Doing the Right Thing: Call Recording

By Kevin Swanson

DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL RECOVERY AND COLLECTIONS OPERATIONS

Jefferson Capital has adopted many technologies and innovations that allow us to do our jobs better and more efficiently since first starting in the account receivable management business almost 20 years ago. One of those technologies was the addition of call recording. We did it for one primary reason: To enhance the customer experience. Not only did it enhance our associate training on how to provide the best experience for our account holders, but it also allowed us to confirm our strict compliance with the rules and regulations that govern our industry. Compliance always comes first, and this tool allowed us to ensure that on-going commitment.

Speaking of rules and regulations, there are a myriad of both Federal and State laws which govern call recording. An important one is whether consent is required from one or both parties before a conversation may be recorded. The vast majority of States are “one-party” consent, meaning that only one party needs to know about the recording. In those States, as long as Jefferson Capital’s associates are aware of the recording then no additional notice needs to be provided since one party knows about it. About a dozen States require “two-party” consent - - meaning notice needs to be provided to the other party as well.

At Jefferson Capital, we provide notice to everybody, regardless of whether the call is regulated by a one-party or two-party consent regulation. It has its drawbacks; conversations are less natural when they start out with a notice or warning. But the reason we do it is simple: It’s the right thing to do. Being transparent with our account holders and letting them know about call recording may make the conversation start off on a different note than if we didn’t provide the notice, but its just another way that Jefferson Capital takes the high road in all of its collections practices.