Expert Advice
Agencies know their way around business to business debt issues. They can advise you on many aspects of the debt collection process and may even be able to act as consultants to help improve your in-house practices. Sometimes they can also provide financial consulting expertise. Because they have such extensive experience in the credit/collection arena, they can often provide many helpful insights to their clients. This financial expertise can also help the agency when discussing payment options with debtors. Collectors have seen it all. They are very savvy when it comes to getting payments from debtors. They have a vast array of negotiating tactics to select from.
Legal Assistance
A few agencies have their own in-house attorneys. When “normal” collection tactics just aren’t getting the collection job done, legal action might become necessary. Rather than hiring your own lawyers and having to go through the process of selecting the right legal help, you can just have your agency take care of everything for you. Again, filing suit to collect is just part of the collection process for an agency. They know what they are doing, and their lawyers will have a greater chance of success than if you hire a lawyer yourself.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that statistics show that the longer you allow a debt to remain outstanding, the less likely it is to be collected. Therefore, if you decide to hire collection agencies, don’t wait too long. If a customer’s invoices remain unpaid for 90 to 120 days, it is probably time to consider hiring a commercial collection agency.