Cash flow is typically the biggest concern not necessarily past due – bad debt in the minds of business owners. Being prepared before the situation arises is half the battle. Having a plan for how to effectively eliminate your bad debt is the first step. Knowing what collection agency you want to work with is important.
How you communicate with financially troubled clients or patients will either make or break your future relationships.
Debtors – late or slow pay typically fit in one of these 3 categories.
- Clients who never planned to get out of making payments it just has to be in smaller increments until paid off
- Clients who would like to pay but the funds are just not there. It could be medical or just hard luck situations.
- Clients that never plan to pay and will do all things possible to run and not pay.
Tips for collecting your own debts:
- Try to work with your client. If they have been a great client in the past, remember everyone can have a hard time that changes their financial situation. Try working out something they can afford to pay.
- This would be the perfect time to offer a deep discount if paid in full
- Be upfront and try not to personally get involved. Let them know at what point they will be turned over to a collection agency.
- Do not in any way harass the client. Leaving more than 1 message a day or a threatening message can be considered harassment.
- Have a reputable collection agency ready to take over at a certain point. You may want the agency to do be your first resort instead of your last resort. Keep in mind it is very costly to do your collections in house.
MCA is a third party debt collection agency that has been in constant business since 1950. We are rated A+ with the Better Business Bureau and we pride ourselves on excellent customer service along with delivering great recovery rates. There is no cost to you unless we collect it! Why not try and re-coop some of your past due accounts with no out of pocket expense?
