The 4 Habits Of Successful Debt Collectors

Attitude 

Always comes to work with a get it done attitude and approaches each call as if it is the most important call he or she has ever made. This is the hardest thing to do on a daily basis over and over again but the best find a way to do it. For me when I was a collector it was an alter ego for me the collector named Ken Snow was nothing like me. He was brash, had a family and kids to support and told debtors that he did this to support that fake family. The real Phillip Duff was single and no kids but the collector ken snow was a different person. He always had the same great attitude and work ethic no matter how Phillip Duff really felt. 

No matter how the best do it it comes down to a way to always be ready to collect. That attitude can overcome most other skills. 

Consistency

Does not try to improve on talk offs and scripting just his/her delivery of scripting. Makes the required efforts daily to meet all the basic KPI’s of the job. The best staff can easily see the benefits if the scripted verses. He or she can tailor them slightly to meet their style but very few words are changed and the rhythm of the script is kept intact. 

The Patience to Listen

Lighthouse Consulting started teaching listening skills to debt collectors in 2005 when one had considered such a program and to this day in a 1.5 day training session with collectors I will include 2 hours of listening skill training as it is as important as speaking to the debt collector. The smart collector will use the scripted statements to get the debtor to respond and then keep listening till they find a way to get the bill paid. It may be that the debtor just needs payments or maybe they just need more time to payoff the loan. 

I have found over many decades in this business that the best listeners make the best collectors so be patient with the collector with long talk times as he may turn out to the best collector you have. 

High Call volumes and quality RPC’s 

No matter how good your attitude, consistency and listening skills are it is still a business of making lots of calls that end up in a no to find the one that ends up with a yes. High call volumes and high RPC’s are the key to opening the door to collecting bills. Until you get a RPC on the phone you cannot have a great attitude or perform a perfect script. The collector who can make sure he controls those factors will just clearly have more opportunity to collect. 

Try different ways to determine what staff have these skills and which lack them. As you have that knowledge it is easier to set up gap training sessions that will help to create a more rounded staff.