Chances are more than a few of us have been on the wrong end of the phone line at some point in our lives. The end where we’re hearing all kinds of demands. Yes, there are many sorts of these types of calls, and generally they are not pleasant. Let’s focus for a moment on the aspect of being a debtor. Debts can take many forms, but for simplicity, we can start by discussing the debt of money. Let’s take a look at a different kind of debt collector.
Bill from Tulsa, Oklahoma decided to take a unique new approach to debt collecting. I heard about him on Steve Hartman’s On the Road (CBS, 10/04/13). He figured that yelling loud would not necessarily produce better results. He knew that from experience. There was a reason many of these folks were not paying. Many just needed a chance to get back on their feet, and that’s where Bill decided to change his role. He began offering additional services. He called it his “Customer Care” experience. He helped with such things as resumes and job searches. Getting paid now was not the goal, but rather getting paid eventually was.
The results for Bill were encouraging. He found that the success rate for getting paid by people he had helped was about double that of the old style of collecting from his debtors. Thanks, Bill, for your efforts at Love Lived Large! I think a number of debt collectors could learn a thing or two from your approach.
Of course, the greatest debt collector of all time could be our Father God, but then He decided not to collect. No need to tell you He forgave the grand debt of his Son, Jesus, given over 2,000 years ago in exchange for all of our sins, no matter how many, no matter how grievous. How can we repay that? Fortunately, we have a gracious God!