quality … not frequency

Quality is more important than Frequency. Yesterday, I was asked “Is there legislation that states how many times a debtor can be contacted in a week without becoming harassment?“

This was my answer …
Hi Gwen,  Thanks for your email.  To answer your question …
I’m not aware of any Australia legislation as such that is specific in what’s “too much”. The words “reasonable“, “within reason“, “without undue harrassment” appear to be the common phrases used in all websites I’ve been able to find.  But, I am NOT a lawyer, so, if you feel that you really need to know, perhaps contact one for advice.

Having said that though, I’ve been in this field (account collection management and systems) for over 30 years and have never had anyone complain that they’ve been harrassed because I know that it’s not the frequency of follow up that’s going to elicit a response from a debtor, it’s the QUALITY of that follow up.

It needs to impact the debtor. To make them DO something. A phone call every day becomes boring and non-effective for both the creditor and the debtor. And .. both parties become frustrated in the process. Not the best outcome.

The “trick”, as always, is to
*  start collecting early (being polite yet systematic as you do)
*  slowly increasing pressure on the debtor to respond
*  if they don’t respond, become firmer.
*  keep the debtor wondering what you’ll do next if they don’t respond.
*  keep them off balance.  Don’t be predictable
*  increase pressure.
*  use different “vehicles” …
    –    phone calls,
    –    text messages,
    –    emails,
    –    letters in a plain envelope (using Registered Mail),
    –    faxes (as long as you know that they’re safe from prying eyes of people unconnected with the debt),
    –    business cards saying simply “contact me” …

Hope this helps …