About Recording Collection Calls

Businesses that are actively engaged in collections efforts or that specialize in collections are strongly encouraged to record their outgoing calls. While this may require some technology and an initial investment, it is a wise choice for a multitude of reasons. Having proof of what transpired during a call can help to monitor and improve employee performance, to serve as proof that all protocol was followed, and to avoid lawsuits, among other benefits.

In addition to offering protective benefits, recording collection calls gives businesses the opportunity to improve themselves in every possible way. One of easiest ways in which to improve is by limiting average handling time, the amount of time it takes to “handle” a collections call from start to finish. Time, as they say, is money, so by analyzing recorded calls, businesses can see where they are spending too much time and what kinds of behaviors are increasing handling time. Then, from there, they can implement strategies to help reduce handling time.

Many other things can stand to be gained by listening to and learning from collections calls, including the following:

·        - Determining the most common debtor arguments and the responses that work against them the best

·         -Determining which questions and tactics are unsuccessful/unhelpful

·         -Determining the causes of “dead air” time and how to eliminate it

·         -Limiting transfer time

These are just a few ways in which recording collection calls can be helpful. Another smart use for them is to pick out calls that are handled very well, as well as ones that need improvements and use them with employees as examples of what to do and what not to do. With mediocre calls, training sessions can also be employed in which workers discuss what is good and bad about each call so that they can learn from them.

Many modern call recording technologies even allow for “screen grabs” of each collection agent’s desktop throughout the course of the call. Furthermore, recording calls allows for an easily searchable database of calls by date, time, and other identifying information, which can be exceeding helpful when there is a need to return to or review a particular call.

With so many excellent benefits to call recording, it is surprising that every business isn’t utilizing this powerful tool. For businesses that are ready to start and to start enjoying the benefits of call recording, there are many excellent recording technologies available, and many of them are highly affordable. Businesses are encouraged to look into different technologies to find the right ones to meet their needs and budget, and the sooner they can start recording outgoing calls, the better.