The Collector`s Pledge represents a commitment to

A Pledge of Excellence
The Collector’s Pledge represents a commitment to
professionalism and helps reshape perceptions of the
By Anne Rosso
credit and collection industry.
20 I June 2009 Collector
W
hen Tom Stockton,
president of The CMI
Group in Carrollton, Texas,
first read the Collector’s Pledge, he
immediately knew he wanted it to be
part of CMI culture. He asked all
employees to read and sign it,
incorporated it into the company’s
training programs and printed it on
posters for the call center and training
room. At the end of CMI’s two-week
new hire training, the company holds a
graduation ceremony during which
Stockton administers the Collector’s
Pledge by asking everyone to say it
together. Then Stockton presents each
person with a copy of the pledge to
sign.
“It’s an effective way to reinforce our
rules and how we want to treat people,”
Stockton said. “Not just how we should
treat consumers, but everybody.”
The Collector’s Pledge is an ACA
International Education Foundation
initiative that encourages credit and
collection professionals to make a
voluntary, personal commitment to treat
people with dignity and respect in every
aspect of their work. ACA members use
it to foster a positive work environment,
improve consumer and client
relationships and reflect the industry’s
dedication to ethical practices.
The pledge reads:
– I believe every person has worth as an
individual.
– I believe every person should be treated
with dignity and respect.
– I will make it my personal
responsibility to help consumers find
ways to pay their just debts.
– I will be professional and ethical.
– I commit to honoring this pledge.
The Collector’s Pledge is the
brainchild of Martin Sher, co-CEO of
AmSher Receivables Management in
Birmingham, Ala. Several years ago,
Sher’s friend, attorney James Rotch,
composed a brief statement denouncing
racial prejudice in an effort to improve
public perception of the city of
Birmingham. Rotch called it the
More than 300 employees at CACi in St. Louis demonstrated their commitment to the
Collector’s Pledge by signing a poster that hangs in the office.
Birmingham Pledge, and it eventually
drew support from around the world. In
2007, Sher was inspired to create a
similar pledge to help improve public
perception of the credit and collection
industry.
“I wanted something short and to the
point,” Sher said, “something that
accurately represents the standard that
we expect in the industry and serves as a
consistent tool of communication for
our employees, clients and government
and regulatory officials.”
Sher, along with fellow ACA
International Education Foundation
Communications Committee members
Deb Ciskey, IFCCE, director of
compliance-receivables management for
Afni in Bloomington, Ill., and Wendy
Badger, attorney at law with Morrison,
Fenske & Sund, PA in Minnetonka,
Minn., spent several weeks drafting the
pledge. Finally, Sher presented it to the
ACA Education Foundation and
Executive Committee, both of which
unanimously approved and endorsed the
Collector’s Pledge. As of April 2009,
more than 14,000 employees from ACA
member companies have signed the
Collector’s Pledge—and those numbers
continue to grow every day.
In fact, NCO Financial Systems,
which is based in Horsham, Pa., but has
offices worldwide, recently announced
that it was adopting the Collector’s
Pledge—the largest ACA member
company to commit to the pledge to
date. This spring, all of NCO’s 8,000
collectors will read and sign the pledge,
and the company has included the
pledge in its new-hire training process.
NCO also plans to add a segment about
the Collector’s Pledge to all company
videos, and pledge info will be included
in NCO’s two monthly newsletters.
“NCO is very proud to be one of the
first agencies to adopt the ACA
Collector’s Pledge,” said Steve
Leckerman, chief operating officer at
NCO Financial Systems. “We have been
a long-time supporter of ACA
International and all that they do to
support and promote the credit and
collections industry.”
The Collector’s Pledge acknowledges
that respectful behavior and common
courtesy are cornerstones in the credit
and collection industry.
June 2009 Collector I 21
“The pledge is meaningful to each
and every person in this industry,” said
ACA President-Elect Karolyn Rubin,
senior vice president of Bonded
Collection Corporation in Chicago.
“People identify with the underlying
message of doing the right thing,
helping the consumer and supporting
the mission and objectives of their
agency.”
Rubin said her company asked its
staff to read and sign pledge, and it
currently administers the pledge to all
new hires. “We ask each of our
employees to not only become familiar
with the pledge, but to really believe in
it,” Rubin said. “It’s something we’d like
them to adopt and become passionate
about, just as we are.”
For many agencies, the Collector’s
Pledge has become a key piece of
employee training that ultimately helps
bolster collector success as well as client
and consumer relationships.
Bruce Cummings, president of Gila
Group-Municipal Services Bureau in
Austin, Texas, said the Collector’s Pledge
was introduced at one of Gila’s quarterly
Asset Acceptance LLC in Warren, Mich.,
displays the Collector’s Pledge throughout
the company and includes it in the
corporate Web site and employee manual.
22 I June 2009 Collector
meetings last year
and immediately
integrated into the
company’s mission
statement and
hiring practices.
“We were going
through a
rebranding process
for our company,
trying to spell out
what we are about
and what we
represent, when
the Collector’s
Pledge came
along,” Cummings
ACA Past President Gary Williams of Williams & Fudge
said. “It reinforced
Inc. in Rock Hill, S.C., presents a copy of the pledge to House
how we wanted to
Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-S.C.).
operate as an
At AmSher, Martin Sher visits every
ethical agency, and it helped us develop
training class and asks new hires to
a process to reinforce ethics within our
describe their impression of collection
organization. In addition, it allowed us
agencies.
to have a formalized document that we
“Sometimes they don’t have a good
use in the hiring process.”
idea about the industry because they’ve
All Gila employees must read and
never been in a collection agency
sign the Collector’s Pledge, and Gila
before, or maybe they’ve heard bad
posts copies of the pledge at every
stories about the industry,” he said.
workstation so staff members are
“But when I have them read the
constantly reminded of it.
Collector’s Pledge, I can see the relief
Cummings said staff feedback about
and pride on their faces. I think just
the pledge has been overwhelmingly
knowing what we expect from them
positive.
affects their overall behavior and
“New hires often come in thinking
improves their outlook.”
this is a tough business, and they expect
In fact, the Collector’s Pledge can be
their training to be more anger
meaningful for all credit and collection
management as opposed to learning
employees—not just collectors. David
how to treat people with dignity,”
McDermott, compliance manager for
Cummings said. “So people are usually
Plaza Associates in New York, noted
pleasantly surprised to read the
that every person in every department at
Collector’s Pledge and to hear that as a
Plaza has signed the Collector’s Pledge,
collection agency, we are concerned
from the accounting department to the
about the people who owe debts and
collection floor.
that we exist to help solve people’s
“You never know if a consumer is
problems. They think it’s refreshing,
going to be transferred to the wrong
and ultimately I think it’s made us much
department,” McDermott said, “and you
more successful in our ability to recover
want that person to be treated with
obligations for our clients. Plus, the
respect no matter who he or she is
better we treat people—with respect and
talking to.”
dignity—the better job we do of
Plaza has also posted the Collector’s
managing relationships with our
Pledge on its Web site to let both
clients.”
clients and consumers know the
company stands for ethical practices.
“I have a passion for this pledge,”
McDermott said. “I think it can help
change the way collectors are viewed.
They get a bad rap in this industry, and
I want people to know that our people
are trained to be professional—friendly
but firm.”
McDermott is so passionate about
the pledge that he makes it a point to
contact his peers in the industry to
praise and recommend the Collector’s
Pledge.
“I think every company could benefit
from using it,” he said. “It’s a
commitment to best practices.”
Asset Acceptance, based in Warren,
Mich., enthusiastically adopted the
Collector’s Pledge last year. Every staff
member is encouraged to sign the
pledge—and more than 1,600 have done
so since May 2008. The pledge is also
included in the company’s employee
manual, on the Asset Acceptance Web
site and on banners posted throughout
the company.
“We reinforce the values of the
pledge language in association with our
own values constantly,” said Rion
Needs, president and CEO of Asset
Acceptance. “It’s there in our
monitoring of collection representatives,
it’s there when we train new hires. We
emphasize that this is not a fad—this is
who we are. If you’re not somebody
who can embrace the pledge and our
values, then this is not the place for you
to be.”
Each April, Asset Acceptance hosts
Baseball Dress Down for Financial
Literacy Week, a fundraiser in support
of the ACA International Education
Foundation. In addition to baseballthemed activities, this year Asset
Acceptance leaders led discussions of the
pledge in staff meetings. Employees
were also encouraged to renew their
commitment to the pledge online, and
those who did were entered into a
drawing.
“The Collector’s Pledge provides the
June 2009 Collector I 23
framework to engage consumers,”
Needs said. “We’re here to help them
solve their debt problems. Many
consumers have been called hundreds of
times. We won’t be successful in our
business model or as people by trying to
manipulate and browbeat consumers.
We will only be successful by being
empathetic and ethical with people.
We’re here to help rehabilitate their
credit and get them back to the credit
economy with greater strength and
success.”
Several ACA units, including those in
Michigan and Idaho, have expressed
their support of the Collector’s Pledge,
and ACA vendor members are
supporting the Collector’s Pledge as
well.
Comtech Systems, a collection
software company based in Victoria,
British Columbia, publishes the
Collector’s Pledge in every issue of its
client newsletter. And last year at ACA’s
Annual Convention in Hollywood, Fla.,
Comtech announced that it has
incorporated the Collector’s Pledge into
its collection software. Now all Collect!
software users have the option during
installation to display the Collector’s
Pledge on their logon screen,
constantly reminding staff members to
conduct themselves ethically and
respectfully.
“For companies that choose this
option, it means that every time you log
in to the system, the first thing you see
is the Collector’s Pledge. So in essence,
every day you’re agreeing to follow the
pledge as you do your work,” said Neal
Cropper, CEO of Comtech Systems.
“It’s a simple thing that really makes
sense.”
Additionally, because the Collector’s
Pledge highlights the importance of
respectful and ethical behavior within
the credit and collection industry, it can
be an important public relations tool.
“I put the Collector’s Pledge on my
business card,” Sher said. “If I’m doing
an interview and the reporter
anecdotally tells me about a terrible
24 I June 2009 Collector
Employees at The Remit Corporation in Bloomsburg, Pa., proudly display their copies of
the Collector’s Pledge.
collection call or something, it sure is
powerful to hand them my card with the
Collector’s Pledge, especially when I tell
them what it is and explain that the call
they received or heard about is not how
most agencies behave in our industry. It
takes the focus off the terrible phone
call when you can say, ‘That is awful,
but this is our standard of behavior.’
People are usually shocked and relieved,
and it diverts attention from bad calls.”
The Collector’s Pledge is a free,
quick and simple way to communicate
your company’s commitment to ethical
practices and improve the industry’s
public image. To access the pledge,
including printable posters and cards,
visit ACA Online at
http://www.acainternational.org/pledge.
The ACA International Education
Foundation’s goal is for 100,000
collectors to sign and support the
pledge. Supporting this voluntary
standard of behavior will help better
illustrate the level of professionalism
expected of collection professionals
while improving the industry’s image in
the media. If you’ve implemented the
pledge at your company, send an e-mail
to [email protected]
indicating the name of your company as
well as how many people have signed
the pledge. (It is not necessary to
include actual employee names.)
Later this year, the ACA Foundation
plans to launch an online registration
tool allowing companies to indicate
their acceptance of the pledge and list
the number of collectors that have made
a personal commitment to it. The
Foundation will capture the number of
pledges for use in ACA and Foundation
public relations efforts with consumer
groups, business leaders and policy
makers.
“As a member of ACA’s Executive
Committee, I’m constantly preaching
the Collector’s Pledge at unit meetings
and we’re always discussing it with
colleagues,” Rubin said. “It’s a free
product we can give to each and every
member, who in turn can give it to each
of their employees. It costs nothing but
a moment of time to read, but it will
have lasting effects. It’s just a single
page, but it means so much.” cm
Anne Rosso is associate editor of
Collector.
©2009 ACA International. All rights
reserved.
ollowing are the ACA
member agencies whose
employees have taken the
Collector’s Pledge, along with the
number of participating staff members. To
report your agency’s participation, e-mail
[email protected].
F
A-1 Collection Service,
Trenton, N.J.: 25
Accelerated Receivables Solutions,
Scottsbluff, Neb.: 43
Account Control Bureau Inc.,
Shreveport, La.: 16
Afni Inc., Bloomington, Ill.: 5
Allied Account Services Inc.,
Bellmore, N.Y.: 42
Allied Collection Service Inc.,
Columbus, Ind.: 21
AMCOL Systems Inc.,
Columbia, S.C.: 205
American Arbitration & Recovery
Group, Tyrone, Ga.: 15
American Collections Enterprise Inc.,
Alexandria, Va.: 25
AmSher Receivables Management,
Birmingham, Ala.: 170
Anderson, Crenshaw & Associates,
L.L.C., Dallas, Texas: 27
Ann Arbor Credit Bureau Inc.,
Ann Arbor, Mich.: 16
AR Collection Solution,
Richmond, B.C., Canada: 1
Asset Acceptance LLC,
Woodbury, N.J.: 1
Asset Acceptance, LLC,
Warren, Mich.: 1,600
Bonded Collection Corporation,
Chicago: 88
C & C Service Corporation,
Franklin, Tenn.: 4
CAC Financial Corp,
Oklahoma City: 85
CACi, St. Louis: 321
CCP & MCB Collection Services,
Vero Beach, Fla.: 74
CEX Financial Services Inc.,
Houston: 1
Collection Bureau of the Hudson Valley
Inc., Newburgh, N.Y.: 57
Nationwide Credit Corporation,
Alexandria, Va.: 65
Collection Services International,
Oklahoma City: 1
NCO Group Inc., Horsham, Pa.: 8,000
CompuMail, Concord, Calif.: 1
North American Credit Services Inc.,
Chattanooga, Tenn.: 30
Conrad Credit Corporation,
Escondido, Calif.: 30
North Coast Collection Service,
Santa Rosa, Calif.: 15
Credit Adjustments Inc.,
Defiance, Ohio: 31
Northern Credit Services Inc.,
Ketchikan, Alaska: 9
Credit Adjustment Service Inc.,
Memphis, Tenn.: 10
Pinnacle Corporate Services Inc.,
Greensboro, N.C.: 1
Credit Clearing House of America Inc.,
Louisville, Ky.: 20
Plaza Associates, New York: 505
Discovery Financial Services, Vancouver,
Wash.: 5
Enterprise Recovery Systems Inc.,
Westchester, Ill.: 115
E.R.I.-Estate Recoveries Inc., Baltimore,
Md.: 58
First Coast Systems Inc.,
Jacksonville, Fla.: 10
Fresno Credit Bureau, Fresno, Calif.: 60
General Collection Co. Inc.,
Grand Island, Neb.: 15
General Service Bureau Inc.,
Omaha, Neb.: 80
Gila Group-Municipal Services Bureau,
Austin, Texas: 184
H. E. Stark Agency Inc.,
Madison, Wis.: 1
Illinois Collection Service Inc.,
Tinley Park, Ill.: 125
J.C.Christensen & Associates,
Sartell, Minn.: 150
James A. West, P.C.,
Houston: 102
Joseph, Mann & Creed,
Shaker Hts, Ohio: 1
Pro Com Services of Illinois Inc.,
Springfield, Ill.: 9
Professional Finance Company Inc.,
Greeley, Colo.: 64
Professional Recovery Systems,
San Jose, Calif.: 19
RentCollect Global, Everett, Wash.: 24
Revenue Recovery Corporation,
Knoxville, Tenn.: 87
Richland Bureau of Credits Inc.,
Mansfield, Ohio: 10
State Collection Service Inc.,
Madison, Wis.: 90
Sunrise Credit Services Inc.,
Farmingdale, N.Y.: 407
TCAR Collection Services,
Burnt Hills, N.Y.: 8
The Affiliated Group,
Rochester, Minn.: 80
The CMI Group Inc.,
Carrollton, Texas: 170
The Preferred Group of Tampa,
Tampa, Fla.: 28
The Remit Corporation,
Bloomsburg, Pa.: 27
LifeQuest, Wautoma, Wis.: 47
Tulsa Adjustment Bureau Inc.,
Tulsa, Okla.: 29
Med-Health Financial Services Inc.,
Milwaukee: 41
Wilber & Associates, P. C.,
Bloomington, Ill.: 1
Medical Data Systems Inc.,
Vero Beach, Fla.: 250
Williams & Fudge Inc.,
Rock Hill, S.C.: 220
Merchants Credit Association Inc.,
Anderson, S.C.: 5
Midstate Collection Solutions Inc.,
Champaign, Ill.: 12
June 2009 Collector I 25