Libraries Haunted by Missing Items Seek Collection Agencies for Help

I think Dr. Eleanor Twitty, the grey Librarian Ghost from the Ghostbusters movie must be very proud of Wisconsin.  If you recall, Dr. Twitty slimed Peter Venkman for simply whispering in the library halls.  I’ll never forget that look on his face and his words after, “She slimed me.”  Can you imagine what Dr. Twitty would have done to patrons who didn’t return books, CDs, magazines or publications taken from a community library?  Perhaps Dr. Twitty whispered in someone’s ear in Madison.

About a year ago Governor Walker signed Senate Bill 466 (more specifically the Return of Library Materials Bill) which gives Wisconsin’s public libraries the authority to enlist the help of collection agencies in seeking the return of borrowed items, or compensation for their value by library patrons,   

2015 Senate Bill 466 clarifies confusing rules that prevented some Wisconsin libraries from pursuing outside help in collecting some of their delinquent materials.  The law allows libraries the ability to seek outside help from collection agencies to collect from patrons who have unreturned materials totaling over $50 in value.  It does not apply to library fines.

“This isn’t about nickel and dime fines for items that are returned late,” stated WLA Executive Director Plumer Lovelace.  “This is a serious issue.  More than $3 million worth of taxpayer-owned library materials are simply not being returned to our public libraries each year, despite months of repeated notices and calls from library staff.  Statewide, libraries are losing about 5% of their annual materials purchasing budget.”

For example, it’s estimated that the Brown County Library lists over 10,000 items each year as “lost” —a term designated for items out 40 days past their due date.

According to a press release by the Wisconsin Library Association, Libraries take patron privacy seriously, as well as their responsibility for items purchased with tax dollars.  The new law provides a nice balance of both.  Disclosed patron information is limited to the individual’s name, contact information, amount owed, and the number and types of overdue materials.  Titles of materials may NOT be disclosed.    

Previously, unless an exception applied, records of a public library that indicated the identity of any person who borrowed or used the library’s materials could not be disclosed.  This was preventing some libraries from seeking an outside remedy for some of their delinquent losses.

 The Brown County Library director stated that he felt this new law provided important clarification that using a third party for collections is legal.

Another positive result of this new law is public awareness.  The bill is believed to have made people more familiar with library procedures and perhaps has influenced patrons to be more responsible with the materials they borrow. 

At A. Alliance  we understand how missing revenue can hurt any creditor—including public libraries. Unlike the Librarian Ghost we are soft collection specialists, committed to maintaining the important balance between results and relationships.  

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 10 years.

 

Do Your Invoices go Missing? Then What?

Do you frequently hear from customers saying they didn’t receive their invoices?  If so, I have a couple of questions for you.  Namely, do you think their invoices got lost or do you think they got “lost”?

I recently read an article by the IACC (International Association of Commercial Collectors) that addressed this phenomenon.   When a customer requests a copy of their invoice, the article suggests you (or staff member) use the request as an opportunity to ask some questions yourself.

  • What address and to whom should the invoices normally be mailed?
  • Has the address recently changed?
  • To whom should this invoice copy by sent?
  • According to our records, the invoice corresponds to purchase order number ___. Is this number valid in your system?
  • Do you have receiving documents for this open item?
  • Am I correct that the only reason this item remains unpaid is that you do not have an invoice on file?
  • Once you have received the invoice copy, is there any reason this invoice cannot be processed and paid this week?
  • I will email (or fax) a copy of the invoice now. What is your email (fax) address?

Okay, I get that that’s a lot of questions, perhaps to many, but one of the main reasons of the question-and-answer session is to make sure you’ve resolved any actual delivery issues and to be certain that excuses for delaying payment—once the invoice copy has been received—has been addressed and fixed.  Obviously you can tweak the questions to fit your own needs, but keep in mind the other main function of the questioning is to discourage customers from using the “lost invoice” as a regular excuse for delaying payments. According to the article, customers are less likely to continue using this excuse if they have to answer questions like the ones listed above every time they request an copy of their invoice.

Documenting which customers’ request invoice copies and the frequency of these requests might reveal a pattern showing a correlation between “lost” invoices and delayed payments. The more information you have the better off you’ll be.  You know what they say, “forewarned is forearmed.”

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 10 years.