When the decision was taken at RICOH to re-insource collections, the question of team training became crucial. What know-how can we pass on to people from different backgrounds, with mainly administrative skills but no knowledge of the collection business? Denise Bechard, Collections and Litigation Manager at RICOH France, recounts how she acquired her know-how.
Denise Bechard: “It was an internal voluntary process. The team was made up of several employees from the sales administration department, others from telesales… All of them needed training in the specific business of collections, both in the communication-negotiation aspect and in the legal dimension of the contract.”
D. B. : “We put our trust in Cabinet ARC, who were already handling RICOH’s litigation, and were therefore perfectly familiar with our problems. They offered us a tailor-made training program, based on concrete cases from our own customers. The real-life setting was an undeniable asset in enabling the team to ‘feel’ the business.”
D. B. : “The training took place on site, in our daily environment. The team acquired a working method: how to react quickly, how to prepare interviews properly, how to listen, how to use the ‘right words’, how to identify the right contact person… but also, and this is very important, the legal bases of contracts, which are central to our organization. This training in best collection practices gave our staff a sense of security and ensured the team’s foundation. What’s more, the trainer was both accessible and highly professional, and knew our file inside out. The team felt confident.
D. B.: “Apart from the fact that we’ve been able to build up a solid in-house team, I’ll give you just one figure: in 6 months, we’ve reduced our DSO from 57 to 43 days! So we’re very satisfied.
“The team has acquired a working method but also, and this is very important, the legal foundations of contracts, a central piece of our organization.”
