When I got engaged, the very first person I called was my mom. Once the excitement settled down, we picked a date to go wedding dress shopping. We had it all planned out.
We would visit a few bridal shops, find the dress, have lunch, and spend the day making memories. It was going to be one of those perfect mother-daughter days.
We walked into the first bridal store, and I tried on the very first dress. It shimmered from every angle, with beautiful beadwork. Growing up with two older brothers, I never had those sisterly shopping moments, so this whole experience felt completely new—and a little magical.
I couldn’t wait to show my mom.
I stepped out of the dressing room, smiled, and waited for her reaction.
She looked at me for a few seconds and simply said,
“I don’t like it.”
Trying to rescue the moment, the bridal consultant quickly chimed in.
“But every bead on this dress is hand sewn.”
Without skipping a beat, my mom replied,
“I don’t care if the beads are super glued on the dress…the dress is ugly.”
The room became very quiet.
The bridal consultant slowly turned toward me and, with the sweetest smile possible, said,
“I think it would be best if you come back another day…with someone else.”
So much for the picture-perfect day I had imagined.
Life Doesn’t Always Go According to Plan
That experience has stayed with me for years because it’s a reminder that life rarely follows the script we write in our heads.
The same is true for the people we talk to every day in collections.
I’ve never met someone who walked into a credit union or bank thinking, “I can’t wait to fall behind on my payments.”
People apply for loans because they have plans.
They’re buying their first car.
They’re purchasing a home.
They’re paying for an education.
They’re consolidating debt so they can get back on track.
They’re trying to build a better future for themselves and their families.
No one signs the loan documents planning to lose a job, experience a medical emergency, go through a divorce, care for an aging parent, or face one of the countless life events that can suddenly change everything.
Things don’t always turn out the way they thought they would.
The Collector Can Make the Difference
As collectors, it’s easy to see an account number, a balance, or a payment that’s 60 days past due.
But behind every delinquent account is a person whose story probably didn’t unfold the way they expected.
That doesn’t mean every excuse is valid.
It doesn’t mean every customer is honest.
But it does mean every customer deserves to be treated with dignity until they’ve shown otherwise.
The best collectors don’t start with judgment.
They start with curiosity.
They ask questions.
They listen.
They look for solutions instead of assumptions.
Sometimes all a customer needs is someone willing to hear their situation and help them find a path forward.
A payment arrangement.
A hardship program.
A different due date.
Or simply someone who treats them like a person instead of a problem.
A Little Empathy Goes a Long Way
My bridal shopping trip didn’t turn out anything like I had imagined. Fortunately, it became a funny family story that still makes us laugh.
For many of our customers, the story isn’t nearly as funny.
Their plans changed because life changed.
As collectors, we may not be able to change what happened to them, but we can change how they experience the conversation.
When we choose to listen before we judge, we build trust. We uncover solutions. And sometimes, we help someone take the first step toward getting back on track.
Because just like life, collections isn’t about everything going according to plan.
It’s about how we respond when it doesn’t.
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.
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