As you take steps to correct your slow-pay and dead accounts, you MAY continue to face challenges for your overworked staff members.

The goal is not to increase their workload, but to create efficiencies that ensure maximum value for their efforts:

• Maintain good customer data. Pull credit reports and get CONTACT information from every new customer so you don’t waste time chasing it down when you need it. And be sure to update your database with new addresses, phone numbers, or NAMES on the account.
• Maintain good account data. When you contact a customer, you need to know more than just how much he owes; you need his payment record, history of broken promises, and so on. You’ll save an exponential amount of time when data is up to date and readily available.
• Make phone calls count. Call on different days of the WEEK. Try evenings and weekends when contact is most LIKELY. Use a cell phone or block your company’s number to avoid screening.
• Get a commitment. If you can’t secure full payment, set up payment terms and get the debtor’s commitment that he will follow through. Specify each due date and payment amount, and enter all details into your system. Make one call that gets results to avoid making multiple, time-consuming, ineffective ones.

As you take steps to correct your slow-pay and dead accounts, you may continue to face challenges for your overworked staff members.

The goal is not to increase their workload, but to create efficiencies that ensure maximum value for their efforts: