By Greg Asling – Chief Operating Officer
Most of my career has been spent working in major enterprises that have large debt collection functions across global regions. One of the things that seems to always grab my attention is ‘how some organisations allow compliance to override quality and distract their people from having basic human customer interactions.’
In the Debt Collection/Recovery Industry, traditional Quality Assessment (QA) methodologies often confine customer contact agents to rigid scripts and endless ‘micro’ assessment scorecards. This normally occurs through fear of not meeting core compliance generating unnecessary red tape and complexity. This often forces your frontline people to focus more on checking boxes rather than entering into an engaging conversation turning the experience into a robotic [non-human] interaction and a missed opportunity to use valuable time for mutual gain.
Industry examples of needing to pass over 20 micro elements on a call is quite common with quality assurance feedback centred on aspects of the interaction that in many cases adds little coaching benefit in terms of what constitutes a ‘great customer interaction!’
This approach can lead to distracted and unmotivated agents, impersonal conversations, poor listening, and ultimately unsatisfied customers that fail to engage in the call and do not commit to debt resolution as the call is dominated by ‘too many’ compliance questions with limited ability to discuss what really matters – the customer debt resolution needs and support!
At Access Mercantile we believe in a different approach whilst understanding the meeting compliance obligations is a critical part of any collection interaction. Our philosophy is simple: trust our people and let them do what they do best. By setting careful compliance and client requirement guardrails, we empower our people to use their personalities and skills to achieve results without sounding robotic or scripted.
At Access Mercantile, we enable our people and then trust them to deliver, focusing coaching efforts on four simple elements:
- Full adherence to laws and regulations. Our people are thoroughly trained in all industry requirements, including the Privacy Act, Fair Debt Collection guidelines, and the Trade Practices Act. Compliance is non-negotiable
- Efficient collection efforts. We aim to secure payment of overdue accounts in the shortest possible timeframe. People are trained to match payment arrangements logically with customer-provided information, ensuring effective and timely collections. We handle hardship cases with care, following established internal processes.
- Be Human & providing a great customer experience. We measure success through direct customer feedback. Our people focus on genuine engagement, ensuring customers feel heard and respected. A truly engaged and satisfied customer is more likely to cooperate and resolve their debts promptly.
- Follow-through and keeping commitments. Our people complete all necessary after-call work and follow through on any promised actions, commencing with clear paraphrasing of commitments made on each call to ensure mutual alignment through to sending statements or confirmation letters. This ensures a seamless experience for customers and builds trust in your brand.
At Access Mercantile, we’re focused on letting our agents have authentic human conversations. By simplifying expectations and focusing on what is most important, we deliver positive customer experiences as an extension of our client’s brand. Partnering with Access Mercantile means trusting a team dedicated to deliver exceptional service and efficient debt recovery. Let us help you enhance your collections with improved customer satisfaction and performance.