Collector - August 2017 - 7
BESTPRACTICES 26% 23% CAN'T ACCEPT FEEDBACK POOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 17% LACK MOTIVATION TO EXCEL 15% WRONG TEMPERAMENT FOR JOB TOP 5 REASONS NEW HIRES FAIL to pick up the phone. Others would pick up the phone while asking, 'What should I do?' We would tell them we want them to wing it and attempt to collect the mock account. Primarily what we were looking for would be to see how the candidate reacted to the situation and to let them hear some of the common reasons and explanations consumers give for not paying their debt." HELPING THEM THRIVE Once hired, these new collectors may need a longer training period than people with COLLECTOR 08.17 11% LACK NECESSARY TECHNICAL SKILLS Source: Leadership IQ previous collection experience. Variety will help keep them engaged. Group training sessions give new hires an opportunity to make friends with other collectors while one-on-one sessions allow you to go at a pace suitable for each individual. Give new hires a strong support system. You might want to group all trainees in one area, giving them time to acclimate to the job before they transition to the sometimesintimidating larger collection floor. In their first 90 days on the job, all new hires at NACS are assigned a seasoned mentor who is available to answer questions and offer tips. To motivate and reward experienced employees for participating in this relationship, Bunton gives them a monthly $75 bonus. After the 90 days are up, every time that new hire meets his monthly goal for the first year of his employment, the mentor gets $25. If the new hire exceeds expectations, the mentor gets $50. "Mentors can have up to five people on their mentor team who they are essentially making money off of because they are helping them get to a higher level," Bunton explained. To keep their early momentum going, continue to set realistic goals for your new hires and provide regular performance reviews. "Don't set them up for failure," Fleming said. "Slowly move them forward by giving them goals they can reach. It's important they know when they are doing something right and when they are doing something wrong. In our training we tell them that they are going to get a lot of coaching. Don't take it personally when we show you where you went wrong. You're new. This is how you learn." Anne Rosso May is editor of Collector magazine. 7