When you run into trouble getting your delinquent customer on the phone, it’s easy to jump to conclusions that they are deliberately avoiding you.
And maybe they are… but that’s not always the case.
One thing we collection professionals know: It’s never safe to assume. The reasons for late payments can run the gamut, so before you jump to the conclusion that you’re being deliberately avoided, take a deep breath and consider the following tips for getting through:
1. Are you calling at the same time each day with no progress? Clearly that particular time slot is filled preventing your customer from taking your call. Scatter your calls throughout the day instead leaving messages that escalate the urgency of the matter with each call.
2. Calling your customer’s direct line to no avail? Then try the company’s main number. You may reach a receptionist or an administrative assistant that will put you right through.
3. Calls going directly into voicemail with no returns? Increase the intensity of each message you leave and follow your messages up with an email reiterating the urgency of the matter.
4. Emails being ignored, too? Try snail mail by way of certified letter. Be detailed with facts, figures, dates and times. Certified letters require a signature, which can come in handy if the issue deteriorates further, requiring court action.
5. Still no luck after all that? Leave one final message that you are left with no alternative but to turn over the debt to collections. Then do exactly that. By this time, you’ve wasted enough time and energy. It’ll be worth the money to get a collection agency involved.
Once you turn over the account to collections, let it go and leave it to them. No more phone calls or letters… you have better things to do with your time!