My favorite time of year has arrived—football season. That glorious time when hope is sky-high one minute and jerseys are halfway to the bonfire the next. After the Detroit Lions’ opening game against the Packers, the headlines made it sound like the season was already over and the team should start scouting for the first pick in the draft. Of course, the very next game told a completely different story—because in football, fans can go from despair to Super Bowl planning faster than the first down marker gets moved.
It’s always easier to be the fantasy football owner—something I’ve practically turned into an Olympic sport. But in this case, I found myself explaining to my husband—my very dedicated (and occasionally dramatic) Lions fan—that the team had lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching jobs. If I have my facts right, only five other teams in NFL history have pulled off this “double promotion” in the same offseason—so basically, the Lions just joined a very exclusive, very stressful club. That kind of transition takes time. Add in last season’s endless injuries and constant player rotations, and it’s clear that building rhythm doesn’t happen overnight. Even rookies who were college standouts quickly learn the NFL is a whole different beast.
Debt collection is no different.
Listening to just one call does not determine the value of a collector—just like one football game doesn’t determine a team’s season.
Every call is different, every consumer situation unique.
Even the strongest training program can’t prepare a collector for every type of conversation they’ll face.
That’s where consistent call monitoring comes in. Monitoring calls over time provides the full picture:
Patterns emerge. Just as coaches review game film to spot strengths and weaknesses, reviewing multiple calls every month highlight collector improvement, where collectors excel and where they need support.
Coaching becomes more effective. Feedback based on a series of calls monthly is more balanced, helping collectors grow without discouragement from one difficult conversation. Showing these results over time reinforces progress with coaching plans and highlights the collector’s ability to adapt and improve their customer interaction.
Consistency drives compliance. Regular monitoring ensures collectors deliver great customer service, follow regulations and company guidelines, and ultimately reduce risk for the organization.
Teamwork improves. Call calibration sessions with the collection team can help everyone see different ways to handle customer situations. Collectors learn from each other’s calls, much like players adjust by watching film and studying their teammates’ performance.
Long-term performance matters. A season is defined by progress over months, not one game—and a collector’s development is measured the same way.
Football teams don’t abandon their strategy after a single tough loss, and collection teams shouldn’t judge performance on one call. Consistent call monitoring ensures fair evaluation, better coaching, and stronger results across the board.
The season—and success—belongs to those who stay the course…
Not the ones who spend every commercial break crunching fantasy stats like Wall Street traders.
You’d think I’m chasing a million-dollar prize, but nope—just a virtual trophy. Yep, that’s me.
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.
