Debt Collection Software VS. Hiring a Collection Agency

Debt collection software are programs designed to help companies track debts. These software programs are designed to keep track of your outstanding receivables, payments owed, fines, penalties and other matters concerning the accounts of debtors. But is it beneficial for a company to buy and use one of these software tools or is hiring a commercial collections agency a more reliable option?
The Benefits of using Debt Collection Software VS. Hiring a Commercial Collection Agency
The Benefits of debt collection software
First of all, debt collection software can help you get organized. Instead of having piles of paperwork in the office, debt collection software can consolidate all the information in one place. At the same time, debt collection software can be easily updated. Once the debtor pays a certain amount, it can be easily recorded by the software. This way, you can keep better track of the activities in each account. You will have all the necessary information, including the date and time payment was made and the amount that was paid.

Second, debt collection software is a great way to keep track of your correspondence with your outstanding accounts. Debt collection software has features that allow you to record the exact day and time the collection letters were sent–– In some cases, debt collection software can even record portions of phone calls. If ever the case goes to court, you can use the software to show evidence that you tried to maintain correspondence with the debtor.

Lastly, using debt collection software can often be a cheaper alternative to hiring a commercial collections agency to track accounts for you. For smaller businesses, hiring an external agency or person to do organization and collection of debts can be a bit costly. Debt collection software can prove to be a cheaper alternative

The Benefits of hiring a Commercial Collections Agency

Software programs are tools that can be used to retrieve the funds that are owed you. However, they are just that, tools. And a tool is only as good as the experience of the one using it. With a commercial collections agency, expertise and experience are two things that come with the service and normally exceeds even the most robust programs. Having that expertise working for you improves your chances of recovering some, if not all of the amount you are owed. Agencies often use professionals to collect your money using proven techniques and systems to optimize success

The primary benefit of using a commercial collections agency over debt collection software is the whole point of using them it in the first place: getting paid. By using an agency, you outsource the collection process allowing someone else to aggressively pursue your collection efforts. When debtors are contacted by a collections agency, a certain amount of fear is instilled into the debtor. Without that fear, debtors may be less inclined to respond and are often less concerned about the risks of not paying you what they owe. The consistent and aggressive pursuit of an agency offers a better return on investment for you recovering most if not all of your outstanding receivables.

Documentation is an important factor. A collection agency will keep track of all of their correspondence and collection efforts including direct mail, email, telephone calls, and in-person collection attempts, noting any comments made by the debtor and/or any amounts that have been paid. In doing so, collection agencies put together a timeline and help solidify your case should you choose to sue the debtor in a court of law. As mentioned above, debt collection software will keep track of all of your correspondence, however, it is up to you to input all of that data.

The most important factor of all: time. The software you use should help make debt collection easier. It should help you monitor the accounts, and in the event that the debtor disputes the debt, you can easily use the debt collection software to verify the nature of the debt. Though debt collection software can aide you in the tracking, documenting, and collecting of outstanding debts, it still requires time on your part to monitor the activities, input the information and pursue collection efforts; not to mention all of the time necessary to learn the software in the first place. Your focus as a business owner should be on your business; obtaining new customers and maintaining relations with existing customers needs to be a priority. You need to weigh your time and decide whether your business can afford you spending precious time performing your own collections or if outsourcing the task is the better option.

So which is it, Debt Collection software or Collections Agency?

In the end, it comes down to what is the best fit for you and your business. Whether you use a commercial collections agency or debt collection software for your recovery efforts, the choice is entirely up to you. With either option, there is no guarantee you will recover what is owed. With a commercial collections agency, there is usually a set of standard processes that they follow in an effort to retrieve the outstanding debts. With Debt collection software, whatever processes are used will be entirely up to you.