Selection of a Debt Collection Agency in Michigan

 There are many choices when searching for debt collection agency services in Michigan. With so many options, how does one pick the right vendor for you and your business? Before this article considers the various points when searching for a suitable debt collection agency in Michigan, we should clarify that we are referencing business-to-business or b2b credit transactions only. Your business is owed money to another company, and you recognize that the vendor you select must be an expert in this field.

Firms that provide commercial debt collection agency services in Michigan are not required to be licensed. Still, we suggest otherwise. State law requires a licensed agency to maintain a separate clients trust account for clients’ money. The manager must pass a state-mandated examination to qualify for the license. In this article, we stress the word “should” because all the attributes mentioned above are surprisingly not necessary when providing commercial debt collection agency services in Michigan. While not required when running a commercial agency, would you not take more comfort knowing your vendor had the added protections of a licensed agency?

A commercial agreement often contains language that makes the business principal (owner) liable. Clauses that contain personal guarantees, create a joint and several liabilities, or a co-customer agreement, are very common. If the corporate customer (your client) goes out of business, the commercial collection agency service can pursue the business owner for the company’s debt. While there has always been a clear distinction between consumer and commercial transactions, those lines are becoming increasingly blurred through the efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Hiring a licensed commercial collection agency services provider in Michigan will ensure you have one more layer of protection against risk to your business.

Additionally, the commercial collection service provider you choose should have access to Michigan’s Secretary of State’s website and be able to search property deeds in all counties across the state. Access to public and paid databases lets your vendor quickly assess your debt recovery potential.

While you may have a favorite commercial collection agency outside of Michigan, a resident Michigan agency will have established relationships with local credit managers, industry groups, and business connections that enable them to investigate your past-due customer and get quick resolution of your receivable. This depth of knowledge of your customer and local market conditions can often help you avoid an unnecessary lawsuit that out-of-state commercial collection agency service providers frequently recommend.

Finally, once you have narrowed down your choices of Michigan-based commercial collection agencies, we recommend selecting the agency that employs collection agents with the Certified Commercial Collector designation awarded by the International Association of Commercial Collectors, an industry-recognized certification program. These professional negotiators maintain standard educational requirements and are considered the elite of their profession.

Understanding Business Debt Collection

Our firm has been in the business debt collection industry for nearly four decades. Over that time, we come across various misconceptions about what effective business debt collection looks like from the creditor's perspective. Some of the misconceptions include; 

"We only use attorneys."

 

"How much would you be willing to purchase this debt from me for?"

 

"We received a purchase order from this new customer, shipped their product, and now they're not paying. Can you help us?"

 

These are the most common inquiries when someone requires business debt collection. Fortunately, many of these common issues are avoidable. The need for business debt collection services can be mitigated by taking proactive steps. However, if you want answers to the typical scenarios above, you are definitely not alone.

 

Would it be helpful to your business if you could avoid these typical situations? Business debt collection is not 100% unavoidable-even if you accept cash. Mistakes will inevitably happen. Understanding how effective business debt collection works will give your firm the best chance for recovery. At AAB, we are always looking for ways to improve our processes.

 

So you might be wondering what characteristics of a successful business debt collection are. Wouldn't it be great if you could minimize the need for our services? Imagine the relaxed confidence you and your finance team would have if you had the full knowledge of business debt collections. You could proactively take precautions to minimize your risk.

 

What Can AAB Do to Help Realize This Outcome?

Having to call a collection professional is like calling the fire department because your house is on fire. AAB can be "on the scene" very quickly-but your house is still on fire. Not a pleasant experience. At AAB, we are interested in developing our client's internal credit process (from prospecting new customers to the successful receipt of the payment for your work). We examine what you did well and what areas require improvement. Our first goal is for you to experience success in business debt collections.

 

We Make Business Debt Collection Painless

Business debt collection doesn't have to be rocket science. We require your firm to sign a simple two-page agreement that authorizes us to work on your behalf. Once we have received your written consent and the transaction details along with customer details, we can start the business debt collection process on your behalf.

 

Trusted Business Debt Collection in Michigan

If your firm is experiencing issues with business debt collection or other issues getting paid, call us at 1-866-448-3936 or fill out our Contact Form. Don't call an expensive law firm - let AAB check the probability of success of your business debt collection issue first. Remember, we only get paid if you do.

Our Collection Process

Collection agency services are one of our basic services. We work with forwarding-thinking companies, which is why we created The Proactive Receivable Solution™. This advanced process helps you build a proactive receivable system in your company to ensure you get paid in a timely and consistent manner. It also allows you to avoid The Reactive Bad Debt Trap™. 

We have two levels - basic and advanced. With basic, we provide you with our essential collection agency services. You can get the basic from many other companies, however, the advanced process we’ve developed, The Proactive Receivable Solution™, takes everything to a much higher level and is only available from AAB. Additionally, you don't have to hire us for collection agency services to get the advanced program – you can keep your existing collection agency services provider if you wish. 

Our Proactive Receivable Solution™ has four components:

1. AAB designs a blueprint for a more advanced receivable solutions for your business. 
2. You get the right people and train them properly. 
3. You use proactive credit-oriented marketing strategies to ensure that you work with only creditworthy customers and Prospects
4. You put in place a proactive and consistent credit application system. 

If you're interested in The Proactive Receivable Solution™, contact our office today for a free starter session. We’ll assess your current situation during this session and begin work on your customized Proactive Receivables Blueprint™. 

Collection Agency Services

For the last 50 years, AAB has been helping creditors and debtors to resolve their outstanding accounts amicably. If your business needs collection agency services in Michigan, contact us today for a confidential conversation about your specific situation. We will either be able to assist you or make an introduction to one of our strategic partners.

Our History as a Collection Agency

AAB has been providing collection agency services in Michigan since 1973. In the 1970s, collection agency services were simplistic. Our agents used file cards with paper documents attached to the back of the card. Back then, the telephone companies charged a lot of money for long-distance calls – a collection agency's second-largest expense was its telephone bill. Times certainly have changed! 

Today, collection agency services are easily performed from virtually anywhere in the world. While our firm provides collection agency services in Michigan, we also cover the rest of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and beyond. The most common areas we serve include landlords, building supply companies, fuel, equipment, rental companies, and professional service firms. 

Providing collection agency services has changed dramatically since the 1970s. In the 2000s, AAB began providing proactive credit consulting, early-stage collections, customers save campaigns, traditional third-party collections credit reporting, and litigation management. 

Collection Agency Services

For the last 50 years, AAB has been helping creditors and debtors to resolve their outstanding accounts amicably. If your business needs collection agency services in Michigan, contact us today for a confidential conversation about your specific situation. We will either be able to assist you or make an introduction to one of our strategic partners.