What happens when I turn over my customers to collections?

For a business that has worked very hard to acquire a new customer and put additional resources into keeping that customer, the thought of having to send that customer to collections, often causes them to take a pause. For many in business, it’s a big step to have to take when it comes to having to use the services of a collection agency. The biggest fear? That business will lose that customer forever and they will tell others that you sent them to a debt collector. And, they still won’t get paid.

For many small businesses, it takes tremendous effort to acquire new customers and you do not want to have to get to the point where there is any bad vibes between the two of you. They asked you to perform a service and you have earned their trust. That’s a big step. And now they are a loyal customer. And of course, you enjoy the revenue.

But there will come a time when a section of your customers do not pay and you have to make the decision to either let it go, work those accounts tirelessly internally, or get a little more assertive in getting them to make good on their financial obligations to your business.

We are often asked “what happens when I send my customer to a collection agency?” While we cannot speak for every collection agency out there, we can provide you with a little insight into what happens here at American Profit Recovery.

First, our team will get to understand a little bit more about your business, the types of things you are currently doing to get customers to pay and how old your accounts are. For example, are you sending us accounts that have not paid for two years or 60 days? There’s a big difference.

It is here that we’ll make it very clear that treating your customers with respect drives much of what we do here. We cannot say this for everyone but more and more collection agencies are making it a point to employ tactful procedures to help you get your money. There are two goals we set out to achieve for a business. One is to collect the money owed to you but the second is to help you keep that customer after the collection process. Treating them with respect will increase your chances of keeping customers.

You’ll then be connected with one of our customer service experts and begin the process of getting a little training on our systems, our APRweb, an online portal that allows you to manage your accounts any time of the day and what to expect as the collection process moves forward. You will always have access to our customer service team.

You will begin to enter the accounts you need us to work on and shortly after that, our team will begin the process of trying to resolve these debts on your behalf.

Within all state and federal laws, we’ll do our best to create a dialogue with your customers and help them take care of any outstanding obligations to you. We’ll work with them to come up with a resolution and we’ll treat them fairly. We won’t take their last dollar and we will not disrespect them.

It’s important to point out that not everyone will be happy to take our call and we understand this when we work on your behalf. Some customers will show their frustration to us in many forms while others will thank us for taking the time to work things out. Yes, they will thank us. It happens every day.

Once we create an agreement with your customer, you’ll begin to see the money that was owed to you and hopefully, you’ll also see that customer again.

For customers that still do not pay after repeated attempts, that’s a conversation that will need to take place with your customer service representative. There are other options available to you and we can advise you on the best way to move forward.

Deciding to use the services of a collection agency can be a big decision for some. And we know you have many questions. That’s why our team is always available to speak with you further about how to use a collection agency and all your options.

Contact our team today and set up a call.