To operate a organization effectively, every owner has to stay on top of their receivables and monitor their cash flow. Whether you market a product or give a service, you probably have to deal with late-paying or none-paying customers from time to time. That means that you have to have a sound, uniform internal debt recovery policy in place. Part of your policy should include knowing when to outsource difficult accounts to a debt collection agency.
One notable reason this is proper is because your delinquent accounts continue to devalue, at a rate of 15% per month. And the longer an account goes delinquent, the more challenging AND expensive it is to collect. In addition to spending more time, money and resources pursuing these depreciating accounts, its also costing your company in lost opportunity dollars, by taking you away from your core revenue-generating functions. It is far more cost effective and efficient to outsource these difficult accounts to a dispassionate third party debt collection agency.
Here are three main points to consider when hiring a debt collection agency.
When hiring a debt collection agency, you need to make sure they are licensed in the state(s) where your debtors are located. As collection laws can vary greatly by state, its to your advantage to look at collection agencies that are qualified nationwide. Because we live in such a mobile society, and with people moving across state lines frequently, its better to know a debt collection agency that is accredited in all states are familiar with all the various laws and regulations. In fact, collection agencies can only collect in the states they hold a license in.
Fee structures can differ greatly with different collection agencies. Some propose prepaid, flat fee arrangements, as others cost a percentage of any monies collected, normally with no upfront costs necessary. Still others can propose some combination of the two. Depending on your organization, there are advantages to either situation. Even though there are upfront costs with flat fee based debt collection agencies, you can save a lot of money in the long run, since the collection costs tend to be a tiny proportion of the total dollars collected.
Because your costs are unchanging, you can also turn over problem accounts earlier, when there's a better likelihood for collecting your money. Again, the longer you procrastinate, the more difficult it is to collect.
Still, a lot of organizations elect to give up a percentage of whatever might be collected to avoid the upfront dollar costs. Be sure to compare rates though: a debt collection agency can charge anywhere from 20-50% in contingency fees. One thing to keep in mind though: while you might be inclined to seek out the lowest fees, you should also know that if the fees are very low, it can mean the debt collection agency has limited staff, time and assets that they will commit to collecting your accounts. At the same time as percentage fees charged are significant, success in total recovery is far more significant to your organization bottom line. Whichever option you choose, make sure the debt collection agency you're considering spells out their fee structure clearly in writing.
Finally, when considering a debt collection agency, you need to think of them as an extension of your organization. Given that they will be collecting your money and acting on your behalf, its main that they mirror your establishment's viewpoint. For example, if you run a medical practice, your reputation in the community is something you attach importance to. You wouldn't want to affiliate with a debt collection agency known to engage in ruthless, hostile and/or inhumane behavior when handling patient collections. At the same time, you want a collection agency that while diplomatic, they are resolved, uniform and constant in their collections activity.
David P. Montana has published extensively and served as a business consultant in debt collection agencies services for thirty years. David provides more helpful tips and resources about choosing the right collection agency.
