I was recently flipping through some channels on my television and came across an old re-run of the classic Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In from the 1960’s. What a wonderful approach to slapstick humor; and it still entertains generations after all these years. One of my favorite sketches was Lily Tomlin’s phone operator character where she would place calls for folks on an old manual operator board by inserting call connection cables. As the phone would ring on the other end of the line she would chime, “One ringy dingy, two ringy dingys,” until the party was connected. Her humor was priceless but it was an interesting flashback to what our telephony choices were 50 to 60 years ago. In fact, the term “telephony” was not part of our language. We had not yet perfected digital technology and our offices were using rotary phones. “Predictive dialing” was knowing which hole on the phone to place your finger and speed dialing was perfecting your approach so that you didn’t mistakenly put your finger in the wrong hole! Cell phones were not yet a part of our culture.
This issue of Collection Advisor focuses on telecom collections, so it is an opportune time to reflect on the evolution of the phone systems within our collection operations, our current phone platforms and perhaps benchmark what other firms are doing as their current aging technology needs to be upgraded.
The collection industry has been a technology-focused segment of the business world since the first computer systems changed our manual/paper focus of decades ago. We were afforded opportunities to increase our speed, decrease FTE’s and manage larger portfolios of accounts. Years ago, what differentiated a good agency from a great agency was the level of technology utilized in the collection process. Accounts were managed smarter, reports could be provided to clients, remittances were professionally prepared and metrics could finally be assessed to enhance efficiencies. Along with general automation came the movement from rotary dial phones to digital technology. Can you imagine the lift in productivity experienced on our collection floors decades ago when we jumped from rotary dialing to digital buttons? Calls could be digitally pressed in a fraction of the time as we entered a realm of fast-moving processes.
Today, many collection offices are faced with aging telecom systems that had been state of the art 15 to 20 years ago. Many of my colleagues in the industry and members of our benchmark group have been researching new systems. Changing technology, speed and advancements that surpass our old systems are coupled with the need to integrate effective call recording due to various compliance concerns including PCI issues. In my office, we are in the process of replacing a 15-year-old Toshiba system. It has been a real workhorse and has been excellent for our needs, but the dynamics of contemporary systems, coupled with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) technology drives the motivation for us to explore new horizons. Due to increasing regulatory pressure and a culture of single digit Right Party Contact (RPC) ratios, we need to leverage every bell and every whistle in the telephony world to survive competitively.
Along with the advancements in office telephone technology we have experienced a boom in personal cell phone usage that has eclipsed the technological expectations of even the most savvy computer geeks! The overwhelming majority of Americans carry a cell phone and increasing numbers of households have disconnected their landlines causing much consternation for our predictive dialing campaigns due to TCPA regulations. Today’s cell phone is more than just a phone. It is a personal data device with which we manage and control our entire lives. This explosion of cell usage has created a very active, fertile collection market for growing numbers of collection firms. This segment will only continue to grow as a collection vertical as we transition solely to cell usage as the norm. We’ve come a long way since the “over the shoulder bag phones” that originally weighed about 10 pounds and cost a fortune to operate!
I would urge you to locate a local telecom consultant and review the features available today that could improve your operational processes. Donate your current system to a nonprofit organization. Then, whip up a batch of popcorn, find a re-run of Laugh-In and along with Lily Tomlin, reflect on the evolution of your office, home and personal ringy dingy; what amazing advancements!
We encourage our readers to submit a “best practice” idea for inclusion in this column. I can be reached at
Harry A. Strausser III is president of Remit Corporation/Interact Training & Development.