Collector - March 2018 - 34
PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT Are You an ACA Professional Collection Specialist? A quick look at how your collectors can benefit from achieving one of ACA's most popular professional designations. By Irene Hoheusle A CA International's Professional Collection Specialist™ (PCS) designation is designed to honor and recognize those who have completed training to be an ethical, professional and compliant collector. Collectors with the PCS designation have a solid understanding of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how to conduct themselves professionally in communications with consumers. The prerequisite for this designation is the completion of two popular ACA CORE curriculum training courses that can be taken online or in face-to-face seminars. After completing the Essential Collection Skills and Techniques and FDCPA Essentials for Collectors courses-and passing tests for each with a score of 85 percent-the collector then must pass the PCS exam. Having PCS collectors in your agency gives you the opportunity to show your clients and potential clients how strongly your agency values compliance and the ethical collections of their accounts. Additional benefits include: * Increased collection rates. * Increased placements. * Increased ability for collectors to overcome objections ethically. * Enhanced efficiency in the collection process. * Improved employee recognition at your organization. 34 * Continuous excellence in daily collections. * Decreased compliance risks and consumer complaints. ACA's PCS designation requires renewal every three years to ensure your collector stays up to date with changes in the credit and collection industry. This process is easy and can be achieved in multiple ways within the three-year period. All you have to do is submit the PCS Renewal Form and pick from one of the three the options for renewal: Option 1: Attend either an ACA Convention, forum or any FDCPA training. Option 2: Obtain the ACA Trainer Specialist Designation. Option 3: Retake the PCS exam. Every agency should strive to eventually have all collectors achieve ACA's PCS designation. Plus, there are many other useful ACA designations that require a PCS designation as a prerequisite, so it's a great professional development steppingstone. Get started today! It's time to get involved and be the best you can be. Irene Hoheusle, IFCCE, is vice president of collections and education at Account Recovery Specialists Inc. To learn more about ACA International's Professional Collection Specialist™ designation, visit www. acainternational.org/education/designations. Minimize Your Liability with Monthly State Collection Law Updates If you're not already subscribing, you're potentially missing dozens of state collection law updates. Subscribe today! acainternational.org ACAINTERNATIONAL.ORG