Even in the most popular business industries, at one time or another many people find themselves dealing with delinquent accounts and searching for successful debt collection strategies. Time is truly of the essence when it comes to dealing with these types of late accounts. Statistics show that the longer the amount of time that the account has been unresolved, the less likely you are to receive any payments. Using proper tactics can be crucial when it comes to collecting those unpaid debts.
Strategies That Work
Although there are many different ways to approach debt collection, not all strategies will be successful. In order to resolve the most delinquent accounts, it is advised that you take the following things into consideration when determining which tactics are best for your business.
1. Altering payment terms are a great way to convince debtors that you are willing to work with them. If the total balance due was $500.00 for example, five payments of $100.00 each may be much less daunting than paying the total amount in one payment. By accepting smaller payments, you are showing the debtor that you are considerate of their current financial situation and understand that they are concerned about making payments when possible.
2. Maintaining open lines of communication with the debtor can make a world of difference in the world of debt collection. Talking to a live person about past due balances can seem very overwhelming to some, whereas receiving a short and gentle reminder by SMS, email or automated voice message may give the debtor a gentle push in the right direction.
3. For clients who are difficult to contact or express their intentions to ignore the debt, it may become more cost-effective to simply hire a debt collection company to track down and obtain the monies owed. Although you will ultimately have to pay a percentage of the payments received to the collections company, they will be able to put forth an effort that you are not willing or able to do.
What Not To Do
It is extremely important that a business never attempt to harass or threaten a client about their overdue balances. Some businesses will attempt to intimidate the person by calling them repeatedly, leaving rude and aggressive messages and generally treating them with disrespect. This typically will only anger the client, and increase defiance about paying the debt. In many cases, the debtor is willing to pay the debt and just financially unable to pay at the current time. By talking to the person with compassion and respect while allowing them to maintain their dignity, the debtor may be much more willing to make a payment arrangement that is satisfactory to both parties.