Every business or company can come across non-paying or delinquent customers at some point in time. Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with customers who refuse or can’t pay the products and services they have already enjoyed. Customers with unpaid accounts fall into three categories.
- Customers who refuse to pay the debt altogether.
- Customers who have multiple debts due at one time and pay them off from time to time.
- Customers who naturally pay on time but can’t as of the moment due to some financial reasons.
You’re lucky if your client is from the second or third category since you still have the chance to recover your money. Here are 5 tips to make debt collection successful.
Be Calm
One of the key techniques to successfully collect debt is to stay calm while in the process. It’s normal to feel upset if the customer hasn’t paid on time but being calm helps maintain your professionalism when dealing with them. If you show that you’re upset with the customer, most likely they will take it personally which lessens their cooperation in the collection process. When you talk to them in a positive mood, they are likely to respond in a positive way too.
Be Aware of Your Rights
Educate yourself about the legal and right ways of collecting debts so you have an idea on what actions can or can’t be done. The more aware you are about you and the customer’s rights, the more confident you’ll be in dealing with them. You can also avoid actions that might take you to a court if you know your way around.
Document Everything
Documenting everything is essential in every debt collection process. Be sure to have a copy of every letter or email you’ve sent to the client. Have copies of payments they’ve made. You can also record the phone call with your customer and take note of the key information. These documents can help you a lot especially when the debt ends up in a legal battle.
Hire a Debt Collection Agency
To make things easier, better hire a debt collection agency to handle your collection processes. They are the experts in this area so you can be assured that your customers will surely pay it sooner. Work only with registered small business debt recovery Gold Coast agencies to be secure.
Avoid Harassing the Customer
As much as you want to get that debt paid as soon as possible, harassing or pestering the customer won’t do you any good. There’s a big difference between harassing and being persistent. For example, reminding your customer once every 7 to 10 days and offering alternative solutions to help them settle the debt is persistence. Being annoying is when you call them every day, mad because they haven’t paid their debt yet. Customers have their rights which can put you into court especially when you’re becoming a nuisance to them.
Collecting debts isn’t a fun task. Try those mentioned tips for a successful and stress-free debt collection process.
