ACA Cast

In the latest episode of “Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm,” ACA International staffers Kim Coghill and Alex Szeto engage in an informative dialogue with Michael Lamm, who outlines tips and benefits related to mentoring and coaching accounts receivable management industry professionals. “Our industry is unique,” Lamm said, noting employees need specific skills, training and constructive feedback to appropriately perform. “Having people in an organization who are willing to not only offer up advice, but to take an employee under their wing for guidance makes a tremendous difference in creating an environment where staff succeeds and isn’t lost to attrition.”

“Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm” is a regular ACA Cast series led by Michael Lamm, the managing partner at Corporate Advisory Solutions in Philadelphia.

Financial losses associated with identity theft seem to expand each year despite the safeguards and ongoing educational information published by government, financial and consumer groups. In this episode of ACA Cast titled, “Identity Theft: Don’t Fall Victim to the Threat,” Jessica Hearn, CFO and compliance director with Universal Fidelity in Katy, Texas, provides thoughtful insights on securing personal information and communicating with debt collectors about potential fraud. 

Hearn notes that professional debt collectors are trained to understand and manage cases where fraud may have occurred. “Collection agencies are here to rectify outstanding balances and they do not want to collect on fraudulent balances," Hearn said. "This doesn’t benefit the consumer or the client. The consumer trying to rectify identify theft should provide this information to the collection agency so that their accounts are flagged and handled properly.” She also mentioned that collection agencies will ask consumers to provide a police report or Federal Trade Commission identity theft document to attach to the account.

From one expert to another. This episode of ACA Cast titled “Compliance Education: Knowledge is Power,” features two well-known industry veterans who engage in an informative discussion about ACA’s education offerings including professional certifications.

Listen to Harry Strausser III, ACA’s director of education and membership development, discuss compliance, training and ACA’s cutting-edge delivery mechanisms with John Bedard, an attorney with the Bedard Law Group in the Atlanta area. Strausser and Bedard are highly-trained certified instructors who have volunteered countless hours working to educate and train collections professionals so that they can thrive in the industry.

Management experts agree that workplace conflict is a natural, unavoidable occurrence that surfaces in every office and in every relationship. Of course, the key is to identify conflict and appropriately manage it so that everyone involved has a voice and learns something positive. 

In the latest episode of ACA Cast titled “Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm: Managing Conflicts,” listeners will hear tips and strategies for working through office conflicts by creating an environment that encourages and promotes open communications and accepts instructive criticism. Michael Lamm, managing partner at Corporate Advisory Solutions and the featured speaker on an ACA Cast monthly episode, shares his insights based upon his successful career working with ARM professionals at the most junior and senior levels of employment.

Aside from creating an office that encourages honest feedback among employees, Lamm strongly urges listeners to avoid seeking to resolve conflict via email or other forms of electronic communications. “If you have a problem, it is always better to handle it face-to-face versus using email because email can be interpreted in in so many different ways…and it can lead to the problem reoccurring or getting worse,” Lamm said. 

“Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm” is a regular ACA Cast series.

Do you make sure consumers feel happier at the end of a call than they did at the beginning? That’s the goal for debt collectors working at Midstate Collection Solutions, and in this episode of ACA Cast, Collector magazine editor Anne Rosso May talks to Mary Shores, CEO and president of Midstate Collection Solutions, on how collection professionals can accomplish that. Shores shares her insights on using collection scripts, how to validate consumers’ stories, which words collectors should avoid using when they talk to consumers and how to turn around a challenging situation using positive word choices.

In this episode of ACA Cast: Advocacy in Action, Rae Ann Bevington, ACA’s vice president of congressional and political affairs, discusses the advantages of participating in the ACA International’s Washington Insights Fly-In with former board president Jay Gonsalves, owner of Action Collection Agencies Inc., in the Boston area; and board member David Williams, president of Williams and Fudge in Rock Hill, S.C. 

Getting involved in state advocacy efforts is as easy as picking up the phone and calling your representative. Don’t let another legislative session slip by without meeting key figures in your capitol.

ACA International’s Andy Madden, vice president of state and government affairs, engages in a lively discussion with industry leader Anita Manghisi regarding selected state legislation and the value of participating in grassroots efforts to favorably impact policy. Manghisi, a prominent figure in the ARM industry, won a seat on ACA International’s Board of Directors last June after serving as president of the New York State Collectors Association from 2014-2017. She owns Independent Recovery Resources Inc., in Patchogue, N.Y.  

Despite the valuable economic contributions made each day by accounts receivable management professionals, the industry remains one of the most misunderstood, heavily regulated business sectors in the United States. As an employee or business owner associated with the industry, you can help reshape the narrative by actively engaging your community leaders with accurate information about this important business sector.

In this episode of “Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm,” listeners will hear tips on becoming an active member of your community known for educating consumers, lawmakers and others about the value of the industry. “Leadership Fuel with Michael Lamm” is a regular ACA Cast series featuring Michael Lamm, the managing partner at Corporate Advisory Solutions in Philadelphia. 

The ACA International v. FCC decision handed down by the D.C. Circuit Court was a major step forward in launching TCPA reform support from Congress while forcing the FCC to consider its previous actions. Courts have ruled differently on this issue, at times even ignoring the D.C. Circuit, confirming ACA’s position that the accounts receivable management industry is ripe for frivolous, unnecessary litigation and TCPA reform from the FCC is essential. 

In this riveting episode of ACA Cast, Rick Perr, an ACA Board Member and partner with Fineman Krekstein & Harris, PC in Philadelphia, and David Kaminski, a partner and chair of the financial services and class action group, Carlson & Messer LLP, Los Angeles, engage in a lively and informative discussion about the case and its impact on business.  

Confusion and a lack of understanding associated with health insurance coverage can leave the most financially responsible patient with a surprise bill in the mailbox. That’s why accounts receivable management employees who work in this space need special training and the appropriate level of empathy to work with consumers who may be sick, recovering from surgery or unaccustomed to unpaid bills. 

In this episode of ACA Cast titled “Planning for the Unplanned: The Soft Touch to Healthcare Collections,” ACA’s Education and Membership Director Harry Strausser III engages in a lively discussion on this topic with Irene Hoheusle, Vice President of Collections and Education at Account Recovery Specialists Inc. in Wichita, Kan.