In traditional office environments, collectors benefit from the hum of the floor. They overhear strong talk-offs and tuck those phrases away for future use. They absorb tone, pacing, how to handle objections, and how to close with confidence. It’s casual, constant exposure—and it builds real skill.
Think about Po from Kung Fu Panda. No formal training, no polished technique—just wide eyes, raw enthusiasm, and a front-row seat to the masters. He watches, mimics their stance, their timing, their moves. Clumsy at first, but gradually, he starts to find his rhythm.
Collectors learn the same way.
Even when they’re not ready to pull it off perfectly, just hearing greatness in action moves them forward.
But remote collectors? They don’t get that soundscape. They don’t overhear a peer turn a “not interested” into a “willing to talk.” They don’t hear how a senior rep cools tempers or guides someone toward a payment plan. Without that exposure, they miss opportunities—not just to perform better, but to believe better is possible.
To develop talent effectively, collection organizations need to bridge that learning gap.
If imitation is how humans (and animals… and pandas) naturally learn, then we need to give remote collectors something worth imitating.
Here’s how:
- Build a “Best Talk-Off of the Week” audio clip library.
- Use call monitoring not just for critique, but for showcasing excellence. Make monitoring a motivational tool, not just a performance check. Incorporate regular call calibration sessions with the team to align on quality standards, share best practices, and ensure consistency in evaluation—turning call reviews into a collaborative learning experience.
- Pair collectors—new or tenured—with mentors for live shadowing via Teams or Zoom. Ensure mentors are properly trained and have completed coaching sessions so they provide the right guidance and support throughout the process. Additionally, mentors should receive continuous feedback on the quality of the coaching and guidance they provide to ensure their effectiveness and ongoing improvement.
- Capture the strangest or most unusual calls or scenarios encountered, and use these real examples as training tools to prepare the team for unexpected situations.
Just because a collector isn’t in the office doesn’t mean they should miss out on peer learning.
It’s one of the fastest and most natural ways to build confidence, consistency, and compliance.
Even Po needed someone to watch.
Author: Bev Evancic
Bev.Evancic@ResourceManagement.com
Bev Evancic is a Senior Vice President at Resource Management Services, Inc. Prior to employment at RMS, Bev worked as the Collection and Recovery Manager at AT&T Universal Card, Citi, and Federated Department Stores. Bev started in the collection industry as a collector at an upscale clothing store in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a returned check and private label credit card collector, Bev gained a basic understanding of the collection industry that has not changed with the introduction of regulations. Her collection philosophy begins with the idea that businesses and customers benefit from preserving the customer relationship. First, collectors need to attempt to contact customers when it is convenient for the customer to discuss his/her financial condition and willingness/ability to pay. Second, you never collect money by intimidating or threatening customers. Third, businesses must make sure the debt is valid.
She has managed all phases of collection and recovery operations, including automated dialer units, bankruptcy, and legal units, skip tracing units, internal collections, outside collection agency networks, and Consumer Credit Counseling. As a Consultant for Resource Management Services, Inc., Bev has spearheaded collection and recovery best practices reviews for many top credit grantors. Her articles on dialer operations, agency management and bankruptcy best practices have been widely publicized.
She is well known and regarded as a specialty expert in the areas of: Repossession, Bankruptcy, Estate, Litigation, as well as Pre- and Post- Charge-off. Prior to joining Resource Management Services, Inc. in 1995, Bev managed the Recovery Department for AT&T Universal Card Services where she developed the bankruptcy, probate, internal and litigation processes.
She is the author of “Recovery Management: Collecting the Uncollectible Account.
