence tool, the tone of voice of the collector must be confident and exude authority, otherwise the low-intent customer is likely to reclaim the initiative and start to control the arrears negotiation themselves.

Ask the right questions

When approached by a collector who is polite, confident and prepared to listen actively, the genuine low-ability customer is likely to open up, provided they are asked questions one at a time which are designed to encourage a fuller answer than just yes or no. In encouraging the customer to talk honestly about their situation, the top-rate collector will avoid asking more than one question at a time - such as, 'what money does your partner bring in or doesn't he work?' - and eliminate questions which can spoon-feed the customer an easy answer - such as 'does your partner not work?', or 'do you not have a debit card, no?'.

There are of course many situations which should prompt an empathetic response from a collector, in tone as well as words, but it is vital to ensure that in these cases the conversation remains professional and does not assume the characteristics of an informal friendly chat between mates.

In summary, therefore, the telephone provides an invaluable opportunity for the collector to create an almost instant image of fair but firm control, exerting their rights to collect the debt whilst giving equal validity to the rights of the debtor to explain the reasons for non-payment. But the telephone is only as good as the collectors who use it, and skilled use of silence, active listening, questions, verbal statements and tone of voice are imperative in ensuring the telephone remains one of the most efficient and effective ways to recover outstanding debt.

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