I.C. System: article four elements

Four Essential Elements of a Collection Policy

Most businesses have a written credit policy. It spells out who gets how much credit, for how long, and under what conditions. However, some of the same businesses fail to back their credit policy with a written collection policy, which takes effect when a receivable becomes past due or a check bounces.

Four Elements for Success

1. Consistency and Credibility

Your business needs to maintain one consistent attitude when dealing with people who owe money. Oftentimes, the owner of the business defines and dictates the attitude to be replicated by all employees. Collectors need to know that the attitude will be supported up and down the line by all others whom come into contact with debtors in various capacities. If this fails to happen, the collectors’ credibility will be diminished in the debtor’s mind.

2. Dealing with Debtors

Your collection policy needs to reflect:
· Who is authorized to negotiate, and
· Who is allowed to make exceptions

Collectors must understand how much flexibility they have in dealing with debtors. Can they arrange or alter installment payment plans, reduce the amount due under certain circumstances, change the due date, forget a debt entirely, or hold out for payment in full? It’s important that a collector knows these answers prior to negotiating with debtors since any hesitation on their part can weaken their position.

Exceptions need to involve everyone, especially the collector. A key part of this is eliminating unilateral decisions from up the line. For example, consider a debtor who doesn’t like that a collector is requiring payment in full. The debtor may then go directly to the owner/manager who, without informing the collector, unilaterally tells the debtor to forget the debt. The owner/manager does this to eliminate an uncomfortable situation. This quick “fix” can and will, however, put the breaks on your collection efforts.

3. Practices Within the Policy

You need to determine what sort of practices your policy will include for dealing with debtors. While the possibilities available to you are endless, consider the following questions:

Will you put messages on your past due statements?
Will you use collection letters?
Will you use the telephone?
Will you talk to debtors in person when they visit your business?
Will you go to debtors and talk with them face-to-face?

Your answers to these questions help define your business’s attitude toward debtors and help create your collection policy.

4. Enforcing the Policy

A collection policy is only as strong as your willingness to enforce it. And, you will need to enforce it. Unfortunately, some people will not pay you unless you take action. These people have little interest in maintaining a business relationship and are the very people you want to collect from the most.

This is when you need to review all the possibilities open to you regarding enforcement. Considering practical, ethical, legal, and business factors, you need to answer the following questions. Can you do it? Are you willing to do it? Are there ethical problems in doing it? Is it legal to do it? Would the action(s) do more harm than good to your business?

Are you willing and able to:
Erase the deal? This includes repossessing products or rendering previous services unusable (such as disconnecting utility service), if applicable.
Stop service? This involves withholding future services (or requiring payment prior to service), discontinuing delivery, or reducing the level at which products or services are available.
Charge a penalty? This includes interest charges and billing fees.
Impact credit? This includes accurately reporting your experience to credit bureaus, which affects the debtor’s ability to obtain credit.
Hire an agency? This includes outsourcing accounts to an agency for professional collection.