A blueprint for a successful skip trace department.(EXTRA CREDIT)(Reprint)

Have you ever noticed folks that have two hands? Most of those hands work together as a team. Occasionally, you do see someone's hands working independently of each other, such as playing a musical instrument or a martial arts move, etc. However, seldom have I ever seen two hands totally unaware of the existence of the other--why is that? Both hands report to the same boss: the brain.

Collections and skip tracing are much like those hands. Most in the collections industry collect, obviously. Sometimes those accounts have good contact information--sometimes not. This is where skip tracing comes in. Most companies follow the rule that skip tracing can be folded into collections. Well, that is one way. But, collections and skip tracing are two different hands that report to the same boss: the bottom line. Let those hands work together as a team: create a successful skip trace department.

A collector, by definition, is someone who brings in the money. A collector usually uses some sort of a direct approach to collect said money. Therefore, to be as productive as possible, their time needs to be utilized doing just that. Skip tracing takes time; it is a different mindset from collections. Most times, the direct approach may not work; different resources and skill sets are used.

You probably have the collection "hand" under control. Now we need to work on that skip tracing "hand".

Let's create an internal skip trace department for your company. Before you start hyperventilating, let me explain. It does not have to big and extravagant. It does not have to be labor intensive. Most importantly, it does not have to be expensive. Okay, your breathing should be back to normal again; good.

A basic blueprint for starting your own successful skip trace department includes keeping in mind that this is for a perfect world. You may need to customize it to meet the exact needs and abilities of your company.

Location--Let the location be separate from your collections department. If possible, it needs to be in a quiet area. Skip tracers need to think: give them a place to do it. However, you might want to keep the skip tracers in the vicinity of the collections department so that ...