Iāve been monitoring collection calls for over 30 yearsāsometimes sitting side-by-side with collectors, other times reviewing recorded calls. Along the way, Iāve picked up countless insights. But hereās the funny thing: many of the biggest lessons Iāve learned had nothing to do with the quality of the call itself.
Instead, they were tied to technology glitches, office culture, or management oversights that quietly shaped the customer and employee experience. Here are five memorable examples:
Ā 1.Ā Time Zones Matter (Especially in Alaska)
During an 8 a.m. EST side-by-side session, a collector dialed a customer in Alaska. Even I, who is admittedly navigationally challenged, knew it was way too early to be calling Alaska. Turns out the dialer company had rolled out an update and forgot to account for Alaskaās 907 area code. A small miss, but one that had a big impact on compliance and customer experience.Ā
2.Ā The Disappearing Supervisors
Collectors often share frustrations during side-by-sides, and one common complaint was that supervisors and managers were never around when help was needed. At first, I brushed it off as office grumblingāuntil I looked around. They were right. No supervisors in sight. Normally when auditors visit, leadership is everywhere, balloons and cake included. But in reality, supervisors set their own schedules and most worked middle shifts, leaving morning and evening shifts without coverage. That lack of support didnāt just frustrate employeesāit showed up in long hold times when customers needed help too.Ā
3.Ā The Paid-In-Full Letter That Never Arrived
On one call, a collector promised the customer that a paid-in-full letter would be sent after payment. The problem? The system automatically closed accounts once they were paid, which meant no letters could be generated. Collectors didnāt know this, customers never received the promised documentation, and many called back looking for the letterācreating extra work for collectors and adding to frustration on both sides.Ā
4.Ā The 7-in-7 Rule and a Misprogrammed Dialer
Regulation Fās ā7-in-7 ruleā requires waiting seven days after a conversation with a customer before contacting them again. Yet while reviewing call notes, I spotted a contact made the very next day. The culprit? A recently implemented dialer platform that hadnāt been programmed correctly to prevent violations. It wasnāt a collector mistakeāit was a system oversight.Ā
5.Ā The Blocked Number That Came Back
A customer requested not to be contacted again, so the collector properly blocked the number. Weeks later, the same number popped back up in skip tracing and was dialed again. The issue wasnāt malicious intentāit was a training gap. Collectors werenāt taught how to block numbers in a way that kept them visible to prevent accidental redialing during skip tracing.Ā
The Bigger LessonĀ
Call monitoring will always highlight collector performance, but some of the most valuable insights lie beneath the surface. Dialer programming, office culture, system design, and training gaps often tell a bigger story about what really drives compliance and customer experience.Ā
Author: Bev Evancic
Bev.Evancic@ResourceManagement.com
Bev Evancic is a Senior Vice President at Resource Management Services, Inc.Ā Prior to employment at RMS, Bev worked as the Collection and Recovery Manager at AT&T Universal Card,Ā Citi,Ā 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 customersĀ benefitĀ from preserving the customer relationship. First, collectors need toĀ attemptĀ to contact customers when it is convenient for the customer to discuss his/her financial condition and willingness/ability to pay.Ā Second,Ā you never collect money by intimidating or threatening customers. Third, businesses must make sure the debt is valid.Ā
She has managed all phases of collection and recovery operations, including automatedĀ dialer units,Ā bankruptcy,Ā and legal units, skip tracing units, internal collections, outside collection agency networks, and Consumer Credit Counseling. As a Consultant for ResourceĀ 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.Ā
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.Ā 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.Ā
She is the author of āRecovery Management: Collecting the Uncollectible Account.
