HOW TO KNOW WHEN TO USE A OREGON COLLECTION AGENCY?

Finding a Oregon collection agency to handle past-due or delinquent accounts can be challenging, but hopefully, after reading this blog, you will know who to choose for your debt collection needs. This blog will discuss when you should start considering a Oregon debt collection agency.

WHY WOULD CHOOSING A “OREGON” DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY BE ANY DIFFERENT THEN CHOOSING AN AGENCY IN ANY OTHER STATE?

The first question you should really ask yourself is, “what state do you live in?”

It is important for business owners and accounts receivable managers to understand that choosing a local agency is significantly better than choosing an agency located in another state. Local collection agencies are required to know state laws when collecting on debts. This is crucial for several industries, such as towing, healthcare, property management, and more.

Each industry mentioned has specific laws and requirements that need to be followed when it comes to debt collections. For instance, House Bill 3320, which was discussed in our previous blog, recently passed in the state of Oregon. This bill requires nonprofit hospitals to make applying for financial aid easy, and if patients qualify after paying their bill, the hospital must issue a refund. This law also requires debt collection agencies to collaborate with hospitals in the event a refund is issued.

Furthermore, using a local debt collection agency can generally facilitate litigation with ease. This means that if your account has a higher balance and meets all the criteria for legal action, your Oregon debt collection agency will most likely proceed with suing the debtor.

WHAT IS OREGON DEBT COLLECTIONS, AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Oregon Debt Collections is a business that helps other businesses collect on past due, unpaid, and delinquent accounts. For example, if you are a gym or fitness club owner with a member not paying their membership bill, you would use a debt collection agency to help collect the past due amount. Similarly, if you run a tow truck company and have cars that are towed but not picked up or paid for, you would hire a debt collection service to skip trace and retrieve debtor demographics to collect on the unpaid tow bill. If you are a painter who has completed a job and then rendered additional work without receiving payment, you would also hire a debt collection service to collect what you are owed.

If you are a property manager or landlord with a tenant who vacated the residence without notice, you would send out your final ledger and hire a debt collection agency to skip trace and find the tenant’s new location to collect on their outstanding bill. Similarly, if you are a business in any service industry and have worked for someone under a contract, with proper documentation to prove services were rendered, you would use a debt recovery service to collect on it.

So the next time you ask yourself:

• “What should I do when my client doesn’t pay for my legal service?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What should I do when my customer threatens to sue me for my paint job?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What should I do when my fitness members stop paying?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What do I do when my renter leaves without telling me?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What do I do when I tow an abandoned vehicle and the driver doesn’t come to pick it up?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What do I do when my patients for chiropractic services or at my clinic don’t want to pay?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.
• “What do I do when all my customers don’t pay me?” – Call Atlas Financial Services.

Even if you don’t live in Oregon or Washington, feel free to find your local agency on the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals International Directory. This is where you can find other debt collection agencies who are members of ACA International.

Membership Directory

HOW TO START WITH OREGON DEBT COLLECTIONS WITH ATLAS FINANCIAL SERVICES?

The first step you want to take when considering using Atlas as your Oregon Debt Collection Agency is to come up with a “drop dead date” for when you want your members, clients, customers, or patients to pay. Feel free to call us to ask if you can use our name on your demand letter or email. Let them know that if payment is not received by this date, their account will be sent to Atlas for collections.

After you have requested payment and haven’t received a response, give us a call to set up your account. With Atlas Financial Services, we provide an online client portal where you can learn how to place your accounts and upload documentation. There is NO UPFRONT COST to our service. When you use Atlas for Oregon debt collection services, we only get paid if we collect on the account. Our standard rates are forty percent for regular collection accounts, meaning our collectors work on them, and fifty percent for legal accounts, which means our legal team handles them. Contingency rates are based on a sliding scale, so depending on the balances and how many accounts you wish to place, the contingency rate will vary.

Once your accounts are placed with us, your job is done—leave the rest to us. Remember, choosing a debt collection agency should be your last resort. If you feel capable of collecting the account yourself, we wouldn’t recommend placing it with us.

Owners or managers might think that calling their debt collection agency for updates will help the collection process, but it does not. Most collection agencies have processes in place to ensure every account gets worked on, so we recommend hoping for the best outcome. Keep in mind that these are individuals who didn’t want to pay in the first place, so debt collection agencies do their absolute best to collect. Remember, if we don’t collect… WE DON’T GET PAID.

At Atlas Financial Services, you can access our client portal 24/7, allowing you to see the status of all your accounts in real-time. You can also export reports, update demographics, and place more accounts anytime!   

5 TIPS TO REMEMBER BEFORE USING DEBT COLLECTION SERVICES

1. Make sure your Agency is Local!
2. Check reviews. Debt collection agencies typically have bad reviews, but in this industry, bad reviews can actually be a good sign. (Not that we want bad reviews, of course.) It just means we are doing our job. Atlas Financial Services has an A rating with the BBB, and we follow all the rules!
3. Ensure the accounts you are placing are a last resort. Either there are too many for you to handle, or you have a sense that these individuals are intentionally avoiding payment.
4. Send your own letter with a “drop dead date.” This may help you get the ball rolling and encourage timely payment.
5. When in doubt, place the account. If you wait too long, the chances of us succeeding diminish. When it comes to receivable management services, the clock is always ticking.

LAST THING ON OREGON RECEIVABLE MANAGEMENT SERVICES

This concludes our blog on how to know when to use an Oregon debt collection agency. We hope you gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about the debt collection industry. To clarify, Debt Collections, Debt Recovery, Receivable Management Services, Accounts Receivable Services, and Collection Services all mean the same thing. They refer to the services provided by Atlas Financial Services to collect on your overdue accounts.

ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED WITH OUR OREGON DEBT COLLECTION SERVICES?

This part is faster than reading this blog… To get started, simply request debt collection services. You can call, fill out a contact form, or schedule a meeting on my calendar. I will send an agreement via Adobe Sign, and once it is signed, I will set up your client portal and show you how to use it. The entire process can take less than 20 minutes to complete. I look forward to connect with you!