Friday, February 11, 2011

Sound Debt Collection Practices That Will Be A Success Especially During A Uncertain Economic Situation

By James F. Killingsworth


When it comes to building debt collection strategies that succeed, a company must begin to build a basis of procedure from the start. That means determining what the policy and procedures will be prior to ever doing business with a client. The terms of service given the client should then reflect the debt collection process as well as all sales information.

All debt collection should appear in writing for the client, just as any other contractual agreements are represented in paperwork. This helps to define the company's strategy and makes sure all debt collection efforts are justified in the eyes of the client. This improves return on debt collection efforts in the future.

This practice helps to begin a healthy relationship with clients, which can be continued and maintained by contacting them for more than just an overdue payment. A phone call prior to the terms of sale expiring can make a big difference and act as a friendly reminder to the customer to pay. It also helps to review the invoice and paperwork for accuracy to assure no mistakes are made on the part of the company.

Once the debt is overdue, debt collection processes should begin in earnest, not waiting until the account is severely delinquent to try to recover lost funds. Classifying accounts based on the risk incurred with the debt is a good approach for successful collection efforts.

For instance, you would not pursue a debtor who frequently pays on his or her account slowly the same way as someone who incurs a large amount of debt once and never repays. Each account should be viewed individually, with particular procedures followed for each categorization of debt.

The formation of a debt collection procedure should begin with outlining the time frame for actions to take place. For instance, accounts with extremely high balances should be classified as high risk and pursued immediately, with efforts including the possibility of offering a payment plan to make remittance easier on the debtor. On the other hand, suspending slow paying accounts until payments are completed can help to reduce past due balances.

Placing greater focus on newer accounts for debt collection can assist in clearing unpaid debt. Pursuing these clients quickly can assist in recovering funds, and because these newer clients have not been a part of the financial basis of the company for a long time, canceling their credit accounts will reduce the number of delinquent payments going forward without creating a void in the company bank account.

Knowledge of each classification of delinquent debt and how to properly pursue the collection of that debt is the most important part of generating the cash flow you need to recover delinquent debt. Having your strategies for debt collection outlined prior to the necessity of pursuing delinquent accounts aids in quicker and more successful recovery of debt.




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