Rarely do we as an organization have the opportunity to spend
time sitting around the conference table thinking, but that is exactly what we
have been doing for the last few days as we have tried to come up with a way that we
could answer all of your questions and issues regarding the current status of
the debt collection industry, its future and how to deal with the sheer volume
of calls that you have been hearing on our site at
www.mycollector.com .
As many of you know, we are currently one of the loudest
voices in the Debt Collection Industry right now. Why, because we have
decided to do what no Consumer Collection Company had ever done and simply
STOP and switch gears and take a hard look at how we were showing up in our
customers and debtors lives. In other words, because of all of the media
attention that we have been receiving, We are literally being forced to STOP
take a really hard look at what we in the debt collection business have chosen
to create.
We had to ask ourselves as an executive management team "Have we become so numb and so disinterested in our friends and
neighbors around the world that we work with, that we are willing to literally sell our soul to make money?"
"Have debt collectors gotten so used to crossing the line, (meaning lying to
debtors about "We will send the sheriff to pick you up if you do not pay") that it does not matter
anymore HOW the Debt Collection Business is done, just as long as our collectors hit their
quota and goals for the month?
Interesting?
One thing that we notice as we started to look at all of the
evidence and intensive issues that you, our customers, the media and legislators
began to present to our offices, was that it was becoming increasingly necessary
to find a solution to one simple question....IS THERE A WAY THAT WE, AS COLLECTORS,
AND AGENCY OWNERS COLD COME UP WITH A WAY TO CREATE what we at Western Capital
call a "WIN-WIN" so that both our valued
clients still get paid and the debtors that all of our call center employees
interact with still are left with their dignity? Is
this a dream or what?
Recently we were made aware of a situation that involved a
small collection company in Gastonia, North Carolina named
Park Dansan . For some
reason, we had never heard of this company, (which is extremely rare) so we
decided to perform a simple background investigation to verify their existence.
The first place we looked is on one of our partner sites
at
www.RipOffReport.com .... NOTHING?
We then went to www.Google.com and tried to
find out anything that we could on this company there; not much there either.
So the next thing we did was to contact the State of North
Carolina where this Collection Agency is located just to confirm that this was really a
company.... and guess what! They Were! AND They were fully licensed and bonded
and had all of the right licensing..Great!
What started out to be a normal
investigation for a client turned into a wildly different ride than we
expected.
We also found out that Park Dansan is not only licensed to do
business in North Carolina, but is also listed in many other states. Wow!
That is more than we can say about a lot of the companies that you write to us
daily about.
So we made a preliminary call to Park Dansan and asked to
speak to the CEO, Eric Selker never thinking that we would get through, and
guess what.... We actually got to speak to him. He answered his phone!
Now we were completely shocked...
Where were the minions of
lawyers that we always end up dealing with? Where were all of the Senior
Management Teams that usually hide out when we call? They were there....
Eric and his Senior Collection Manager John Luther. And guess what?
They actually wanted our feedback! Wow.. This was getting exciting!
At Western Capital, We have had the opportunity to deal with
hundreds of agencies across the nation and around the world as we have worked to
train Debt Collectors to "Come to the
Next Level" and we have NEVER seen such a company that was so concerned
about the consumer experience than the team at Park Dansan.
Believe me, this is GOOD NEWS! and YOU deserve to know the
GOOD along with the BAD.
In conclusion, I want to personally state that we are here for
you. We are listening to your complaints. We are receiving your packages,
letters, emails and tapes... but sometimes, just sometimes, companies get it
right, and this is the case with Park Dansan.
And remember, IT IS NEVER ABOUT THE PROBLEM AT HAND - IT IS
ABOUT HOW YOU STEP UP TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE THAT MATTERS!
The next time I am in North Carolina doing a Corporate
Training, I would be honored to stop by and take the management team to lunch.
