Duration:

Dates:

14-15 August
19-20 November

Pricing & Discounts

1 Place

2 Places

3 Places

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This workshop is designed both for new collectors as well as to refresh and increase the performance of more experienced collectors.

It will help participants develop the appropriate interpersonal and influencing skills to follow an effective process to collect overdue accounts whilst continuing a profitable relationship with the customers. The techniques in this workshop are designed to maximise the use of assertive motivation and identify and eliminate negative habits developed by the collectors.

Plan an appropriate strategy for collection calls

Project a positive, professional but appropriately determined attitude

Use motivation rather than coercion as a persuasion method

Collect the payments and maintain a profitable relationship with the client

Effectively handle evasion and attack and defend behaviours from the debtor

Enhance the organisations customer service image whilst proactively collecting overdue accounts

Introduction
Credit control - process, strategy and psychology

Applied Psychology and Your Interpersonal Skills

Individual Styles
The similarities and differences between people
Your personal style and how others perceive you
The differing needs of differing styles
Building rapport and using empathy to make progress

Your Telephone Voice
Importance of strong interpersonal skills
First impressions and personal effectiveness
Voice quality, inflection and pacing

Listening Skills
Types of listening, improving listening skills
Levels of, and barriers to, listening
What the customer is really "saying" when under stress
Language clues and indicators

Common Difficulties
How communication can break down during the call
Avoiding misinterpretations
The main reasons for not paying
Dealing with evasion, delays, complainers and objectors

Meeting Customer Needs
Dealing with customers in a variety of emotional states
Holding back ones own emotions when confronted with angry or abusive customers
Guiding the customer to a state in which there is a willingness to pay

The Collection Process

Setting objectives and determining outcomes for the call
Planning a range of objectives for the call, both for collecting the debt and for developing personal effectiveness.

Pre-call planning, the basic steps of collection calls
Using all known information to approach the call professionally

Getting through to the right person
Different approaches for getting to the right person

Your opening statement
Using approaches that don’t include assumptions

Precision questioning
The key skills to ensure that the collector has all the right facts

Handling objections
Stalling techniques or real objections, whether they are general or specific they need to be overcome – this process works

Transition to payment arrangement
Professionally moving the discussion from the facts to actions

Getting Results
Obtaining commitment to bring the account up to date
Negotiating an agreement

Closing the call
Professional ways of closing a call and reminding the debtor of the commitment they have just made

Personal Action Plan
Each delegate will prepare a personal development plan based on collection ‘competencies’ to enable them to continue their professional development in the workplace