Getting Consumers Back on Track in Time for Back-to-School

Walter Steele

At some point, the excitement of back-to-school – new shoes, fresh crayons, college-ruled paper, a trapper keeper – starts to darken a little. Especially for those trying to make their way through college. Not that a basket of school supplies isn’t expensive; but with university tuition poised to become the next Terrible Bubble, students and parents have a heavy financial burden to bear.

For our collectors at F.H. Cann, our philosophy is that every contact we make with consumers struggling to pay back their loans is an opportunity. And it’s an opportunity not just to collect money for our clients; it’s an opportunity for us to help consumers better understand their obligations, and how best to meet them.

The start of a new school year can be a fresh start for those who are struggling under a mountain of student loan debt. A fresh opportunity, if you will. The best collectors in any agency are those who are able to listen and suggest solutions that work out best for all the people involved. A good agency will work with consumers on a communication and payment plan. The goal should not simply be limited to: get the money and get out of the collector/consumer relationship. This really is a chance to educate another person about how to be fiscally sound and financially secure going forward.

F.H. Cann is a major sponsor of the next week’s Debt Connection Symposium & Expo in Las Vegas. If you’re interested in talking to us about our collection philosophy or some of the rewards and challenges of working in the student loan vertical, we’d love to see you. You can shoot me an email at wsteele@fhcann.com and we can arrange some time to talk.