The Book - The Art of Debt Collections Management

605 pages written by professionals for professionals

Available now on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and Paperback versions

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The Uniqueness of this book

Several key features highlight the book’s uniqueness:

·         It provides tools for a comprehensive understanding of credit risk management and collections, focusing on intelligent process management rather than the processes themselves. This means it goes beyond the “how to collect” to “how to manage collections” strategically.

·         The data and reports presented adhere to reliable and advanced international and local standards, ensuring readers can access cutting-edge information.

·         The book is a foundational resource for learning about the professions within credit and collections. It addresses credit control from a theoretical and practical perspective, offering effective and practical tools for credit risk assessment and mitigation while maintaining sales levels according to organizational goals and work plans.

·         Unlike other texts that primarily focus on managing late-paying customers, this book covers the entire credit and collection world, including managing timely paying customers. It argues that collection efficiency cannot be measured without considering all customers and all collection costs, including those incurred from timely payments.

·         “Customer experience” considerations are extensively discussed, emphasizing their importance in the overall organizational context and various processes. The goal is to implement a smart policy for retaining the organization’s customers.

·         The book provides tools for examining the real costs associated with credit risk management and collections and offers suggestions for cost savings.

·         A chapter is dedicated to managing collection centres at advanced standards, crucial for companies with many customers (thousands and above).

·         Comprehensive knowledge of working with lawyers is imparted, including considerations for legal action against customers, cost examination, lawyer selection and contract processes, and the overall efficiency of legal proceedings.

·         It also tackles complex accounting issues, such as provisions for doubtful debts and writing off bad debts, including legal and commercial aspects. Additional relevant topics include basic knowledge and tools in selling credit risk, ethics in collections, customer relations, and the quality of credit and collection processes.

 

This summary encapsulates the book’s holistic approach to credit and collections management, emphasizing the technical aspects and the strategic, ethical, and customer experience dimensions vital for professionals in the field.

Who is this book for?

The book is intended for a wide range of professionals involved in credit and collections within large, medium, and small organizations. The term “organization” in this context encompasses any entity that includes a credit and collection system. This includes institutional units such as companies, partnerships, and other legal entities like non-profits or government bodies engaged in credit and collections.

It is specifically written for business players who value credit risk management and collection systems and those seeking to improve and streamline these systems to reduce overall costs, foster proper public relations with customers, increase cash flow, and, consequently, profitability.

 

The target audience is broad, including senior management (CEOs, owners, executive management, and board members), finance personnel (CFOs, finance managers, accountants, and treasurers), employees of credit and collection departments, legal department staff handling customer cases, customer service, marketing, and sales managers. It also extends to any organization staff involved in collection processes (like drivers collecting payments upon delivery, warehouse representatives securing equipment receipt signatures, technicians collecting repair fees, etc.), accountants advising small and medium-sized organizations, lawyers engaged in collections, and organizational consultants.

The Structure of the book

The book facilitates systematic learning about managing credit risks and collections. It advocates for incorporating the “customer experience” as an integral part of credit and collection processes throughout its chapters. This concept, defined in detail within the book, intuitively refers to the entire journey of a customer’s interaction with the organization’s credit and collection stages. This includes everything from the initial sale and payment for a product or service to ongoing interactions with the customer. The book’s structure, illustrated in Diagram 1, outlines the progression of these stages, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive relationship with customers throughout their experience.

 

Diagram 1: The book’s structure emphasizes the “customer experience” in the sales and collection processes.