This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
If you are a consumer struggling with ongoing debt and a mountain of unpaid bills, please know there is hope. There are effective ways to tackle the stress of debt. If you have decided that enough is enough and you are ready to be disciplined and become financially healthy, sometimes some simple and consistent strategies can make a big difference in your life.
Debt collectors have an enormous responsibility to every business they represent. On the one hand, a business hires a collection agency to collect from customers that have not paid them. And on the other hand, it’s important to understand that keeping your customers is of equal importance. Hiring a third-party collection agency is a big step for many businesses.
Calling customers in good times is pretty easy and stress-free for most of us. But calling them when they have not paid their bill is a different type of phone call. While using a collection agency can be a necessary part of your accounts receivable process, it is important for your business to use internal resources to try to resolve a past-due account before sending it to collections.
Hiring a collection agency for your business can be an extremely smart move and a strategic advantage in improving your cash flow. If you have customers who are consistently late or who have not paid you at all, and those are piling up, it’s time to make that decision. However, effective debt collections happen when you have the proper documentation in front of you.
You may be a small business owner or a professional in the position of finance. You may be reading this and at the same time having challenges with cash flow. The main culprit could be late and non-paying consumers. Just about every type of business will encounter this challenge, and it’s imperative to implement a regular and consistent program for getting customers to pay you for what you have provided.
What if we told you you could hire a collection agency and improve your cash flow without breaking your budget? We’re confident most businesses would like to take advantage of that. There is still a myth that the only way to employ a debt collection agency for your business is to pay large fees to achieve your goals. However, that is not the case; low-cost debt collection solutions are available to any size business.
A business like yours likely has one goal when hiring a collection agency: to collect money from customers who pay late or have not paid at all. You may also want to work with a collection agency because you do not have the internal resources or the time to chase past-due invoices, and it is time-consuming. But another goal your business should remember is how a collection agency can help you retain your customers.
If you operate any type of business, you’ll have people who do not pay you. Late and non-paying consumers are not exclusive to any size business, either. Large organizations and small businesses struggle to get customers to pay sometimes. That’s part of being in business. However, not every reason for non-payment is the same. Many consumers have legitimate reasons for not paying their bills and struggle to meet their own financial obligations.
Farmington Hills, MI; January 2025 American Profit Recovery, a collection agency based in Michigan and Massachusetts, has announced that effective February 1, 2025, All Debt Solutions, a Massachusetts-based collection agency, will merge with APR. All Debt Solutions and American Profit Recovery, combining decades of industry expertise have simultaneously offered diplomatic debt collection solutions to a wide range of industries.
There are many great career opportunities in the debt collection industry. And one of them is being a professional debt collector. Professionally trained debt collectors serve several purposes. They of course assist a business with improving cash flow by bringing late and non-paying customers to the table. And they help consumers navigate challenging financial situations.
Active listening is something our professional debt collectors practice and implement daily here. In fact, we would go as far as to say that it is one of the foundations of how we operate. In all aspects of life and business, listening is one of the most critical skills we can master. And as a collection agency working with small businesses and large organizations, it is a must for us to carry out our mission.
Late and non-paying customers can be emotionally draining for your small business. Whether you’re operating a lawn care company, veterinarian practice, heating and air conditioning business, or any other small operation, having customers who don’t pay on time is just part of being in business. While large organizations have their share of the same challenge, your small business can feel the pain of customers not paying far deeper.
We see it all too often. Businesses have a pile of outstanding invoices. They are not getting paid, and the business waits far too long to get serious about getting those customers to keep up with their payments. Maybe they dont have the systems in place to get late customers to pay or they may not want to upset their customers by implementing collection activity.
Utilizing a reputable collection agency for your all business or larger organization is one of the best ways to dramatically improve cash flow. And, it’s also a strategic tool in retaining your customers even if they do owe you money. Professionally trained debt collectors understand how to listen, show empathy, understand individual situations and take the time to solve problems with consumers.
If you’re running any type of business, negative cash flow does not just happen. There are always red flags of negative cash flow that give you an indication of a problem within your organization. Negative cash flow can rapidly disrupt a small business’s operations. Many businesses struggle to keep a consistent client base and have slim margins, which means it’s important to keep a close eye on cash flow.
By Delaney: Debt Collectors are faced with many hurdles when trying to contact consumers to pay on past due balances. Many of these hurdles come from pre-conceived notions about what it means to have an account sent to collections, or to be contacted by a collection agency. At American Profit Recovery, we do our best every day to change the perception of the collection industry in order to educate both consumers and prospective clients on what those things truly mean.
American Profit Recovery is celebrating 20 years in business. However, we are not just celebrating being in business for two decades, we are applauding our vision come true and how we have built a reputable debt collection agency that has achieved what we set out to do in 2004. We came together because we saw an opportunity to improve just about every area of collections.
If you operate any type of seasonal business, you know there are ups and downs and fluctuations during your fiscal year. It’s important to have a game plan in place to manage the busy times and survive slower periods. We serve as a collection agency for seasonal businesses among others and we can tell you that cash flow can be a struggle for many that operate at different volumes during the year.
“I have a lot of small invoices in my business that have not been paid. What should I do?” This is a common question our team gets from small and large businesses regarding lower dollar amount invoices that remain unpaid. Many businesses think it’s not worth the effort to implement collection activity on small invoices. But what if we told you that focusing on these in your business could add up to significant amounts of money recovered for your business.
By Sabrine: Who would have thought that a collection agency would have such great google reviews?! Prior to starting at American Profit Recovery back in 2017, I relied on APR’s reviews online to determine whether I would give this company a chance or not. Now, in 2024, the reviews are a tool used across our various departments daily as well as a talking point for potential employees coming in for interviews.
By Ian: Just over four months ago, I joined the customer service team at American Profit Recovery. I was immediately impressed by the warmth and helpfulness of my colleagues – I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and learning from them, and it’s easy to see why they get such great reviews from our clients. As someone who is new to the collections industry and new to customer service, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started, other than that it would be unique compared to any work I had done befo
Why should my business use a collection agency? That’s a question we hear often. The fact is there are enormous benefits to outsourcing your debt collections for a small business and even a larger organization. Having a reputable debt collection agency represent your business is one of the smartest moves you can make. It can improve your cash flow, save you time and money, and protect you from legal challenges.
What is Mental Rehearsal? When learning about mental rehearsal, it’s important to understand that it is a proven tactic that can help anyone who wants to improve the way they perform. It has been put through the process of the scientific method with consistently reproducible results. Mental Rehearsal Definition Mental rehearsal is the act of using your internal voice and practicing a task inside your mind without the need to physically act it out.
American Profit Recovery is a great place to build a career. Since 2008 we have been ranked as one of the best places to work in collections. And that comes straight from our team members. For over a decade, we’ve gone through a time-consuming survey process that methodically ranks the best places to work in the collection industry. And it is well worth the effort.
By Matt: American Profit Recovery’s Annual Employee Week was awesome this year. We shared good food, played many in-office games, and had some great times at after-work events, including a picnic. We also received some of the coolest prizes. I wanted to share three things that I absolutely love about employee week. To start, I had a great time playing the team challenges, and it was so much fun watching everyone compete for team prizes.
If you’re a small business owner and you’ve been trying to do the books yourself, take a few minutes to understand why hiring a bookkeeper can be a game-changer for your small business. We know that some of you out there continue to try and do everything in your small business, including all the invoicing, bookkeeping, and financial duties.
Effective communication can solve many challenges in a business of any size. In fact, it is a mission-critical component of any type of business. Whether it’s internal or external communications, every business needs to make this a priority. When it comes to cash flow in an organization, this is a critical area where strong communication is key, and consistent communication can make a difference.
By Alexis: Let be honest, when we hear “collection agency” we automatically have negative connotations. There is an unspoken stigma surrounding collection agencies and people that have accounts in collections, but what people don’t realize is there are a lot of people that have accounts in collections. Having an account in collections should not be a source of shame.
By Greg: We’re a little less than two weeks away from our Annual Employee Week and I am so looking forward to it. This is a week we all look forward to. It is a chance for the ownership team to show their thanks for all our hard work, and for us all to spend some fun time together in and out of the office. We will be kicking off the week with a picnic on Monday night, an evening of bowling on Tuesday, and a trip to an Escape Room on Wednesday.
There are countless myths about debt collectors and the debt collection industry as a whole. Debt collections in many circumstances can be a complex situation for both the business trying to recover money and the consumer trying to navigate financial difficulty. If we go back to the nightly news programs of past, many of us remember the segments that only focused on some negative behavior of a chosen few working in the industry.
Every size business, whether a small business or a larger organization will have to manage late and non-paying customers. It’s just a reality of being in business and part of the accounts receivable process. Not every customer is going to pay their bills on time. That would be nice, but it just doesn’t happen for a wide range of reasons.
If you are a consumer, struggling with debt, you should know that not only can debt collectors help you navigate a challenging financial situation, but you can also have a positive experience and favorable outcome. Gone are the days when collectors just got on the phone and demanded full payment. That’s not the way debt collections work. A professionally trained collector listens to consumers, seeks to understand unique situations, and creates an environment where two people can reach a so
There are numerous legitimate reasons why a consumer might struggle to pay your business on time, or at all and many of them stem from financial difficulties. As business owners, executives and others keeping an eye on the bottom line, you may get angry because some customers have not paid your business and you’re left wondering why. However, as we indicate here, many circumstances limit a consumer’s ability to pay your business, and they should be considered.
Many organizations and commonly small businesses will attempt to get customers to pay on outstanding invoices through various methods. However, for a wide range of reasons, small businesses can struggle to get timely payments, which ultimately affects cash flow. One method that many small businesses have employed over the years is taking customers to small claims court.
A healthy debt collection process helps businesses of all sizes maintain positive cash flow which is critical for many reasons. Cash flow is the backbone of any size business and positive cash flow keeps a business healthy and strong. It allows for consistent operations, a healthy bottom line, meeting the needs of your workforce and the confidence to know that you have the resources to grow if needed.
If your organization is burdened with negative cash flow, your ability to keep customers current in their financial obligations becomes mission critical. Approaches to achieving that and getting customers to pay you regularly differ. Many organizations still rely on in-house debt collection teams as part of their accounts receivable program. While in theory, this may have moderate benefits, relying on internal resources for all your collection activity may ultimately be a negative.
Building a career in the debt collection profession can offer so many rewards and benefits for people who are looking for a stable career with growth opportunities. By forging a career in debt collections, you have an opportunity to work in an industry that is not only financially rewarding but gives you tremendous opportunity to help people daily. The debt collection industry has made dramatic changes in recent years.
You want to keep your hard-earned customers. We thought so! Sometimes as you well know, customers do not pay. But that does not mean you have to lose that customer. In many cases, something has prevented your customer from paying on time or meeting their financial obligations to your business. While there are obviously disputes that need to be worked out, sometimes a customer just needs a little time and assistance to get caught up with your business.
If your business is at a point where you know you can improve cash flow, there are many things that you can address internally that can advance your chances of better cash flow. If you’re running a small business, you may be cleaning up your books anyway to hand them off to your CPA for tax season. So why not in the process, take a hard look at your accounts receivable process and make any necessary changes.
The relationships you build with customers are the lifeblood of your organization, no matter the size. In short, your business will not thrive without solid relationships with customers. It’s just that simple. Building lasting and trusting relationships with consumers is one of the best ways to see continual growth in your organization. You should not think of your customers as transactional.
If you’re like many owners and operators of small businesses, you’re looking at the year ahead and trying to figure out how next year can be better than before. While New Year’s resolutions might not work, getting the year off on the right track is time well spent for your small business. From reviewing the processes and procedures your small business uses regularly, looking at cash flow, invoicing and how you use a debt collection agency, to just some basic goal setting, it
When you’re in the process of hiring a debt collection agency for your organization, there are no doubt many questions on your mind. Hiring a new agency for your business can be a big step because of the important role they play in the overall health of your business. Generally speaking, many businesses are concerned with how effective their debt collection efforts will be, how their customers will be treated, the protection of data and if the agency has a level of proficiency within their
The debt collection industry is a vital part of the US economy. And for many businesses, it is a critical part of the overall accounts receivables process. Many small businesses and larger organizations rely on the expertise and efforts of third-party collection agencies every day. And for good reason. Collection agencies are recovering substantial amounts of consumer debt and helping those businesses drastically improve much needed cash flow.
While many organizations hesitate to implement collection activity, there are an equal amount that may jump into it before they have done their due diligence. Following solid and systematic accounts receivables processes can help lay the groundwork for successful debt collections when necessary. And it may just help you keep a hard earned customer. If you want to manage your late invoices and your reputation at the same time, make sure you’re doing the following before proceeding with thir
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 19,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content