March/April 2010

Getting the Most Mileage Out of Call Recordings

By Harry A. Strausser III

Technology has changed dramatically in the credit and collection industry over the past 35 years. When I was a kid growing up in mom and dad's agency, the kind of technological advancements we got excited about were inventions such as the fax machine, touch-tone dialing and the TRS-80 "Tandy" computer. As collection trainers in 2010, we are fortunate to have a virtual smorgasbord of tools to train, assess and manage our collection staffs. One of the most useful technologies introduced in many call centers is call recording. The concept of call recording is not new or particularly advanced but offers us unique opportunities to enhance our compliance reviews and individual collector coaching. Despite the potential value of this technology, call recording is only as useful as the plan developed and implemented by the trainer.

This issue, I am pleased to include some training guidance from another reader who has accepted my offer for idea submissions. Gary Jensen is chief learning officer of Skills World, which produces "The Collector Mentor," a front-line collector electronic newsletter. You can reach Gary at editor@collectormentor.com or access the publication's Web site at www.collectormentor.com. Gary Jensen shares the following about call recording:

Maximizing Call Recordings
Many companies fail to get the most mileage out of call recordings. In many offices, a recorded call is reviewed and scored by a supervisor, who then provides feedback to the collector — often without the collector ever hearing the call. Call recording ensures that policies, procedures and laws are followed and provides necessary feedback to the collector. Indeed, going beyond the basics provides opportunities to strengthen and calibrate the skills and abilities of your workforce. The key to securing more consumer cooperation lies in the demeanor of the collectors, the messages they formulate and the strategies they employ. Here are a few ideas for getting more mileage out of your recordings:

Listen Together
Go beyond the traditional model by listening to the call and scoring it with the collector. Scoring calls with the collector gives the collector insight into how he or she sounds on the phone. It also helps the collector understand the process for quality assurance. I'm always amazed when I meet collectors who have never had the opportunity to listen to themselves in action.

Collector Scores
Allow collectors to listen to and score their own calls. The collectors can review and discuss their results with their supervisors. The supervisors also can score the calls and compare notes with the collectors. Did the collectors and supervisors catch the same errors?

Group Review
Listening to calls in group settings is an effective way to calibrate call expectations. Two people might judge the same call differently. Collectors can learn from one another as each person shares insight into how the call was handled. This provides new collectors the opportunity to learn from the seasoned pros and helps supervisors identify areas of inconsistency. Be sure to get the permission of the collector, especially if you are going to play a less-than-perfect call.

Call Library
Calls can be grouped and stored by type. For example: great customer service, successful bridging, overcoming objections and dispute resolution. A call library can be a valuable reference for new hires. It might also come in handy when spot training existing staff.

Develop Scripts
Create word-for-word transcripts of conversations between collectors and customers. The scripts can assist your training program in a variety of ways. If you are dealing with a struggling collector, type out a few calls and try role playing. Have the collector play the customer and the supervisor play the collector. Repeating the collector's words  back to him or her might be a real eyeopener.

Be creative with your recordings, and you'll add value to your training program.

Do you have a collection technique you would like to share with colleagues? We're interested in your stories, techniques and feedback! Contact us so we can include your thoughts in a future column. Until next issue, I am on the road in a collection office near you.