B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) debt collections are different. Agencies that collect from individuals will use different collection tactics and are subject to harsher regulations than those that collect from businesses. Often these agencies choose to separate consumer collections from commercial collections because the processes vary.
If you've ever struggled with chronic late-paying clients or are silently seething over invoices that were never paid, you're probably considering commercial debt collection. Of course, you're wondering how much it'll cost and if you have time to research it. You may wonder how to escalate an unpaid debt to a collections agency and if they'll damage your client relationships. Let's tackle some of those questions, shall we?
Debt collections may not be the most enjoyable part of back office operations, but it's absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, some of your business clients will miss a payment or more due to various reasons. If you've signed an agreement and fulfilled your part, they still owe you.
Every industry has its own share of jargon, acronyms, and special terms. There's a level of trust that's gained when a business partner understands your industry or "speaks your language." When companies seek out debt collection agencies that they can trust, they also want to work with those who understand their industry.
When your business has a late-paying client, follow-up calls must be handled quickly and with conviction. Late or non-paying clients cause your business to write receivables off as bad debt, and they could cause the deterioration of your business relationships. Or you could escalate to a professional B2B collections agency that values your business relationships and your cash flow.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the number of accountants and university students that are studying accounting is falling. The long hours, especially during tax season, are turning off young recruits. Enterprise corporations are offering college credits and higher pay to entice more people into the field.
If you're reading this, it's more than likely because you've done everything you can to get a client to pay, including asking nicely, and they're simply... not paying. You may be wondering if you have any recourse at all and you really, REALLY, need to get back to running your business. Hiring a professional debt collection agency seems complex and a little uncertain. Maybe your only interaction with debt collection was as a consumer and that wasn't a positive experience.
When making the decision to use commercial debt collection services, businesses should be choosy. Not only are you selecting a company that should be efficient in recovering what's owed to you, but your brand reputation is also at risk. The collections specialists will be speaking to your clients on your behalf. It's imperative that they're able to be a fair but authoritative representation of your company.
As a business owner or accounts receivable specialist, you may have some fear around sending an account to a debt collections company. For one thing, you're entrusting a third party with your client relationship and your money and facing potentially unexpected costs. You may also have heard some really bad things about debt collections. Enterprise Collections LLC has been helping our clients recover debts for years, and we're happy to answer questions and ease any uncertainty.
The process of collecting what's due from customers can go by several names. Accounts receivable, receivables, A/R, accounts receivable collections, debt collections, and more.
(Not to be confused with accounts payable, which is a different part altogether.)
Many of these terms are not interchangeable but actually define different levels or areas of the process of collecting payments.
