Radius Global Solutions Partners With CollaborationRoom.ai

VANCOUVER, Wa. — CollaborationRoom.ai announced Friday a partnership with Radius Global Solutions to
deploy
its agent engagement tools across its global
network.   

By using the CollaborationRoom.ai platform, Radius will enhance its engagement with its
remote contact center agents.  This will
improve overall compliance and client performance as well as measure and track agent
engagement, dramatically improve the agent/supervisor relationship and assist
Radius in replicating its in-office training and quality assurance experience in
a remote or virtual setting. 

“The global pandemic
created the opportunity for Radius to demonstrate its resilience as we rapidly
adapted to a work-at-home environment. 
As we move forward, Radius intends to continue to leverage our work at
home capabilities to enhance and further diversify our global workforce.  CollaborationRoom.AI will allow us to maximize
agent productivity, enhance our compliance and quality assurance programs, and
continue to offer best-in-class service to the global brands that we represent.”
said Steven Leckerman, Chief Operating Officer of Radius. “This
partnership illustrates our commitment and dedication to providing all of our global
employees with the best possible work experience, while continuing to provide
the highest quality of service to our client’s customers.”   

CollaborationRoom.ai‘s innovative and cutting-edge agent engagement platform works for
contact centers, business process outsourcing providers, collection agencies,
and call centers of all shapes and sizes. It facilitates communication, helps
maintain quality control, and enhances compliance, all of which have become
critical functions for companies managing remote workforces during the COVID-19
pandemic. 

“The commitment
demonstrated by Radius Global Solutions is a huge affirmation of the value that
our platform can provide,” said Viji Maini, the Co-Founder and Chief
Operating Officer of
CollaborationRoom.ai. “We believe that our technology has the power to change how
contact centers are managed now, and in the future.” 

Radius
Global Solutions is a leading provider of integrated omnichannel customer
engagement services and technology, with 4000+ employees across 14 locations.

To learn more about Radius Global
Solutions, please visit
https://www.radiusgs.com.

Collaborationroom.ai is a patent-pending Agent Engagement, Agent Productivity, and Compliance tool,
built for Contact Centers that helps manage your work-from-home team as they were in
a brick-and-mortar facility.

To learn more about CollaborationRoom.ai, please visit https://www.collaborationroom.ai or contact Viji.maini@collaborationroom.ai

Radius Global Solutions Partners With CollaborationRoom.ai
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047675-radius-global-solutions-partners-collabor/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Think Differently: Don’t Overlook Inbound Calling

A changing regulatory landscape characterized by increasing restrictions on outbound calls (think the CFPB’s Regulation F), combined with shifting consumer preferences, is forcing a reassessment of collections firms’ contact strategies and driving a rise in omnichannel communications. 

Collections efforts will continue to entail outbound dials though in decreasing volumes and with tighter controls. This will drive collection professionals to realize more outbound emails and texts. Subsequently, it’s safe to expect a corresponding increase in inbound calls. As a result, effectively capitalizing upon inbound calls from debtors is becoming more critical for collections firms. Companies that prioritize routing inbound calls quickly and dealing with consumers more efficiently will benefit from faster collection resolution.

Borrowers have choices


Although every individual’s circumstances are different, when a consumer’s financial situation has changed and they are facing delinquency issues as a result, they often have a series of standard debts: credit card debt, a mortgage, student loans and so on. 

Consumers are generally savvy, and they will prioritize their debts in a way that makes the most sense for their specific situation. Many people will address the waterfall of debt by making choices around the degree to which their lifestyle is impacted. But there are other considerations as well, including the customer experience. 

[article_ad]

This is particularly important when it comes to credit cards because consumers have a choice of providers, in addition to potentially being more likely to prioritize card payments (it’s hard to evict someone from a house, and public transit makes a car less of a necessity in some areas, but a credit card is always important in today’s nearly cashless society). Card issuers should recognize that even when consumers are in dire financial circumstances, they still have a preference for positive experiences, and these experiences can have an impact when an individual is choosing one credit card over another.

If a company makes it quick and easy for a consumer to pay, it makes sense that they will be more likely to do so. Conversely, if the experience is terrible — they can’t get through to an agent, or the customer service representative doesn’t know who is calling and asks a lot of identity-interrogation questions — the consumer may reevaluate whether this is the card they want to keep over others, or even if this is the debt they will prioritize. They may have initially chosen to keep a certain card, but thanks to a poor inbound call experience, they could decide to pay down their balance with a competing card first. 

Improving the inbound call experience


Collections firms have every incentive to make the inbound calling experience seamless. They can facilitate smooth interactions by using technology to identify the caller and the account they’re calling about before the individual ever says a word — even if they’re calling from a different number than the one listed in the company’s records.

This approach requires reevaluating existing practices. For example, the goal shouldn’t be to contain these inbound calls within the interactive voice response (IVR) system. Most credit issues can’t be resolved in an IVR, especially when payment terms need to be negotiated. It’s critical to connect these callers with an agent immediately.

If a consumer has to wait in a customer service pool for five minutes and then have a customer service agent answer the phone, identify the caller, see that they are delinquent and transfer them to wait in another queue before they can finally speak with the appropriate agent, the odds that the individual will abandon the call are dramatically higher. 

With the right information and practices, collections firms can eliminate all the extra steps and guide these callers immediately to a collections agent, allowing them to resolve outstanding debts more often. 

Picking the low-hanging fruit


As the business and regulatory landscape changes, collections firms are rightly focusing on making outbound communication as effective and efficient as possible, and omnichannel outreach practices will help with this. However, inbound call opportunities shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if email and text communications are specifically designed to prompt consumer calls.

Collections firms can improve their inbound call strategies with identification and routing, and these strategies can be enriched using the same data and systems that many organizations have already implemented to support outbound communication efforts. Inbound calls may not (yet) be common, but they’re low-hanging fruit, and firms that support quick and easy inbound interactions can help generate goodwill and tip the payment scales in their favor.

Think Differently: Don’t Overlook Inbound Calling
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047667-dont-overlook-inbound-calling/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Mark E. Davitt Earns the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award

ROCHESTER, N.Y. Continental Service Group, Inc., d.b.a. ConServe is
proud to announce that Mark E. Davitt, ConServe CEO and Founder has been named
the 2021 recipient of the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award,
presented by Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Saunders College of
Business. This award is presented to
entrepreneurial leaders in the Greater Rochester region who have improved the economy
or whose innovations have changed the course of their business.Mark E. Davitt

Mark E. Davitt,
a graduate of Hamilton College worked as associate bursar at RIT prior to launching
ConServe in 1985. Mark is a visionary,
philanthropist and entrepreneur, and has worked to transform the collection
industry by providing people with the means to take control of their lives and manage
their financial obligations in ways that preserve their dignity and self-respect. Under Mark’s direction, the leadership team
embraces and advocates ConServe’s Mission, Vision, and Values in their daily
efforts and they continue to improve the collection industry. Mark is an inspirational leader and motivator
with a team-like perspective, realizing the values of investing in good people
and technology. Mark said, “Good
business is about hiring good people – you can teach process and procedure, but
first, you need to have the right people and inspire them to do the right thing,
at the right time, the right way.”

[article_ad]

“We are proud to be recognizing Mark as the 2021 Vanden Brul
awardee,” said Jacqueline Mozrall, Dean of the Saunders College of Business at
Rochester Institute of Technology. “As the founder of ConServe, he has
created and driven positive economic impact in Rochester and beyond, and has
also supported constructive change through his efforts with financial literacy
initiatives, the ACA Education Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, the
Irish Children’s Program of Rochester, E-3 Rochester, and United Way.”

About ConServe

ConServe is a top-performing
accounts receivable management service provider specializing in customized
recovery solutions for their Clients. Anchored in ethics and compliance, and
steadfast in their pursuit of excellence, ConServe is a consumer-centric
organization that operates as an extension of their Clients’ valued brands. For over 35 years, they have partnered with
their Clients to provide unmatched customer service while simultaneously
helping them achieve their accounts receivable management goals.
 Visit Conserve online at www.conserve-arm.com.

Mark E. Davitt Earns the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047671-mark-e-davitt-earns-herbert-w-vanden-brul/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Trive Capital Acquires Majority Stake in NCB Management Services allowing NCB to Further Expand its Industry-Leading Debt Purchasing & Collection Servicing Footprint

TREVOSE, Pa. —  NCB Management
Services
(“NCB”), a national Debt Buyer and Accounts Receivable Management (“ARM”) firm is pleased to
announce a new ownership structure as a result of their partnership with Trive Capital (“Trive”).

NCB’s
management team, led by Ralph Liberio, President & CEO, will remain in
place continuing to provide superior
performance on behalf of their clients. The
entire NCB team remains focused on compliance,
regulation, and having a team dedicated to providing clients with the highest
level of support. Liberio will also
hold a seat on the Board of Directors. In
addition, Rick Silver, NCB’s founder, will retain
minority ownership as well as maintain a position on the Board of Directors and
continue providing oversight and
strategic guidance to the Company.

“Partnering
with Trive Capital allows NCB to accelerate our portfolio acquisition growth
strategy while continuing to grow
the account servicing segment of our business”, stated Ralph Liberio, President
& CEO of NCB Management Services,
Inc. “We have an aggressive and
disciplined growth plan and are excited to take NCB to
the next level of performance
for our customers and employees.”

Chris
Zugaro, Partner at Trive, stated “We are thrilled to partner with the NCB team. Their successful track record in the debt buying and the ARM business, along with
a talented management team, makes this
an exciting partnership. We look
forward to providing capital and resources to further enable NCB’s growth.” 

The transaction was completed on August 31, 2021. NCB was advised by Raymond James, and debt financing was provided by M&T Bank.

For more information about recent news regarding NCB Management Services, Inc. please contact info@ncbi.com, visit https://ncbi.com/news, or follow them on LinkedIn

About NCB Management Services

NCB
Management Services, Inc. was established in 1994 and is headquartered in
Trevose, PA with satellite offices in
Jacksonville, FL, Sioux Falls, SD, and Lincoln, NE. NCB is a well-respected Debt Buyer
of Unsecured Consumer Credit Products and an admired, well- recognized Accounts
Receivable Management (ARM) industry
leader. By blending many years of ARM
experience with the latest in new information systems
and communication technology, NCB has developed a reputation as consistently being a valued business
partner and performer in a wide variety
of applications. Achieving maximum results and protecting our clients
valued
reputation are among our highest
priorities.

About Trive Capital

Trive Capital is a
Dallas, Texas based private equity firm with approximately $3.6 billion in
assets under management. Trive
focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable
middle- market companies with the
potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize returns through a
hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation
ideas.

The Trive
team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals who have been involved
in over 100 middle-market transactions representing in excess
of $6 billion in revenue across
Trive’s targeted industry
sectors and situations.

Trive Capital Acquires Majority Stake in NCB Management Services allowing NCB to Further Expand its Industry-Leading Debt Purchasing & Collection Servicing Footprint

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047670-trive-capital-acquires-majority-stake-ncb/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

D.C. Emergency and Temporary Legislation Limiting Collection Activities to Take Effect September 23, 2021

During
D.C.’s declared State of Public Health Emergency, several financial protections
have been put in place, including some that severely limit, among other things,
collection activities relating to consumer contracts, repossession, and legal
actions on accounts.  On September 1, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the most
recent pair of emergency and temporary legislation to land on her desk,
B24-0347 and B24-0348.  These bills include a number of provisions
impacting collection activities that relate to both third-party debt collectors
and creditors collecting their own debts.  Since a permanent version of
these bills, B24-0357, remains in the Council, the bills signed by the Mayor on
September 1 only temporarily amend various provisions of D.C. 28-3814, D.C.’s collections
statute.

Before
diving into the bills signed last week and the legislation that preceded it, it
is important to understand D.C.’s somewhat unique legislative process.

In
the District, during a public emergency, the Mayor and the D.C. Council can
quickly pass an emergency amendment.  (Provided, of course, that the
emergency amendment has at least majority support in the Council and is
not vetoed by the Mayor.)  These emergency amendments require no second
reading nor do they go through the required 30-day Congressional review. 
Emergency amendments last for 90 days.  Typically, an emergency amendment
and a temporary amendment of the same name are introduced at the same
time.  Temporary amendments require two readings in the Council and, if
passed by the Council, temporary amendments are sent to Congress for a 30-day
Congressional review period.  If the temporary amendment makes it through
the review period, it is considered enacted and has a 225-day lifespan. 
(It is important to note that days in a Congressional review period are not
calendar days or business days, but are instead days when both the Senate and
the House are in session.)

The
latest in the line of pandemic-related legislation enacting various collection
restrictions introduced by D.C. Council Chairperson Phil Mendelson since the
onset of the pandemic are the Coronavirus Support Emergency Amendment Act of 2021
(B24-0139)
 and the Coronavirus Support Temporary Amendment of 2021 (B24-0140)
These amendments prohibited debt collectors, “during a public health emergency
and for 60 days after its conclusion,” from filing new collection lawsuits,
garnishing wages, or repossessing vehicles. (Cf. Section 303, “Debt
collection,” on page 31 of the emergency amendment, and page 24 of the
temporary amendment, herein after “Section 303”).

B24-0139,
the emergency act, was signed by Mayor Bowser on March 17, 2021 and expired on June
15.  B24-0140, the temporary act, was signed by Mayor Bowser on May 3,
2021.  It is effective from June 24, 2021 through February 4, 2022. 
However, Section 303 prohibiting lawsuits, garnishments, and repossessions, was
subject to sunset 60 days after the conclusion of a public health
emergency.  The Mayor ended the public health emergency in D.C. on June
25, 2021.

Moving
forward, the next pieces of pandemic-related consumer protection legislation
were the Public Emergency Extension and Eviction and Utility
Moratorium Phasing Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (B24-0345)
 and
the Public Temporary Extension and Eviction and Utility Moratorium
Phasing Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (B24-0346)
.  Per
these amendments, housing providers may begin eviction proceedings for some
tenants in the District.  (An eviction moratorium had been in place during
D.C.’s State of Public Health Emergency.)  Prior to January 1, 2022,
evictions are allowed in instances where the tenant’s continuing presence would
create a threat to health and safety and in instances where the tenant has
caused significant damage to the property.  Evictions for non-payment of
rent can begin on October 12, 2021, provided the landlord has applied for
emergency assistance on behalf of the tenant through D.C.’s Stronger Together
by Assisting You (STAY) program
, and notified the tenant in
writing that an application has been submitted.  Eviction suits in general
are scheduled to be fully allowed starting on January 1, 2022.

These
amendments also repealed Section 303 in both the Coronavirus Support Emergency
and Temporary Amendments.  B24-0345 was signed by Mayor Bowser on July 24,
2021, and expires on October 22, 2021.  B24-0346 was signed by Mayor
Bowser on September 1, 2021, and is now in its 30-day Congressional review
period.  However, as noted above, Section 303 was subject to sunset 60
days after the conclusion of a public health emergency.  Thus, had it not
been repealed by B24-0345 and B24-0346, Section 303 would have  expired on
September 23, 60 days after Mayor Bowser ended  the public health
emergency.

The
final two pieces of consumer protection legislation are the Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices
Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (B24-0347)
 and the Protecting Consumers from Unjust Debt Collection Practices
Temporary Amendment Act of 2021 (B24-0348)
.  Notably, these
amendments incorporated prior Section 303 from B24-0140, which restricted debt
collection activities “[d]uring a public health emergency and for 60 days after
its conclusion.”  Both B24-0347 and B24-0348 were signed by Mayor Bowser
on September 1, 2021.  B24-0347 has an effective date of September 23,
2021, and lasts for 90 days.  B24-0348 is currently in its 30-day
Congressional review period, and, provided it encounters no objection, also has
an effective date of September 23, 2021 and lasts for 225 days.  (In the
meantime, there is a final bill version of Protecting Consumers from Unjust
Debt Collection Practices Amendment Act of 2021 that remains in Council, B24-0357.  If it is signed and survives
its 30-day Congressional review, it would be official law with no expiration
date.)

Requirements
for debt collectors and creditors in B24-0347 and -0348 (and which also appear
in the still-pending permanent bill, -0357) include:

  • Prohibiting debt collectors from making more than 3 phone calls to a consumer in a 7 day period (unless the debtor requests additional calls)v
  • Prohibiting communication of a consumer’s debts to his or her employer
  • Prohibiting communication of a consumer’s debts to family, friends, or neighbors (except through proper legal process)
  • Providing complete documentation related to the debt being collected
  • Providing a complete schedule or agreement for any payment plan

The emergency,
temporary, and final amendments also allow for the awarding of damages and fees
to a consumer if a debt collector violates any of the requirements.

 

D.C. Emergency and Temporary Legislation Limiting Collection Activities to Take Effect September 23, 2021
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047666-dc-emergency-and-temporary-legislation-li/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Credit Eco To Go: Adhering to the Price of Admission

Show Notes:

ARM industry start-up, Spring Oaks Capital, set out to do
things differently, but it had no idea that it would launch a new company on
the cusp of a worldwide pandemic. Jay Collins, Co-Founder and Chief Operating
Officer at Spring Oaks Capital, stops by #Creditecotogo to highlight the
successes his company has had despite the challenges of COVID. Jay’s story is a
lesson to all in the financial services industry, as well as any industry, that
establishing a team approach to your workforce and assuring that all players
(employers and employees) must commit to the mission is a recipe for success
and to lead with compliance.

[article_ad]

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on
this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other
professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is
created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are
urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making
any investment or legal decisions.

Credit Eco To Go: Adhering to the Price of Admission
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047657-credit-eco-go-adhering-price-admission/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

The Wins Keep Coming! Another Court Finds Calling From Curated List of Numbers is Not R&SNG

Well
TCPAWorld, we have another great post-Facebook case
for you. Franco v. Alorica Inc., No.
2:20-CV-05035-DOC-(KESx), 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164438 (C.D. Cal. July 27,
2021) used the Supreme Court’s Facebook ATDS
definition and the Northern
District of California’s recent ruling in Hufnus
v. DoNotPay, Inc.
, 2021 WL 2585488 (N.D. Cal. June 24, 2021) to find that
when a defendant randomly makes calls from a curated list, it is not randomly
or sequentially generating phone
numbers as is required under Facebook.
Exciting stuff.

As to the
facts: In or around November 2018, Plaintiff Emy Franco began receiving calls
from individuals seeking to collect on a debt that Plaintiff allegedly owed.
Plaintiff alleged that between November 2018 and March 2019, she was called
approximately one-hundred and fifty times from over fifty different phone
numbers.  When she answered the phone, Plaintiff claimed that she would
hear a short pause before the person on the other end of the line began to
speak, which, she alleged, indicated the use of an automated telephone dialing
system. The kicker here though is that Plaintiff had a pre-existing
relationship with Defendant: Plaintiff
owed a debt to Defendant, and Defendant was calling to collect.

In
evaluating Plaintiff’s TCPA claim, the Court noted that post-the Supreme
Court’s decision in Facebook,
“district courts have been split in applying Facebook’s definition of an ATDS
in cases where the plaintiff and the defendant had a pre-existing
relationship.”  Id. at
*5-6. The Court then summarized the Northern District of California’s recent
decision in Hufnus v. DoNotPay, Inc.,
which had found that a system is not an ATDS if it calls sequentially from a
non-random (i.e. voluntarily provided) list of numbers.  Even better, the Court disagreed with a recent
ruling in Miles v. Medicredit, Inc.,
2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131128 (E.D. Mo. July 14, 2021), where, in that case, the
court did not grant defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings as to
plaintiff’s TPCA claim, even though plaintiff merely alleged defendant
“upload[ed] telephone numbers”—numbers that were voluntarily provided—to a
database and a dialer randomly selected the number.

Going back
to Franco, the Court adopted the Hufnus approach, and determined that when
a defendant randomly makes calls from a curated list, it is not randomly or
sequentially generating phone
numbers as is required under the Supreme Court’s ATDS definition.  As it
would be “wildly implausible” (Court’s words, not mine) for the Defendant to
randomly or sequentially generate phone numbers to reach Plaintiff to collect
on a debt, it was infinitely more likely that Plaintiff provided her number
while taking out the loan she now owed on, and Defendant called that number to
collect.

Based on
this, the Court granted Judgment on the Pleadings as to Plaintiff’s TCPA
claim.  Another great post-Facebook ruling.

 

The Wins Keep Coming! Another Court Finds Calling From Curated List of Numbers is Not R&SNG

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047658-wins-keep-coming-another-court-finds-call/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

The Wins Keep Coming! Another Court Finds Calling From Curated List of Numbers is Not R&SNG

Well
TCPAWorld, we have another great post-Facebook case
for you. Franco v. Alorica Inc., No.
2:20-CV-05035-DOC-(KESx), 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164438 (C.D. Cal. July 27,
2021) used the Supreme Court’s Facebook ATDS
definition and the Northern
District of California’s recent ruling in Hufnus
v. DoNotPay, Inc.
, 2021 WL 2585488 (N.D. Cal. June 24, 2021) to find that
when a defendant randomly makes calls from a curated list, it is not randomly
or sequentially generating phone
numbers as is required under Facebook.
Exciting stuff.

As to the
facts: In or around November 2018, Plaintiff Emy Franco began receiving calls
from individuals seeking to collect on a debt that Plaintiff allegedly owed.
Plaintiff alleged that between November 2018 and March 2019, she was called
approximately one-hundred and fifty times from over fifty different phone
numbers.  When she answered the phone, Plaintiff claimed that she would
hear a short pause before the person on the other end of the line began to
speak, which, she alleged, indicated the use of an automated telephone dialing
system. The kicker here though is that Plaintiff had a pre-existing
relationship with Defendant: Plaintiff
owed a debt to Defendant, and Defendant was calling to collect.

In
evaluating Plaintiff’s TCPA claim, the Court noted that post-the Supreme
Court’s decision in Facebook,
“district courts have been split in applying Facebook’s definition of an ATDS
in cases where the plaintiff and the defendant had a pre-existing
relationship.”  Id. at
*5-6. The Court then summarized the Northern District of California’s recent
decision in Hufnus v. DoNotPay, Inc.,
which had found that a system is not an ATDS if it calls sequentially from a
non-random (i.e. voluntarily provided) list of numbers.  Even better, the Court disagreed with a recent
ruling in Miles v. Medicredit, Inc.,
2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131128 (E.D. Mo. July 14, 2021), where, in that case, the
court did not grant defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings as to
plaintiff’s TPCA claim, even though plaintiff merely alleged defendant
“upload[ed] telephone numbers”—numbers that were voluntarily provided—to a
database and a dialer randomly selected the number.

Going back
to Franco, the Court adopted the Hufnus approach, and determined that when
a defendant randomly makes calls from a curated list, it is not randomly or
sequentially generating phone
numbers as is required under the Supreme Court’s ATDS definition.  As it
would be “wildly implausible” (Court’s words, not mine) for the Defendant to
randomly or sequentially generate phone numbers to reach Plaintiff to collect
on a debt, it was infinitely more likely that Plaintiff provided her number
while taking out the loan she now owed on, and Defendant called that number to
collect.

Based on
this, the Court granted Judgment on the Pleadings as to Plaintiff’s TCPA
claim.  Another great post-Facebook ruling.

 

The Wins Keep Coming! Another Court Finds Calling From Curated List of Numbers is Not R&SNG

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047658-wins-keep-coming-another-court-finds-call/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Logos Capital Systems Continues Employee-Choice Giving Initiative

GASPORT, N.Y — Logos
Capital Systems
, a professional collection
agency, continues its support of the local  Western NY community
throughout the summer. While summer often brings recreation and renewal, Logos
executives know that life’s challenges and hardships tend not to pause for the
seasons. That’s why the
Monthly Charity Initiative has remained ongoing and in full effect. In total, ten organizations received charitable
donations from Logos during the months of June and July.

 

Employee Engagement in Giving

Donation
recipients are chosen by top-performing
employees each month. “This is one way we try to listen to our team and
actively demonstrate our value for their voices and hearts. As a company with a
charity-oriented mission, we think it’s important to align and allow our team to take part in a meaningful
way,” says John Verbocy, President of Logos Capital Systems. 

 

Local or Urgent Needs

Employee picks
for June and July donations included the
New York State
Police
, Niagara
County Sheriffs
, World Central Kitchen, Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Matt Urban Center, American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention
, Food for the Hungry, Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, Queen City Pitties Animal Rescue, and Middleport
Fire Department
. The team at Logos is deeply rooted in the local community
and strives to keep an overall focus on
local or urgent needs. While some of the organizations named above may
be more self-explanatory, below are details about why the team has chosen these
organizations and the positive impact they have.

 

Logos Capital Systems Supports Local Heroes

This summer,
Logos Capital Systems donated to local first responders of all types in
appreciation of all that they do to help create safer neighborhoods and stronger communities. The
New York State Police
have been working with tremendous challenges and continuing to serve with
courage and dedication in the face of adversity. The Logos team knows that their communities are better with the presence of the 
Niagara
County Sheriffs
and wanted to show direct
support for their services. The team also chose to support a local volunteer
fire department, the
Middleport Fire Department of Niagara County. 

 

Creating Healthier Tomorrows

The Cerebral Palsy Foundation brings together top medical experts, research,
innovations, and institutions to help raise awareness and understanding of CP,
including how to use interventions to effectively improve the lives of those
affected. Cerebral Palsy is the
most
common motor disability in childhood
, yet
outcomes vary widely. There are varying types and presentations unique to each
patient, but interventions and adaptive
tools can have profound positive impacts. One key obstacle to this can
be the lack of the most current research and access to the right resources at
the right times. This is the intersection where the Foundation seeks to effect
change and transform lives and Logos employees hope the donation can further their
mission.


The American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention
exists
to save lives and support those considering or affected by suicide. Having felt
the impacts of loved ones struggling with suicide, Logos Capital Systems is an
active supporter of the foundation. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death
in the US. Research has proven that suicide is highly linked to mental health
conditions, poor coping skills, and low impulse control– all of which are
often related to treatable underlying brain conditions and can often be
successfully helped with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral
Therapy, and medication management. The Foundation provides statistics,
research, resources, and local chapters for survivors, supporters, and
researchers to drive meaningful change
in mental health and save lives. 

 

Humanitarian Efforts

The donation
to
Food for the Hungry,
an international organization, will aid in the organization’s efforts to end extreme poverty and provide basic
essential resources such as food, clean water, seeds/farming tools, and
healthcare. The nonprofit provides sponsorship
opportunities to help feed hungry children in extremely impoverished and
undernourished areas of the world. International staff members serve in their
countries of origin as boots on the ground to help provide communities with
increased resources and education to overcome extreme challenges to health and
wellness. 


The Matt Urban Center (MUC) is located in Buffalo, NY, and is a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Its mission is to “provide programs that
revitalize neighborhoods, serve families, and change lives.” Its
Hope
Center
is one of the primary outreach arms
of the center’s service focuses. It was chosen from the desire to help local
neighbors in need by supporting The Hope Center’s focus on emergency rental assistance, homeless
outreach, practical job training, and a free dinner program. The MUC
also provides homebuyer programs and various housing support programs as well
as services for seniors, youth, and families. 


The summer
charity initiative included a donation to
World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on feeding the
hungry during times of crisis. The organization is headquartered in Washington,
D.C., and operates worldwide in
epicenters of urgent need. In 2020 when New York was hit hard with the
Covid-19 pandemic and its massive ripple of economic effects on the community,
WCK was in place partnering with New
York restaurants to purchase food to help keep restaurants in business,
and providing the food to those in need
through its
#ChefsForAmerica and
Restaurants for the People programs.

 

Protecting Animals

Queen City
Pitties Animal Rescue
rescues pit bulls
and pit bull mixes in the Buffalo/Western NY area. This breed tends to be
plagued by common misconceptions and overlooked in shelter adoptions; However,
they can and overwhelmingly do make incredibly family-friendly, loveable, loyal
canine companions. Logos Capital Systems’ donation to the Rescue will help
provide services to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home pit bulls
and pit bull mixes to give them and their new families better
lives. 


Logos Capital
Systems supports global needs. The
Wildlife
Trafficking Alliance
is a coalition of
organizations dedicated to fighting the global epidemic of wildlife
trafficking. The killing and illegal capture and sale of a variety of at-risk
species are driven by illegal trade systems worldwide. The organization aims
its efforts toward increasing awareness
to reduce demand and enacting change through key partnerships and
legislative initiatives. 

Team members
were proud to be able to support so many worthwhile organizations this summer.
For additional information about Logos Capital Systems and its charity
initiative or its services, please visit
logoscapitalsystems.com, email info@logoscapitalsystems.com or call 855-669-4096.

 

About Logos Capital Systems, LLC

Located in Gasport, NY, Logos Capital Systems, LLC is a nationally licensed debt collection agency that is
dedicated to a service-driven culture, industry and legal compliance, and
reputation management. Its experienced team of professionals combines
proprietary technology and data-driven analytics to provide clients reliable
asset recovery solutions for accounts at all stages of the credit cycle. The
Company fully complies with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and
all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
Logos Capital Systems’ leadership team are active participants in receivables trade associations
and advocate strongly on behalf of the receivables management industry.

 

Logos Capital Systems Continues Employee-Choice Giving Initiative
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047660-logos-capital-systems-continues-employee-/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance

Thinking Differently about Thinking Differently: An Interview with Michael Meyer of MRS BPO

What does trying to write with your non-dominant hand have to do with the ARM industry? Join Erin Kerr as she discusses that, and more, with Michael Meyer, Chief Risk and Innovation Officer at MRS BPO. Some highlights include:

  • What kind of risk tolerance makes sense

  • How to encourage your employees to think differently

  • What key phrase might alert you that changes need to be made to a process or department

The full transcript of this interview can be found below:

Transcription:

[Erin] Thanks for joining us today for another installment of Think Differently. This is a feature of the insideARM Innovation Council, where true innovators in the ARM industry converge. I’m excited to be joined today by Michael Meyer, Chief Risk and Innovation Officer at MRS BPO. Michael, how are you today?

[Michael]: Oh, I’m doing great; feeling very blue.

[Erin]: Great. Thanks so much for joining me today, Michael. One of the goals of this series, as you know, and most of our audience knows, is to inspire our audience to think differently in all aspects of collections and the ARM industry. But today we’re here to talk more about how to think differently, especially in the ARM industry. Michael, why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?


[article_ad]

[Michael]:  Hi everyone. I’m Michael Meyer. I’m the Chief Risk and Innovation Officer. I work for Mrs. BPO. I’ve been there almost 22 years, kind of hard to believe. It just seems like yesterday. And I oversee risk and innovation for the company along with the infrastructure and security teams.

[Erin]: Great. Thanks so much for that background, Michael. So, let’s talk a little bit about how to think differently. Let’s start with an easy one, maybe. What do you think it means to think differently?

[Michael]: Well, I’ll kind of default to Steve jobs who I think kind of coined the phrase back in 1997 when he said “think different”. And I think everyone remembers his iconic commercial for the Macintosh. And, you know, he really is my essence of the person that thinks differently. And I love his quote that he had back then about thinking differently. And it really, he talked about the people that think different are the rebels. They’re the troublemakers, they’re the people that dare to change the world. And for me, that really sums up what it means to think different. It’s capturing that essence of someone who wants to make a change and they’re not afraid to do it.

[Erin]: Great. That’s really good background on the subject. What tricks or tips can someone use to help them think more creatively or think differently?

[Michael]: Well, it’s different for everybody.  Steve jobs believed that walking was very important and it helped increase his creativity. He was, he frequently had walking meetings and there’s science behind that that shows you’re more creative, you know, with idea generation when you are walking. So, you know, there’s different things. So today I’m wearing a solid color shirt, you know, I like to wear stripes and, and checks, you know, often. So I thought I would kind of practice what I preach. I’m also wearing a bright color. So you know, those, those are things are clothing is one of the things that can help you feel different, obviously looks, we all probably have had, uh, teenage kids or seen teenage kids that have different color hair and have all different types of clothing. You know, they’re kind of natural born rebels. So there’s all sorts of looks that you can change. And of course there’s things that you can do differently. So if you’re, right-handed use your left hand, oftentimes if you write with your right hand, try writing with your left, you’ll feel very awkward or feel very unusual. And those things are good. You can also put yourself in different places. You know, if you’re not a nature person, go out for a walk in the park, or if you like the city go to the city, but go to a different place that you’ve ever been before. If you’re not a museum person, go to museums, all sorts of different things that you can try doing, and you can get a good handle on this, that if something you don’t like to do that tells you, Hey, you know what, go try doing it. You’re going to have a different feeling, a different experience. And all of those things help you experience this ability to think different.

[Erin]: So I think those are some really good tips and tricks that we can use in our personal lives, which then would build into our business lives. And a common phrase that we hear in business that sort of prevents thinking differently is, well, that’s how we’ve always done it. How can someone break out of that cycle?

[Michael]:

Well, you know, that clue is a very important one and that tells you that, you know, what that particular process or that entire program or that department, those are important clues to say, “Hey, we have to try something different”. And often one of the best ways to do it is people think, oh, I’ve got to make a huge wholesale change. Well, no, oftentimes a little incremental change can have a huge outside effect. So the first way would be to talk to people and see if there’s a little change you can make, whether it’s a policy change or a beginning. So you don’t have to make huge changes. You can talk to people. And oftentimes in business, we get caught up similar to our personal lives, where we talk to the same people the same way at the same time every day. So try talking to someone different and, you know, I will tell you one of the big things culturally in a business is that people are afraid. So when you hear these kind of buzzwords, you know, it’s important to not be afraid. It’s important to take your idea and do this. Recently, I was having dinner with someone and he said to me, you know what, nobody wants to hear my opinion. Nobody cares about it. And I will tell you that, you know, that’s another thought that, you know, what we all have, things are very valuable to share and it’s important to speak up. It doesn’t have to be, you know, standing on the table or a chair, but it’s important to share your opinion. We all have value to provide to our company. So I would say if you’ve usually silent meetings, speak up a little bit, try a little bit at first, try an idea. And you know what, if at first it doesn’t work, try again, try something different, try and talking to someone else. These are all important things to try to help make the business better.

[Erin]: That’s a great answer. And I think, you know, moving out of our own comfort zones is a way of thinking differently, but do you think thinking differently is always a risk?

[Michael]: Well, you know, the other kind of buzzword besides thinking differently is thinking out of the box, and I think most people are afraid to fail. And I think that’s so closely linked with thinking differently because people think, oh, well, if I try something and it doesn’t work out, oh, I’ll fail and everybody will hold me accountable. Or, you know, they have this really, especially in our industry, it’s a very risk averse environment where people are generally afraid of trying new things. And that’s part of the culture of our industry and it permeates everything throughout our industry. So to answer your question, there is, it is important to take a risk, to try something a little different, and to understand that, you know what, by taking things incrementally and talking about these things, you can gradually change the environment from being risk averse, to being risk aware. And there’s another important term is called “risk appetite”. And that’s kind of like how much risk you’re willing to take and our industry historically, it was very small. You know, if you, if you advocate to take a risk, you’re often shut down, but in today’s environment, especially that type of thinking is one that will unfortunately end up in making you very uncompetitive.

[Erin]: Absolutely. And those are some great high-level points, but let’s get a little bit more specific and maybe a little bit more personal. Can you give an example, a specific example of a time when you thought differently and it didn’t go well for you?

[Michael]: Well, I can tell you most of the ideas I come up with, initially people look at me kind of funny, or they go, Michael, that’s stupid or this or that, but you know, it’s having that perseverance to say, okay, if that doesn’t work out, let me try this. Let me try that. It’s an ability to keep trying. So, you know, there’s, I would say the majority of the things that I say and ideas that I have are frequently shot down, you know, or, uh, you know, talked about, or if they’re considered, they’re like, well, you know, maybe not now. So, you know, I will tell you, I certainly try to pride myself on being an out of the box thinker, not afraid to take risks and certainly willing to say, you know what, okay, that doesn’t work. Let me try this, let me try that.

You know, we’re all helped by our environments and that’s where people who think differently have to push back. So as far as me personally, I can tell you that, you know, in my career, you know, I’m very fortunate to work for two co CEOs who are willing to take a risk and they talk about it. It’s a calculated risk. And over time sometimes it takes convincing. But oftentimes these are things that they’ll look at me. Sometimes I go, yeah, that’s just not the way it is, but it’s that ability to take that and say, okay, let’s try to shape it a little differently. Let’s try to do that. So it, it comes from within. There’s, you know, there’s a word, intrinsic, you know, it means it comes from within, and that is so important in our environment to keep going to ensure that no, no matter if you fail for the next two months or three months or four months, you know, you’ve got to keep going.

[Erin]:  So along those lines, what would you say to somebody who doesn’t feel like they can take a risk by thinking differently?

[Michael]: Well, I would say, look, the history, you know, history is a great teacher. You know, one of the greatest icons in our country obviously is Edison. It was famously said, oh, I just found 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. You know? So very few people have that ability to keep going. We’ve all heard of Dyson vacuum cleaners. You know, he famously tried 5,126 times before he found a bagless vacuum cleaner that worked the way that he thought it would work. And there’s many other examples, Oprah Winfrey, and I’m from Maryland. I remember seeing her on the news, you know, J K Rowling with her Harry Potter books. She is an example of someone who failed most of her life. And finally tried your book wasn’t instant success. Of course not. She had this submitted to so many people and kept going.

Uh, the guy who wrote all of the horror series books, you know, that so many people know so well, you know, it is, you know, he tried so many times and one of his most famous books, I believe it was Carrie. He finally threw it in the trash after 31 times. And it was his wife that took it out of the trash and said, “Here, try it again”. So, you know, these are all household names now. They’re all people that we know by what they’ve done. You know, there is, if you look at Star Wars, that movie almost didn’t get made in a million different ways. Its actors, for the most part were all, you know, second rate, third bit actors, but you know what, it was the perseverance and all the trial and error that got it made. And it became obviously a global phenomenon.

So we know these things because people did not fail. We know these things because people try it again and try it again and try it again and try it again. You know, we all know about WD40, but you may not know it was the 40th time before that actually worked to disperse water. So that engineer tried and tried and tried again. So I will tell you Erin, the most important quality for someone that wants to make a change, whether it’s little, whether it’s major, whether it’s in your department, whether it’s on your team, whether it’s in your group, whether it’s in your business, whether it’s in the industry is try, try, try, try, do not give up.

[Erin]: And I think that’s some really good advice for people to take with them in their jobs and in their personal lives. On a larger scale, how can a business allow for, and even encourage its employees to think differently, and how can that contribute to success?

[Michael]: Well, I think we’ve all seen in the old days, you know, people put the box on the wall and it says, you know, submit ideas here. You know, the modern equivalent might be on the internet where you solicit ideas. I think it’s part of a culture. And I think it’s part that, you know, in compliance and risk, there’s a phrase, the tone at the top. So I think that part of the answer is it starts at the top by recognizing it’s okay to try and fail. And I think it also comes from employees having that, that, you know, all of us have failed so many times in life, you know, it’s, you know, a good, another good example is a parent. How many parents, you know, when their kids fall down, how many parents go stay down, kid? You know, you’re never getting up.

You failed, you know, that’s it? No, of course not. You know, a parent goes, okay, get up. You pick up and you try and you try and you try the same with riding a bike. Oftentimes with driving a car, you know, oftentimes every facet of our life we’ve failed so much. So it comes from the person that comes from the company. So the company, I think I’ll call this risk tolerance. It has to communicate and say, Hey, you know what? It’s okay to fail. And you don’t want to go after these, you know, like the proverbial witch hunts, you want to tell people, okay, you can fail within this band. Or, you know what? We’re going to take a risk. We’re going to try that. We’re going to do that. And oftentimes these risks are calculated because let’s face it. If something doesn’t work out, you might lose money.

You might get sued. You might have your reputation damaged a little bit, but this is where, as the company, you have to realize that you’re not going to get ahead, unless you take a risk. You can’t stay sheltered in your room forever and do nothing. It’s just not the way it works anymore. No business can survive. Especially in our industry. People have to realize change is coming. Technology is forcing a change. Our environment, regulatory changes are happening. So you’ve got to be willing to take a risk. So the tone at the top has to say, you know what, it’s time we take it a risk, it’s time we change. It’s time. We do something different. And that starts with how we talk to our employees. It starts with how we reward failure. I know that sounds odd, but you know, it’s time to celebrate failure, like a lot of technology companies too.

[Erin]: Okay. And you alluded to this a little bit in the point you were just making, but why is thinking differently so important, specifically in the ARM industry?

[Michael]: You know, in our industry, you know, I’ve been in it from a technology perspective from 22 years, I’ve seen tons of changes. And what I see coming up ahead of us based on technology, regulatory,environmental, you know, the changes with people, changes with our culture, changes with expectations, changes with customer experience becoming, you know, extreme and customers themselves demanding a much higher level. I can’t think of any time in my career where I’ve heard of, you know, prior to that an industry where there’s so many wins, headwinds coming, so many changes occurring simultaneously the only way to survive this number of changes in these magnitude of changes is to change and recognize that the company has to change. You know, we’ve all seen from a technology perspective where Amazon and some of the tech companies have dominated their industries. And they’ve done this through technology and data and a willingness to fail. And it’s that willingness to fail and take risks that has helped propel them. You know, Facebook famously said, you have to move fast and break things. You know, Amazon with its Fire phone had a massive failure, but from that failure came Alexa, you know, look at Apple, all the different failures it’s had. So these are hallmarks of different things that companies have to realize our industry is changing. And if you don’t change, the world is going to change around you and leave you behind.

[Erin]: Absolutely. So thank you again, Michael, that concludes all the questions that I have for today. Any Final thoughts? Do you have anything you wanted to add here at the end?

[Michael]: So I would say, look at history, realize that the world is changing and realize that one person can make a change. All of the companies that I talked about and all the people I talked about, each of them made a huge impact in their companies and in the world. That’s something you can do too. It’s time to start today. Please do yourself a favor. Do your company a favor, do the world a favor, do something. Don’t be afraid. Take a risk.

[Erin]:

Okay. Well, thank you so much, Michael, for those words of wisdom. Again, this is has been a feature of Think Differently, which is available to many members of our Innovation Council. I really appreciate you spending some time with me today and everyone, thank you for watching. Michael, have a great day and everyone else, take care. 


Innovation Council Logo-300px

 

iA Innovation Council is a collaborative working group of product, tech, strategy, and operations thought leaders at the forefront of analytics, communications, payments, and compliance technology. Group members meet in person (and lately, virtually) several times each year to engage in substantive dialogue and whiteboard sessions with the creative thinkers behind the latest innovations for the industry, the regulators who audit and establish guardrails for new technology, and educators, entrepreneurs and innovators from outside the industry who inspire different thinking. 

2021 members include:

Thinking Differently about Thinking Differently: An Interview with Michael Meyer of MRS BPO
http://www.insidearm.com/news/00047653-thinking-differently-about-thinking-diffe/
http://www.insidearm.com/news/rss/
News

All the latest in collections news updates, analysis, and guidance