Credit Where Due

Spanning the Distance

Building strong relationships with internal staff and customers requires different communication tactics in remote work environments. BY C. ROBIN SZABO

If there’s one thing that the challenges of 2020 taught us to appreciate, it’s the power of relationships and how they are tied to our success. At the same time, while the remote working environment that we’ve experienced has been beneficial in some regards, it has its shortcomings when it comes to creating and developing a friendly rapport.

Credit and collection departments have long known that the order-to-cash process relies heavily on building strong ties between teams, sales departments and customers. The ease and comfort we all had in interacting with people in person, or routinely contacting them by phone in their business offices, has all changed. This has created challenges for these departments as they try to navigate the new dynamics.

Here are a few relationship questions that I’ve heard from team leaders and some solutions that work.

How do I on-board, acclimate and instill our culture with new staff members whom I’ve never met in person? All new relationships are built with a foundation of fairness, trust and mutual respect. This does not change in a remote working environment. It just sometimes takes more effort by both parties. Try using a video conferencing tool if possible. It’s the closest thing to face-to-face that we have.

Encourage new team members to be themselves. Let them know you evaluate objectively; are interested in their growth; and welcome their feedback. Discuss your company’s culture with them, describing who you are; why you do what you do; and how you do it.

Clearly lay out your expectations to avoid misunderstandings. Explain the importance of trust and accountability in the relationship; that you trust them already; and will have their backs so long as that bond remains unbroken.

Don’t overlook training. It’s a continuous process and is needed to advance the team. Enlist the help of other staff members to help with this and become mentors to newer recruits.

What expectations should I have for the credit and collection team? Set the same expectations in remote working as you would if in office: work periods; avail-

ability for meetings; preferred methods of communication; how long a task should take; how many customers are to be contacted daily, weekly, monthly; the frequency and methods of contact; how much cash is to be collected weekly and monthly; and when progress reports are due with details of their activity.

In a remote environment, those expectations need to be crystal clear and easily understood from the outset so that work is completed as desired and on time.

What can I do to motivate my team, which is working remotely? Bring some fun into the day. Celebrate personal and team accomplishments, and let your staff know how much they are appreciated. Treat the team members as people, versus just worker bees. Get to know them, their interests and their life outside of work. Engage with them “one on one” in addition to team meetings.

Consider starting each video meeting with a little social time before laying out goals or projects. This gives everyone an opportunity to interact and strengthens their relationships with each other.

Keep meetings under 30 minutes, with your content no more than 18 of those minutes – the same as a TED talk. This will ensure the longest attention spans.

How do I effectively discuss with sales new orders or problem accounts? Reassure sales that you and your team are here to help make and complete the sale. Clear orders as quickly as possible. Be objective; avoid confrontations; and provide suggested solutions when customers have marginal credit or are becoming a collection problem. Understand sales’ perspective and communicate with them like you do with your team. Listen to their point of view, and if your decision is overridden and the account becomes a write off, don’t respond with any “I told you so’s.”

How do I better communicate with my customers? Understand that, like you, they are facing similar challenges working remotely. Always be professional, courteous, ethical and fair in your dealings. Work with them on how to best communicate and use video meetings to strengthen relationships. Get to know them like you do your team.

Thank them for their business and stress that you are always willing to work with them in solving any problems that might arise.

C. Robin Szabo is president of Szabo Associates Inc., media collection professionals, in Atlanta, GA. He can be contacted at (404) 266-2464 or robin@szabo.com.