Collecting payment from people who are behind isn’t easy. After all, you’re human, and you know that sometimes, people just don’t have the money. Of course, some people are rude — and that’s challenging to manage as well.
Wherever your customers fall on the debtor spectrum, here are some do’s and don’ts for handling the tougher calls.
Do empathize with the person to help build trust.
Don’t tell them to “calm down.” Did you ever say that to your mom when you were a kid? I bet you know her reaction! If you want to see someone get upset, telling them to “calm down” is one easy way to do it!
Do repeat his or her name a few times. People enjoy hearing their name. Start with a Mr. or Ms. and his/her last name. Later in the conversation, you can ask, “Can I call you [first name]?” Dale Carnegie used this approach to build connections with people.
Don’t take it personally when people get upset. When people can’t pay, they usually feel terrible about it, and that brings up a natural inclination to feel defensive about your call. They may not have the funds. How would you feel if you were getting this call from a collection agency or the accounts receivable department? Expect your debtor to be on the defensive and approach them gently.
Do consider asking if he/she wants to speak to a supervisor or manager. Sometimes when your customer is challenging, it helps him/her to hear the same thing repeated by someone else. Switching to a manager “resets” their attitude — they may feel you’re really trying to work with them. You might say, “Mr. Smith, I realize that you’re frustrated, and I’d like for you to know that it is our goal at Capital Recovery to let you know we really do want to help you in resolving your account. Would you like to speak to my supervisor at this point so they can discuss this matter with you.” Of course, the expectation of payment won’t change, but sometimes people will feel better about being heard, that they matter enough for your time.
Do apologize if needed — not for being wrong, but to soothe a frustrated person. Maybe one of your colleagues mishandled the account or didn’t set expectations. The client may not have expected the bill or thought it was going to be covered by insurance. The apology helps you empathize with their situation and places you as an advocate to resolve their account.
Do prepare scripts for your collections team to handle various situations. For example, we recently added a script to respond when someone says he/she is on a fixed income. That’s a common situation, and one you might understand if you have parents or grandparents in that situation. Here is an example of how that might go:
“Ms. Smith, I appreciate you sharing with me you’re on a fixed income, and it sounds like resolving this is important to you. I’d like you to know that we are going to do our best to help you with this. We’ve been successful in doing this for other patients in your situation many times. Let’s see if you qualify for our client’s acceptable payment plan. (insert the payment plan terms here).
If not, when do you think you would be able to meet these terms? We can defer for a couple of months with partial payments if you can get back on track and get it resolved by the end of these terms. This will prevent future collection efforts and costs added to your account. It will also ensure there will not be any issues with services from the provider in the future.”
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