Celebrating 20 years-how it started and how it’s going

American Profit Recovery is celebrating 20 years in business. However, we are not just celebrating being in business for two decades, we are applauding our vision come true and how we have built a reputable debt collection agency that has achieved what we set out to do in 2004.

We came together because we saw an opportunity to improve just about every area of collections. We were more than confident that we could not only improve how a business achieved results by using a debt collection agency, but we could also make a challenging experience for consumers, much more productive.

We knew there was a way to improve the debt collection industry and make it far more effective for everyone involved.

“You’ll Profit From Our Difference” was not just a tagline. It was our North Star for how we were going to conduct business.

We’ve come a long way from when we all got together, had no clients or even software to conduct business. But we are proud of our accomplishments over the past 20 years. For us, our incredible team we have built and the industry as a whole.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2024, we reflect on our vision and how we continually strive to achieve our original goals.

We knew debt collections could be a better experience for all

Four highly experienced debt collection professionals founded American Profit Recovery. We had expertise in all areas of the debt collection industry. We like to say we saw it all when it came to collections, and we knew based on our substantial time in the industry that the process of collections for both the business and the consumer could improve dramatically.

We believe what sets us apart and what truly made a monumental shift in debt collections was to place much of the emphasis on the consumer experience. It goes without saying that most people do not like to interact with debt collectors. For numerous reasons, consumers are hesitant even to start a conversation when faced with an overdue bill. While everyone recognizes this, we set out to change this dynamic.

We knew that when we added a human aspect to debt collections, and treated every consumer with the dignity and respect they deserved, progress is made. The consumer helps to resolve their financial situation with the help of a caring debt collector, and the business that is owed the money, sees a much higher recovery rate.

Customer service and customer experience had to be better

A business of any size that is struggling with cash flow and a mountain of receivables has many questions. Debt collections sometimes is not a simple process and it’s not just submitting an account to a debt collector. There are a wide range of variables and many times a business needs to speak with a trained professional about how to navigate their collection challenges. We recognized this and we knew that if we were going to build a different type of collection agency, capable customer service professionals needed to be part of our business model.

Over the years we have built the best customer service team in the business. They not only answer quick questions from the businesses that hire us, but they provide extensive training on how to maximize our systems including our online portal APRweb. And they often just call our customers to check in and say hello.

We have made a positive impact on the debt collection industry

The collection industry is a critical part of our economy. And professional debt collectors play a vital role in helping consumers navigate their way out of a financial challenge.

That’s why we felt it important to tell not only our story but also the story of debt collections to ensure people understood the positive impact this industry has on everyone.

We do good work, and it was important for us to make this part of our organizational culture.

20 years ago, not many collection agencies would put themselves out there. And they would never dare sit for an interview with the media. But we thought different.

Right from the start, we invested tremendous resources into writing articles and educational blogs, answering the questions both businesses and consumers had about debt collections and navigating debt.

Many of us even walked right into television and radio studios and sat down and answered the questions straightforwardly about debt collections. Our focus was to always educate everyone about every aspect of debt collections. Because when we do that, everyone is better off for it.

We’ve also placed extensive resources into having our team members play a vital role in increasing awareness, not only about our organization but about how we help consumers and businesses. All you need to do is look on our social media platforms and you’ll see everyone from administration, collections and customer service staff and the ownership, giving you an inside view of how and why we do what we do.

And we’ve even had some bloopers along the way….

The ownership and other senior leadership have gotten involved in state and national advocacy to make the entire debt collection industry better for all. From fair debt collections, to educating political figures, we continue to change the perception of the debt collection industry.

Building a great place to work was mission-critical

Not one of our accomplishments would be possible without building a culture where people could build a career, grow personally, and feel fulfilled when they leave the office.

There are some days in debt collections that can be tough. There’s no sugarcoating that. Many of us will get on the phone during the week and have a call that just doesn’t go well. That’s putting it lightly.

The only way we were going to build the best team in the business, build retention, and take care of the human side of our team was to focus our resources on building a culture where people wanted to come to work. Yes, even coming to work at a debt collection agency. We’ve been rated one of the best places to work in collections since 2008, so that’s proof we’re doing something right here.

We’re proud to say that many of our team members have been with us for many years, and some have been with us right from the start.

We’ve done this together. Yes, everyone here enjoys what we feel is an impressive benefits package. But everyone on our team has contributed to the culture.

We support each other each and every day. Those are the good days and the challenging days.

Together we support our community and over the past 20 years have raised and donated a tremendous amount of money to organizations, including ones recommended by our team members.

And while every day can be fun here, one week out of every year, we celebrate our employees. Employee week for many is their favorite week of the year, and it’s their turn to do everything from playing video games in our office, after-hours events, and even a good old-fashioned pie in the face to one lucky person in the office.

Over and above the fun, we take onboarding, training and continuous support seriously for every team member. Did someone have a bad day? Let’s sit down and unpack that. Did we have a great day? Let’s do the same and duplicate it.

We started with four founders and a vision, but everyone here has played a vital role in the organization’s success and the positive changes we’ve made in the industry as a whole.

It’s been a great 20 years but we’re just getting started!

Debt collections play a vital role in everyone’s lives, whether they know it or not. We will continue to do this work in the most reputable and diplomatic way we know how.