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	<title>News Archives - Access Receivables</title>
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	<title>News Archives - Access Receivables</title>
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		<title>ACCESS Receivables Management Acquires Baltimore Credit and Collection Services, Inc. (BCCS)</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/bccs-and-access-receivables-are-both-members-of-the-international-association-of-commercial-collectors/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:07:34 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=4154</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/bccs-and-access-receivables-are-both-members-of-the-international-association-of-commercial-collectors/">ACCESS Receivables Management Acquires Baltimore Credit and Collection Services, Inc. (BCCS)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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<div class="et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section"><div class="et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_block_row"><div class="et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough"><div class="et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module"><div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p>Access Receivables Management, a leading provider of commercial and consumer debt collection services nationwide, announced today that it has purchased certain strategic assets of Baltimore Credit and Collection Services, Inc. (BCCS), a Maryland based company specialized in domestic and international commercial debt collection. This strategic move aims to expand the Access commercial portfolio domestically and internationally. It will provide BCCS clientele with expanded service offerings and capitalize on the combined expertise and vision the companies share.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.einpresswire.com/article/887948647/access-receivables-management-acquires-baltimore-credit-and-collection-services-inc-bccs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read Full Article &gt;</a></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/bccs-and-access-receivables-are-both-members-of-the-international-association-of-commercial-collectors/">ACCESS Receivables Management Acquires Baltimore Credit and Collection Services, Inc. (BCCS)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>ACCESS Receivables Management Named One of the ‘Most Influential Companies of the Year 2025’ by The CEO Views</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-management-named-one-of-the-most-influential-companies-of-the-year-2025-by-the-ceo-views/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:44:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=4009</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-management-named-one-of-the-most-influential-companies-of-the-year-2025-by-the-ceo-views/">ACCESS Receivables Management Named One of the ‘Most Influential Companies of the Year 2025’ by The CEO Views</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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<div class="et_pb_section_2 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section"><div class="et_pb_row_2 et_pb_row et_block_row"><div class="et_pb_column_2 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough"><div class="et_pb_text_2 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module"><div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p><img decoding="async" src="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/most-influential-badge-2025.jpg" width="200" height="200" alt="" class="wp-image-4005 alignleft size-full" srcset="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/most-influential-badge-2025.jpg 200w, https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/most-influential-badge-2025-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />Wales St. Aubrey, TX – November 12, 2025 – The CEO Views has honored ACCESS Receivables Management, a leading full-service collection agency, as one of the ‘Most Influential Companies of the Year 2025.’ This recognition celebrates ACCESS’s exceptional performance in account recovery and its commitment to innovation, compliance, and client partnership.</p>
<p>For over 25 years, ACCESS has evolved to meet the changing needs of clients and debtors, expanding from traditional consumer and commercial collections into specialized areas such as government, telecommunications, higher education, and commercial insurance recovery. Under the visionary leadership of Debbie Gillespie, CEO, and Tom Gillespie, President, the company has built a reputation for ethical practices, advanced technology, and results-driven strategies.</p>
<p>‘Our core objectives are to deliver strong recovery results, provide exceptional client service, and maintain the highest standards of compliance and professionalism—all while treating debtors with dignity and respect,’ said Debbie Gillespie.</p>
<p>Tom Gillespie, President of ACCESS Receivables Management, added: ‘Along the way, we have invested in advanced technology, compliance-driven strategies, national recruiting, and constant training. The result is a team focused on winning and delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients.’</p>
<p><strong>ACCESS differentiates itself through:</strong><br />
• Technology-Driven Solutions: Leveraging data analytics, secure digital communication, and automated workflows to maximize recovery rates.<br />
• Client Transparency: Offering real-time reporting and advanced analytics through one of the industry’s first client portals.<br />
• Compliance &amp; Security: Implementing multi-layered data security measures, regular audits, and strict adherence to industry standards.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, ACCESS plans to expand into additional government programs and integrate artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency and results. These initiatives position ACCESS as a trusted and influential leader in the debt collection industry.</p>
<p><strong>About ACCESS Receivables Management:</strong> ACCESS is a full-service collection agency specializing in commercial, consumer, government, telecommunications, and higher education accounts. Its services range from early-stage collections to legal recovery, ensuring maximum recoveries while safeguarding client relationships.</p>
<p><strong>About The CEO Views:</strong> The CEO Views is a print and digital magazine that provides a platform for entrepreneurs to connect with industry peers and explore innovations shaping today’s technology landscape.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-management-named-one-of-the-most-influential-companies-of-the-year-2025-by-the-ceo-views/">ACCESS Receivables Management Named One of the ‘Most Influential Companies of the Year 2025’ by The CEO Views</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Access Receivables Sets Industry Standard as Top Debt Collection Service for 2025 by Financial Services Review</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-sets-industry-standard-as-top-debt-collection-service-for-2025-by-financial-services-review/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 15:32:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=3924</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-sets-industry-standard-as-top-debt-collection-service-for-2025-by-financial-services-review/">Access Receivables Sets Industry Standard as Top Debt Collection Service for 2025 by Financial Services Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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<div class="et_pb_section_4 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section"><div class="et_pb_row_4 et_pb_row et_block_row"><div class="et_pb_column_4 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough"><div class="et_pb_text_4 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module"><div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p>HUNT VALLEY, MD, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Access Receivables Management, a premier partner in the debt collection industry, is proud to announce its recognition as a "Top Debt Collection Service for 2025" by Financial Services Review. This esteemed acknowledgment highlights the company’s leadership in innovation, compliance, and client partnership, coinciding with its quarter-century legacy. Founded in 1999, Access has consistently championed ethical practices, client-centric service, and a culture of transparency, redefining the collections landscape. Further underscoring its influence, CEO and President Debbie and Tom Gillespie were recently honored in The CEO Views as one of the Most Influential Companies to Watch 2025.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.einpresswire.com/article/853635371/access-receivables-sets-industry-standard-as-top-debt-collection-service-for-2025-by-financial-services-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read full article &gt;</a></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-sets-industry-standard-as-top-debt-collection-service-for-2025-by-financial-services-review/">Access Receivables Sets Industry Standard as Top Debt Collection Service for 2025 by Financial Services Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Access Chosen As Top Collection Agency For 2025</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/access-chosen-as-top-collection-agency-for-2025/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:12:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=3808</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-chosen-as-top-collection-agency-for-2025/">Access Chosen As Top Collection Agency For 2025</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="et_pb_section_6 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section"><div class="et_pb_row_6 et_pb_row et_block_row"><div class="et_pb_column_6 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough"><div class="et_pb_text_6 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module"><div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3809" src="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/team-photo-2025-award.jpg" alt="" width="370" height="420" srcset="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/team-photo-2025-award.jpg 370w, https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/team-photo-2025-award-264x300.jpg 264w" sizes="(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" />Walk into the offices of Access Receivables Management, and it's immediately clear: this is not your typical collections agency. Here, there are no cold calculations, no dispassionate call centers. Instead, there's a palpable sense of purpose-a shared understanding that success is measured not just in dollars recovered, but in trust earned and relationships built.</p>
<p>Since opening its doors in 1999, Access Receivables Management has rewritten the narrative around debt collection. Built on the simple but powerful idea that clients deserve full, unfettered access to their information, the company has grown into a trusted partner for a wide range of industries.</p>
<p>Its client portal-offering real-time visibility into accounts- stands as a symbol of that commitment. In fact, the founders chose the name "Access" to underscore the company's philosophy: transparency is not an add-on-it's the foundation.</p>
<p>Today, leading the charge are Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rae Lockard, Vice President of Operations Tim DePetris, Administrative Manager Melissa Lintz, and Vice President of Finance Tillesa Coleman. Together, they have created a workplace and client experience that elevate Access beyond the traditional image of a debt collection agency.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.financialservicesreview.com/access-receivables-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read Full Article on Financial Services Review's website &gt;</a></p>
</div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-chosen-as-top-collection-agency-for-2025/">Access Chosen As Top Collection Agency For 2025</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Access Receivables: Leading Debt Collection through Innovation and Expertise</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-leading-debt-collection-through-innovation-and-expertise/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 16:44:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=1915</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>An experienced debt collection partner brings more than just skills &#8211; they bring insight. Equipped with a deep understanding of debtor behaviors and patterns, their seasoned approach enables the smooth handling of anything from overdue payments to legal disputes, guaranteeing consistent, successful outcomes. Read the whole article here &#62;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-leading-debt-collection-through-innovation-and-expertise/">Access Receivables: Leading Debt Collection through Innovation and Expertise</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tomg-article-oct2024.jpg" alt="" width="370" height="420" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1916" srcset="https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tomg-article-oct2024.jpg 370w, https://access-receivables.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tomg-article-oct2024-264x300.jpg 264w" sizes="(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" />An experienced debt collection partner brings more than just skills &#8211; they bring insight. Equipped with a deep understanding of debtor behaviors and patterns, their seasoned approach enables the smooth handling of anything from overdue payments to legal disputes, guaranteeing consistent, successful outcomes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.financialservicesreview.com/access-receivables" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the whole article here &gt;</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/access-receivables-leading-debt-collection-through-innovation-and-expertise/">Access Receivables: Leading Debt Collection through Innovation and Expertise</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>10 Steps to Setting Achievable Goals for Your Collections Agency</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/10-steps-to-setting-achievable-goals-for-your-collections-agency/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 19:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=1155</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/10-steps-to-setting-achievable-goals-for-your-collections-agency/">10 Steps to Setting Achievable Goals for Your Collections Agency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="et_pb_section_8 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section"><div class="et_pb_row_8 et_pb_row et_block_row"><div class="et_pb_column_8 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough"><div class="et_pb_text_8 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module"><div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p>Have you given any thought to setting realistic goals for collection agencies that you entrust to collect your overdue accounts? Only about 10 percent of the creditors I have worked with over the years set agency goals, and I have worked with hundreds of creditors, large and small, over three decades.</p>
<p>Sometimes a client wants a collection goal, but everything seems to be a secret. “Beat the other guy and don’t get me in trouble,” is not necessarily the best plan of attack.</p>
<p>This article will give you some suggestions on ways to set recovery goals and return more dollars to the bottom line in the process. Increasing collections is one of the best ways to increase your company’s bottom line.</p>
<p>Every agency should know the answer to the following questions, and they should sign a confidentiality agreement in advance (this also helps you to get the best possible pricing):</p>
<p>• How many dollars you expect to place monthly by division, product or total. What's my opportunity?<br />
• Average balance per account, by segment of business. How much effort can I afford to put forth on an account?<br />
• Historic recovery rates of your best performers. What is my initial goal to exceed?</p>
<h3>Net Recoveries and Other Evaluation Factors</h3>
<p>Once the agency has provided the answers to these questions, it is time to get together and set some goals.</p>
<p>What percentage of recovery do you feel is realistic to expect? Recoveries will vary based on the age of the account at placement, demographics, balance and type of debt. Make sure your split of business is fair. Giving one agency the West Coast and another the East Coast provides built-in excuses.</p>
<p>Apples-to-apples is the best way, if possible, to evaluate your agencies. Professional handling, expertise, administrative efficiency and consistent effort are also key items that make the difference between great collection vendors versus average performers.</p>
<p>It is all about the agency’s commitment to treat you as special and go the extra mile. Every agency sales rep says he/she will treat you as special, but are your placements (agency opportunity) 3 percent or more of their total placements? You will get more attention if you are among their top 50 clients.</p>
<p>With regard to effort, every agency will collect the easy accounts (blind squirrel). Professional effort means collections without complaints. Expertise is knowledge of your industry, your debt, internal training, turnover and quality of staff.</p>
<h3>Regular Communication</h3>
<p>I have worked with many savvy creditors over the years. The successful ones tend to have a few things in common. The most important quality is communication.</p>
<p>They typically have regular meetings, teleconferences and even occasional face-to-face agency conferences.</p>
<p>They use these opportunities to explain their corporate vision, collection goals, and obtain buy-in from the vendors.</p>
<p>Nothing makes a collection agency executive more driven than to sit across the table from a competitor. At such a meeting, you should share masked results (without naming names).</p>
<p>Savvy creditors also update the results consistently and publish the updated analysis regularly so that every agency knows how they are performing in relation to the competition. Typically, the water level rises for everyone. The bottom performer will scurry to improve their results and your best agency will fight to maintain the first position.</p>
<h3>10 Steps for Success</h3>
<p>There are some great companies in the collection business and you only want great companies representing you. Following are 10 actions you can take now to obtain the highest possible return without complaints:</p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> Have a conference call with your agencies. Ask them for an annual percentage goal for the coming year based on some expected placement amount, and track to that goal.<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Give them some sort of bonus at the end of the period if they hit that goal. If they consistently miss your target and are low performers, reduce placements or move on.<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Give them a goal for lower complaints and review complaints received, including listening to the debtor phone calls, if available.<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Seed your placements periodically with a few bogus accounts at varying dollar values quarterly to make sure letters go out on time and phone calls<br />
are being made. Have the contact information going back to someone on your staff who can track the activity in a spreadsheet. 5. Pay off a small account periodically to make sure the money is remitted properly and on time.<br />
<strong>6.</strong> One way a dishonest agency will work the numbers is by billing you for direct payments that were never paid. Make sure you have a strong internal reconciliation process.<br />
<strong>7.</strong> Encourage your agencies to provide you with feedback on your receivables and involve the collectors who handle your accounts. You can learn a lot from your agency about ways to improve internal procedures. I have often told clients that the best way to have quality control is to evaluate the customers who did not pay.<br />
<strong>8.</strong> If your company has promotional items, send a few to the agency to distribute to their people. Get the agency collector on your team.<br />
<strong>9.</strong> Run an agency contest periodically during tough months. Establish a champion-challenger program where you continually allocate business based on results.<br />
<strong>10.</strong> Share information with your agency. Explain your vision and allow them to be a partner to your organization. Ask for their thoughts on new ideas and methods for success.</p>
<p><em>Tom Gillespie is President of Access Receivables, which has been designated a Certified Commercial Collection Agency by the International Association of Commercial Collectors, Inc. (IACC).</em></p>
<p><em>published July 19, 2023 by the Institute for Finance and Management</em>  - <a href="https://www.iofm.com/ar/collections/overview/10-steps-to-setting-achievable-goals-for-your-collections-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to view &gt;</a></p>
</div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/10-steps-to-setting-achievable-goals-for-your-collections-agency/">10 Steps to Setting Achievable Goals for Your Collections Agency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Forbes article on planning for success during Covid-19.</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/forbes-article-on-planning-for-success-during-covid-19/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2020 12:57:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#accountsrecerivable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#collectionagency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#collectionsoutsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#commercialcollections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#debtcollection]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=893</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>A/R Collections During The Crisis Might Be Better Than You Think—But You Need A Plan Thomas Gillespie :Forbes Council Member Forbes Finance Council Tom Gillespie is an industry leader in debt collection. He is the president of Access Receivables Management in Hunt Valley, Maryland.  When Covid-19 started ramping up in March, my firm, which represents [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/forbes-article-on-planning-for-success-during-covid-19/">Forbes article on planning for success during Covid-19.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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<h1 class="fs-headline speakable-headline font-base font-size">A/R Collections During The Crisis Might Be Better Than You Think—But You Need A Plan</h1>
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<div class="top-contrib-block    ">
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<div class="contrib-container top-contrib"><a class="fs-author-avatar" title="Forbes Finance Council logo" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="fs-author-image" src="https://blogs-images.forbes.com/assets/images/avatars/blog-4409_400_7bca6d487f6cc72cdf2f893001e4a3c2.jpg" alt="Forbes Finance Council" width="99" height="99" /></a></p>
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<div class="fs-author-wrapper"><span class="fs-author-name"><a class="contrib-link--name remove-underline" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/people/thomasgillespie/">Thomas Gillespie :</a><span class="contrib-byline-type">Forbes Council Member</span></span></div>
<div class="contrib-publication"><span class="fs-author-name"><a class="contrib-link--name remove-underline" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/">Forbes Finance Council</a></span></div>
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<p><em>Tom Gillespie is an industry leader in debt collection. He is the president of Access Receivables Management in Hunt Valley, Maryland. </em></p>
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<figure class="embed-base image-embed embed-2" role="presentation"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f3eca1eac4bdd7e1a37949d/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Woman at desk wearing a headset" width="451" height="300" data-height="3733" data-width="5600" />When Covid-19 started ramping up in March, my firm, which represents enterprise companies that require debt collection services and business process outsourcing support, was fortunate to get our people working remotely within a few weeks. Thankfully, we had just invested in new technology that enabled us to move everyone off-site quickly and safely. Sadly, not all industries can have employees work remotely, which is among the reasons many businesses have been struggling. But, for other businesses, the pandemic has created an opportunity for growth, which has been aided by access to capital from the government.</figure>
<p>The Paycheck Protection Program loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Main Street Lending Program, and state and county loans and grants have provided a safety net for many small-business owners. In essence, these stimulus measures and relief programs have created opportunity for some and strengthened balance sheets. In comparison, during the Great Recession, there were no bailouts for small businesses, and credit was much harder to get.</p>
<div id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" data-google-query-id="CLLKgKqytusCFQvJswodghYC-Q">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/7175/fdc.forbes/article-delta-g/standard/default/standard_2__container__">This time it is is different. To recap: In February, the economy was hitting new highs, and the unemployment rate was <a class="color-link" title="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/19-point-2-percent-of-the-unemployed-had-been-jobless-for-27-weeks-or-more-in-february-2020.htm" href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/19-point-2-percent-of-the-unemployed-had-been-jobless-for-27-weeks-or-more-in-february-2020.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/19-point-2-percent-of-the-unemployed-had-been-jobless-for-27-weeks-or-more-in-february-2020.htm" aria-label="3.5%">3.5%</a>. By mid-March, we were experiencing a global pandemic. Millions of people were thrown out of work, and much of the country was hit with stay-at-home orders and restrictions on businesses and gatherings. Since that time, we have had several rounds of stimulus, and additional programs have become available for small businesses. It appears that this time, the government is going to take whatever action is necessary to plug the hole in the dyke to prevent the dam from failing. The government has already invested trillions of dollars into the economy to keep things running as smoothly as possible, with more relief on the way.</div>
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<div>If your business is worried about collecting its accounts receivable (A/R) during the pandemic, you might not have as large a problem as you think. These enormous stimulus programs have created a situation where many consumers and business owners are paying down their debts. The fact is that some of that stimulus money may be helping your collections. So, when negative headlines fill the news, just think about what has been accomplished in a short time and how quickly our government has reacted to support small businesses.</div>
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<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/forbes-article-on-planning-for-success-during-covid-19/">Forbes article on planning for success during Covid-19.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Does Your Commercial Collection Strategy Need a Makeover?</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/does-your-commercial-collection-strategy-need-a-makeover/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2020 15:35:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/?p=506</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>It’s 2020, a great time to reflect on the last ten years and a great time to look ahead. When was the last time you took a hard look at your entire collection process flow? Sometimes, it’s best to start with a clean sheet of paper. If you were starting from scratch today, what would [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/does-your-commercial-collection-strategy-need-a-makeover/">Does Your Commercial Collection Strategy Need a Makeover?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It’s 2020, a great time to reflect on the last ten years and a great time to look ahead. When was the last time you took a hard look at your entire collection process flow? Sometimes, it’s best to start with a clean sheet of paper. If you were starting from scratch today, what would do differently. Even something as simple as invoice timing can be critical to cash flow. There are many things that can hinder us from the desired strategies including; regulatory issues, internal systems limitations, staffing and more. But, at the outset, throw away all the rules. Start fresh. In the perfect world, what would be our secret sauce. What would you change or do differently to optimize collections, increase cash flow and reduce write-offs? I have been in the collection business all of my adult life. In that time, I have met with thousands of companies in a multitude of industries. The really successful operations I have several things in common:</p>
<p>1. They know their numbers.<br />
2. They measure everything.<br />
3. They consider new ideas.<br />
4. They never stagnate.<br />
5. They are committed to change and not fearful of it.</p>
<p>Here are a few things to consider when addressing your new commercial collection strategy in 2020.</p>
<h3>Email is Vital to Your Contact Strategy.</h3>
<p>In order to contact your customers, well timed emails are essential. A delinquent customer should be getting an email reminder frequently. If the customer payment is due on the 15th, they should be getting their first email on the 16th. Email frequency is also important. Every three to five days is not over-kill.</p>
<h3>What Percentage of My Customers Have a Valid Email Address? &#8211; Can I get more?</h3>
<p>Before you can email your customer, you must have valid emails. What is your bounce rate? Well run organizations continually purify their customer information from all departments. They have specific data fields for numerous departments within each customer and those emails and contacts are continually updated by all departments. The marketing department, customer service department and the collections department all share data in order to improve the list. Frequently, I see data siloed in each department and data is not shared because of internal boundaries. Every call with every customer needs to start with a verification of information and an update to the database. Obtaining cell-phone permission is also equally important to the process. Also, when your customer signs up online, have the email verified. noone@xyz.com is not a valid email address. Successful organizations are constantly purifying their data, sharing data and building better contact strategies as a result.</p>
<h3>Internal Call-Center FTE’s Versus AI</h3>
<p>In most customer care facilities, 50% of the inbound call volume is related to questions about a bill or bill payment. These customers may or may not be delinquent. What is your on-hold time? If it goes beyond two minutes you are going to drop calls and increase your delinquency. New technology is available to utilize conversational AI in providing these customers with fast and easy service without the need for human intervention. If the customer has a complex problem, the issue can be handed off to a representative quickly and easily. Just a few years ago, this technology was unavailable. In the next 10 years, it will become as commonplace as an IVR.</p>
<h3>Do You Build It or Outsource It?</h3>
<p>Are large internal collection teams a thing of the past?<br />
Most companies today are placing accounts at earlier stages and have incorporated first-party strategies into their calling campaigns. If you are calling your customer for payment, consider outsourcing the services to a reputable company that can represent you and handle those calls for you. They have the technology and systems to do it faster, better and cheaper. Obviously, head count is a big problem today for most companies and customer care and collections are two areas that have significant head count.</p>
<h3>When Should You Move to Third-Party Collections?</h3>
<p>In the past, a customer was not placed for collection until the relationship was over. Today we see a trend in placing accounts at the 60-90 day mark before a customer relationship is terminated. The goal is two-fold. Collect the money and save the customer. There is no reason to think that you cannot reestablish your relationship with a customer after they have paid their delinquent invoice. You may put them on new terms during a time of delinquency where forward flow business is paid for in advance or retainer. Fundamentally, we are all trying to save customers and reduce churn. Not every customer who owes you money is a bad customer for tomorrow. They may just have a temporary problem.</p>
<h3>Later Stage Collections</h3>
<p>2nd placements, 3rd placements, debt sale, litigation?<br />
Some collection strategies don’t make sense to me. The collection curve today requires a longer time horizon because people do not pick up the phone immediately. The old adage in commercial collections was you collect it, close it or sue it in 90 days. Today that figure is more like six to nine months. If you do not consider litigation on balances &gt;$5,000, you may be missing out on opportunities to collect at the later stages because some debtors will not pay until you get the attorney involved. By the way, only a small percentage of legal accounts ever go to court. Most of them get settled on the courthouse steps. “SUE ME” is a stall tactic.</p>
<h3>How Long Should My Primary Vendor Have for Collections?</h3>
<p>A primary placement strategy needs to be long enough to allow the primary agency more months to work through various calling, texting, email and letter strategies. It may often take 90 days of repeated contact attempts to get the debtor to respond. At Access, we say, “When the debtor calls, it&#8217;s a special occasion.” What we mean is when we finally get the debtor on the phone, we need to make the most of that conversation but if the client only gives us five months to collect, we both lose opportunity.</p>
<h3>Have You Looked at the Results for 2nd, 3rd and Tertiary Placements?</h3>
<p>If your 2nds agency is obtaining more than a 2% return the primary agency either did not have enough time to collect (6-9 months) or the primary agency did not do their job. If you do the math on 2nds, 3rds and tertiary placements including the time it takes you to manage it, your return on investment may be at break-even at best. It may be a better strategy to give your primary agency 12 months to collect, report to commercial credit bureaus and pursue litigation on large balances.</p>
<h3>Sell the Debt?</h3>
<p>Selling debt to a debt buyer is a great strategy for many organizations. At Access, we have established relationships with debt buyers and work with them in cases where our client wants to package the difference after we have closed the remaining balances. Our client gets a higher price for their portfolio because the business is fresher and cleaner.</p>
<h3>Are Your Wheels Turning?</h3>
<p>At the end of the day, the purpose of this article is not to provide you with a list of solutions for how you should run your business, the purpose is to get your wheels turning. Only you can determine what pathways are best for you. I have seen thousands of new and unique approaches that have been highly successful over the years. They all shared those 5 things in common. We hope that your search for new and innovative ideas includes a conversation with our company. We will always be respectful of your time and make every effort to invest the time to understand your needs.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/does-your-commercial-collection-strategy-need-a-makeover/">Does Your Commercial Collection Strategy Need a Makeover?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Transformative change in debt collection methods</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/transformative-change-in-debt-collection-methods/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:50:05 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/2020/?p=304</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Every ten years or so, there seems to be transformative change in debt collection methods.  There were auto-dialers in the 1980’s, checks by phone during the 90’s, scoring in the 2000’s and self-service virtual collectors in this last decade.  So, what is in store for 2020 and beyond?  Artificial Intelligence (AI).  AI has been quietly [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/transformative-change-in-debt-collection-methods/">Transformative change in debt collection methods</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every ten years or so, there seems to be transformative change in debt collection methods.  There were auto-dialers in the 1980’s, checks by phone during the 90’s, scoring in the 2000’s and self-service virtual collectors in this last decade.  So, what is in store for 2020 and beyond?  Artificial Intelligence (AI).  AI has been quietly improving and gaining in understanding over the last five years.  I believe that we will look back on 2020 as the year AI was first brought into real focus in the world and in the collection industry.  Many people are unfamiliar with what AI really does and how it applies to what we do.</p>
<p>The term is a broad spectrum for other more definitive terms such as machine learning, deep learning, neural networks Markov models and more.  At ACCESS Receivables, and across the collection industry, there is a fundamental shift underway in how we communicate with delinquent customers.  It is taking place as a result of proposed CFPB regulations, consumer and small business preference. ACCESS has participated in CFPB panel discussions and had a voice in the proposed regulations.  The newly proposed regulations allow for more modern forms of communication such as email, text and ringless voicemail.  We have been in the forefront of these technologies and have always been an early innovator in providing delinquent customers with self-service options. Zoey, our patented virtual collector, is an early adapted technology that utilizes AI, email and text to help people self-resolve their debt online without any human intervention.  It surpasses our expectations on a continual basis.  Each month, over 30% of our virtual payments come from a mobile device.  But this is just the beginning.</p>
<p>Today, I am excited to announce that we are implementing our 2020 initiative.  2020 is the ACCESS vision for the future as it relates to continually expanding on the technologies we utilize today to provide friendly solutions for virtually any problem or application. Over the next few years, we will deploy unique tools to provide new and innovative services, continually increase recoveries and enhance client service and the experience for the delinquent customer.  Machine learning will be used for a more automated and seamless phone experience.  It will be used to identify probable payors with daily updates.  It will be used to create new and robust reports.  It will become as important to our business as a phone has been in the past.  Yes, we will still use phone, letter, email, text and other communication methods to collect debts.  We are not changing or abandoning the successful principles that have made us who we are (like our proprietary daily training and exceptional employee engagement).  We are simply adding additional enhancements to our existing capabilities to provide our associates and our organization with the best possible opportunities for success.  Just a few years ago, AI developers and enterprise IT professionals were having difficulty explaining to the “C Suite” what AI was and how it would pay for itself.  Today, every successful enterprise is now investigating and deploying AI to help manage its business. The next ten years will bring enormous innovation and change in our business and in our daily lives.  ACCESS stands committed to continually providing best in class solutions for our clients and their customers.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/transformative-change-in-debt-collection-methods/">Transformative change in debt collection methods</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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		<title>Emotional Intelligence – Using AI tone inflection for greater success</title>
		<link>https://access-receivables.com/emotional-intelligence-using-ai-tone-inflection-for-greater-success/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gillespie Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2019 12:35:26 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://access-receivables.com/2020/?p=302</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>AI OR JUST SCI-FI? A look at artificial intelligence’s current and potential impact on training and the workforce. Article Author: By Margery Weinstein What if your workforce could be freed from repetitive tasks that are simple, but can lead to errors if an employee is tired? How many other more important tasks could that employee [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/emotional-intelligence-using-ai-tone-inflection-for-greater-success/">Emotional Intelligence – Using AI tone inflection for greater success</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>AI OR JUST SCI-FI?</strong><br />
<em>A look at artificial intelligence’s current and potential impact on training and the workforce.</em></p>
<p><strong>Article Author: By Margery Weinstein</strong></p>
<p>What if your workforce could be freed from repetitive tasks that are simple, but can lead to errors if an employee is tired? How many other more important tasks could that employee focus on? That’s just part of the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workforce. The technology may even be able to make better decision-makers of your employees, taking the emotion and bias out of the calculation of risks and benefits.<br />
The technology is still in its infancy as an implemented workforce management tool, so Training got input from experts in the field, some of whom work for companies that have developed AI systems, to shed light on how it can best be used and the role it can play in training.</p>
<p><strong>A Higher Level of Accuracy and Efficiency—With Training</strong></p>
<p>It isn’t that your employees can’t do the work, but that an AI system might be so much better and faster at it. One such system is Chooch, a visual AI solution, that includes an application programming interface, a dashboard, and a mobile software development kit. Combining computer vision training with machine learning, the platform offers autonomous labeling, data collection, and neural network selection, among other functions. Its developers say the technology has real-time facial and object recognition applications in the media, advertising, banking, medical, and security industries. But as impressive as the technology sounds, human trainers still will be needed.</p>
<p>“Machine learning in particular are going to be great decision-support tools for analysts and others who need to sift through thousands or millions of data points to make decisions,” says Emrah Gultekin, CEO and co-founder of Chooch. “Ultimately, these systems need to be trained similarly to how you train humans, so there is going to be increasing demand for people who are experts in their specific fields. These trainers will train AIs. We do exactly this for visual AI. We take an expert’s visual capability and clone it into an enterprise or consumer-facing system.”</p>
<p>In the trucking industry, for example, AI can help drivers be both more efficient and safer, says John Kearney, CEO of Advanced Training Systems, a high-tech simulator technology and engineering firm. “AI has the capability to handle more tiresome and burdensome tasks that require precision without much thought,” he explains. “Also, AI sensors can help monitor both vehicle and driver behavior, including when to speed up or slow down, optimizing fuel consumption and reducing maintenance costs. This holds a lot of promise for the future because it can enhance the productivity of jobs, not just eliminate them. If we continue to see the advancement of AI, it will give the next generation of truckers the assistance they need when driving on U.S. roadways.”</p>
<p>As “intelligent” as this AI is, human trainers still will play an important role. “Overall, AI can create $400 billion to $500 billion in value for transport and logistics alone, which presents a lot of opportunity to integrate new technology for future truckers. However, part of the training process with simulator training often involves human instruction,” says Kearney. “When truckers are not properly trained in simulators that use AI to accurately prepare for adverse events such as snow, ice, or rain, they will encounter situations in the real world they are not trained for, or are trained negatively for, and cause accidents. Thus, AI will be instrumental in pushing the envelope for advanced driver training, which the industry needs, along with human interaction, as a must for new drivers.”</p>
<p><strong>Trainer’s Best Friend</strong></p>
<p>Just as trainers will need to train AI systems, AI will be a help to trainers, facilitating learning. A technology that is already doing this for trainers is VoiceVibes, a startup that uses AI to help people improve their oral communication skills. The company’s automated coaching tool helps people sound more natural and polished when they speak, so they can transform how others perceive them. Used by organizations for communications coaching, sales readiness, presentation skills practice, patient experience training, and interviewing, its creators say VoiceVibes is the only platform with automated feedback to tell speakers how others are likely to perceive them—across 20 areas called “vibes.”</p>
<p>“AI is used to analyze features and patterns in a person’s speech and predict how a typical audience would perceive them. By providing objective, honest feedback, the software helps speakers increase self-awareness, and coaches them to adopt a more effective communication style,” says Debra Cancro, CEO and founder of VoiceVibes. “For example, it shows exactly where in your speech you were most boring or detached, as well as where you were most captivating or authentic. Hearing your own behaviors and seeing examples of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is an effective way to help achieve your personal best.”</p>
<p>Cancro says the VoiceVibes technology already is supporting training and development in universities, sales teams, call centers, and health care. One company that is benefitting from this technology is collections firm Access Receivables. “Coaching on live calls is dangerous and too late,” says Access Receivables President Tom Gillespie. “In some cases, a misunderstanding in tone can lead to a lawsuit or a complaint. It needs to be practiced before the rep gets on the phone, and practiced consistently.”</p>
<p>Gillespie says VoiceVibes takes the guesswork and the subjectivity out of this training. “For example, reps might feel they are compliant when they greet the customer with the right script, but, in fact, they are coming across as disinterested,” he explains. “Using VoiceVibes helps reps to get better results because it teaches them how to say what they are saying. It improves results.”</p>
<p>Trainers also may find that AI helps them achieve the ultimate goal of learning—to create more productive employees who have time freed up to concentrate on the most important tasks. In addition, graduates and Millennials have grown up with such AI-based tools, so any company that does not embrace the technology will not be perceived as an attractive employment prospect, says Paul Bagley, chief learning officer for Unify. “Moreover, in thinking of the bottom line, not only would other companies likely have a competitive advantage and a lower cost base, they also would have a greater degree of individual productivity . The routine, boring tasks can be automated, and routine old-fashioned, time-consuming, page-turning e-learning would be superseded by adaptive learning, which can save approximately 30 percent of the learner’s time.”</p>
<p>In addition, AI can be used to identify where more training is needed, and then to measure the results of the instruction, says JD Dillon, chief learning architect at Axonify and founder of LearnGeek. “More progressive organizations are starting to apply AI to identify knowledge/skill gaps and measure the impact of training on their business results. For example, Axonify clients leverage the platform’s Impact capability to determine how digital training is impacting business results and make proactive adjustments to their learning strategies,” he says.</p>
<p>AI also can ease employees’ days by answering often-asked questions. A technology called Spoke, for instance, offers an AI-powered help desk that answers repetitive employee questions about payroll, benefits, policies, and IT issues, freeing up internal support teams (such as IT, HR, and Operations) to focus on essential tasks, says Spoke Co-Founder and CEO Jay Srinivasan.</p>
<p><strong>Encouraging Employee Self-Direction</strong></p>
<p>Trainers also may find they can support more individuals by leveraging technology, say Camden Consulting Group Senior Partner/Managing Director Margarete Dupere and Partner David Brendel, MD, Ph.D. “New technologies are poised to lower coaching and training expense, increase its accessibility, and enhance the client’s self-directed learning experience. While some surely will continue to benefit from human coaches and live in-person training, many will have the option of supplementing or even replacing coaching and learning with apps, chatbots, avatars, electronic games, and a host of other technologies,” Brendel says.</p>
<p>As important as workforce trainers always will be, Dupere notes that AI boosts a company’s ability to create self-directed employees. “Employees reap significant benefits of live interactions in executive coaching, manager and peer feedback, facilitated training, mentoring, and teaming,” she says. “At the same time, so much of the success of all initiatives that drive workforce development, and ultimately business results, comes down to how self-directed workers are. AI is a tool that can inspire and continue to encourage that mindset and behavior, and enable ownership and accountability for growth and contribution to the business.”</p>
<p>A great benefit of AI-assisted training is the facilitation of individualized learning plans, says Elliot Dinkin, president and CEO at Cowden Associates, Inc. “Certainly, one-on-one tutoring is effective for personalized learning, but highly impractical and cost-prohibitive at scale,” he says. “There are solutions that use AI to train and rely upon a process that matches how each individual person learns and then adapts the needs to the experience and skill levels of each learner. This way, the solutions focus only on what people need to learn, and skip what they’ve already mastered. This is beneficial, as it will cut training time and boost knowledge and skill acquisition while also building self-awareness.”</p>
<p>AI can help employees themselves, with support from trainers, to find the career paths that are best for them and their organization, says Mike Hendrickson, vice president, Tech and Dev Products for Skillsoft. “Using data to intelligently inform learners where their aptitude and current skill set could be best utilized will help people re-skill, up-skill, or pre-skill new roles and opportunities in their organization,” he says. “I think there is great promise for remedial suggestions and accurate assessment of a learner’s struggles where we can pinpoint learning assets to help bridge the skill gap.”</p>
<p>The technology might even help ensure the quality of the learning content being delivered, so each employee is assured of receiving the right program to meet his or her needs. “AI could help make sure objectives are clear, not biased, and are measuring what is supposed to be taught. Kind of a balance and veracity check on the delivery of content to a learner,” says Hendrickson. “But more than that, we could use AI to figure out if the instruction is just to meet objectives, or if the instructor is truly teaching the subject in a way all learners understand.”</p>
<p><strong>Meetings 2.0</strong></p>
<p>With so much important interaction and (human) intelligence sharing occurring in meetings, AI can offer support to ensure these gatherings are as effective as possible, says Cory Treffiletti, chief marketing officer of Voicea. “Meetings consist of conversations that drive actions to be taken, but the conversations themselves are a moment in time, and if you aren’t there or you were distracted and missed something, you don’t get the full benefit of the conversation,” he notes. “Our AI platform offers an inmeeting assistant that can listen and help capture notes and actions from a conversation based on criteria you control.”</p>
<p>He points out the ability of the technology to allow employees to go back and review the conversation, and to “stitch together ideas and pieces of conversations into notes that can be shared.”</p>
<p>Like any new technology, and cutting-edge approach, educating decision-makers about the need to add AI to an organization’s workforce management requires a strategy. “You need a champion inside the organization who is capable of introducing employees and leaders to the tool and helping them to understand the impact it can have on the organization,” Treffiletti says. “Typically, the best way to roll out these kinds of systems is to pick a small group that can focus on and integrate a system into their everyday workflow, and allow them to become an extended group of champions inside your organization. They can help evangelize through the organization, and help train others along the way.”</p>
<p><strong>QUICK TIPS</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Use AI to reduce repetitive tasks that require little thought process but can lead to errors when employees are fatigued.</li>
<li>Give employees help making the right decision. An AI system can show employees what the best decision would be given objective data such as numbers and projected outcomes.</li>
<li>Use training expertise to guide programming of AI systems, and then train employees to optimize these systems. Trainers can work alongside technology experts in a company to program the AI system to best support employees in their work. Then they can train the employees on how to make the most of the AI system.</li>
<li>Create individualized learning and career plans. AI can track and analyze employees’ learning progress, so plans can be created that are best for both them and the organization.</li>
<li>Take bias out of instruction. Trainers can use AI systems to ensure the course content meets the goals of a group of learners and each individual learner, rather than advancing a biased perspective.</li>
<li>Make meetings more meaningful. AI can enhance employee takeaways from meetings, allowing employees to review conversations, and organize the ideas presented, so the points made become more obvious and easier to act on.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>AI and the Future of Workforce Training and Scheduling</strong></p>
<p><em>By Charles Orlando, VP Marketing, Humanity (<a href="http://www.humanity.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.humanity.com</a>)</em></p>
<p>Attracting, training, managing, and retaining talent has never been more challenging than it is today, as organizations now exist in an era where real time is the de facto standard. Employee scheduling, training, and retention are key business factors that not only require real-time evaluation and optimization, but also a collaborative effort across the organization. Enterprise workforce management solutions must be capable of pulling and analyzing data and optimizing even the most complex and demanding staff scheduling needs across an unlimited number of locations and departments. These solutions also must be able to forecast scheduling needs based on key performance indicators (KPIs) important to the enterprise to minimize understaffing or overstaffing issues.</p>
<p>The progression of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT)/smart technology is paving the way for streamlined, personalized training and scheduling. Using AI, the evaluation and analysis of employee data—including behavior, requests, wages, leave, absentee rate, and past work experience—is automatic, allowing technology to quickly and easily assess and recommend tailored training programs much faster than a manager assessment. With AI, managers have access to a 360-degree snapshot of their employees in real time. This insight allows for the enhancement of employee onboarding programs, as well as the creation of custom training and organizational education and ongoing employee development. AI and machine learning make it all a reality.</p>
<p>AI offers enterprises with complex staffing needs the ability to predict training and scheduling needs based on sales forecasts, foot traffic analytics, KPIs, employee skill sets, seasonal demands, and more. Building employee shift schedules based on business-critical data is at best time-prohibitive, if not nearly impossible. AI introduces sophisticated data analysis to the training and scheduling process, allowing managers to make informed staffing decisions based on real-time analytics. With advanced smart features, AI helps resolve conflicts quickly, automatically identifying overlaps in staffing, alerting managers to real-time changes to weather, traffic, and seasonal shifts, and providing up-to-date records of employee availability. In addition, real-time visibility into staff schedules allows managers to identify understaffed busy days—or overstaffed slow days—and manage accordingly.</p>
<p>As AI continues to evolve and play a substantial role in the technology people are using, forward-looking organizations need to leverage solutions that allow them to improve workflow, streamline operations, and enable managers and employees to focus on thriving at their jobs.</p>
<p><strong>Delivering Value in the Future of Work with AI Chatbots</strong></p>
<p><em>By Natalie Baumgartner, Chief Workforce Scientist, Achievers (<a href="https://www.achievers.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.achievers.com</a>)</em></p>
<p>The future of work relies on the adoption and integration of the next wave of technological advancements. More specifically, introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into the business results in the ability to gather insights directly from the workforce. As technology progresses, HR professionals will have access to data-backed resources that allow them to continue delivering unmatched services to their organization.</p>
<p>HR professionals have a daunting task in front of them: looking for ways to streamline everything from onboarding and benefits administration to employee assessments and training. AI in the workplace—more specifically AI-backed chatbots—has the potential to shape and improve the future of work.</p>
<p>People need and have a desire for human interaction, and that doesn’t stop with the technology they use daily. Chatbots can grasp the nuances of human-like interactions by learning the user’s actions directly through an active listening interface. This provides a natural and human-like communication that engages the user in deeper, individualized, and personalized conversations. At the same time, chatbots extract data and insights directly from employees that the organization needs to ensure it is addressing the concerns and wants of its workforce.</p>
<p>HR leaders utilizing AI-backed chatbots to their fullest will have the resources to identify gaps in their processes and departments. Using the insights gathered directly from employees, employers can alleviate stressors in everything from onboarding to employee engagement, and even training and development.</p>
<p>Through AI-backed chatbots, employees have a resource to voice their opinions anonymously, and leaders then can address and act on the feedback directly. HR professionals rely on being able to make accurate predictions—predicting who will be the right hire, who will leave, who will excel in their positions, etc. The data from AI-backed chatbots allows for HR practitioners to understand past behavior, sentiment, and roadblocks, and then apply those insights to the workforce—improving the business, culture, and bottom line.</p>
<p><strong>Case Study: AstraZeneca International Region Uses AI-Enabled Training to Drive Sales Growth</strong></p>
<p><em>By JD Dillon, Chief Learning Architect, Axonify (<a href="http://axonify.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">axonify.com</a>)</em></p>
<p>Sales is a difficult profession. Medical sales takes this challenge to the next level. Sales professionals must stay up to date on the latest innovations in health care. And they must develop this knowledge independently while traveling between client locations. Finally, they must display unwavering confidence in this knowledge as they engage in detailed product discussions with experienced medical professionals.</p>
<p>AstraZeneca, a global leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, recognized that traditional workplace training no longer fit the needs of its professional salesforce. Its reps just didn’t have the time (or patience) to complete lengthy online modules. And consistently bringing reps to a central location for in-person training was cost prohibitive and ineffective. So AstraZeneca International Region partnered with Axonify to design a continuous microlearning experience that fit into the day-to-day workflow of its salesforce.</p>
<p>In 2015, AstraZeneca International Region launched an adaptive microlearning platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) designed specifically for the needs of the front-line salesforce. Sales reps have the opportunity to complete daily learning activities using their company-issued tablets. The platform builds a profile for each sales rep, including data on his or her confidence, knowledge, behavior, and business results. AI then is used to deliver a personalized learning activity to the rep. This activity is focused specifically on areas in which the individual rep requires development. These sessions, which take just a few minutes to complete, fit easily into the reps’ busy schedules, such as when they are waiting in a doctor’s waiting room. Reps also have the option to complete additional training or search for information to answer immediate questions.</p>
<p>AstraZeneca International Region focused its development efforts on critical topics, including product knowledge, medical conditions, and sales skills. It quickly saw results that continue to this day. First, 82 percent of the sales team remains engaged in continuous learning, with 24 learning sessions completed on average by each rep per month. They also have demonstrated substantial knowledge growth, with a 37 percent increase in high-priority topics. But most importantly, this new approach to learning has a direct impact on business results. When the business unit exceeded its sales goals for 2018, it leveraged the platform’s impact analysis tools to determine that 25.7 percent of the result was attributed to sales training.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://access-receivables.com/emotional-intelligence-using-ai-tone-inflection-for-greater-success/">Emotional Intelligence – Using AI tone inflection for greater success</a> appeared first on <a href="https://access-receivables.com">Access Receivables</a>.</p>
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