The Key to Successful Debt Collection in SaaS Companies

Technology has changed the products people can buy, but also how they’re sold. Until the internet age, retailers had to sell tangible goods, things you could hold in your hand. The advent of digital technology lets companies sell access to software on a monthly subscription basis.

You’re familiar with some of the more popular examples, like Netflix. In exchange for a monthly fee, movie lovers can access all the films and TV shows on the platform. Microsoft Word used to be available for a one-time fee, but today, people access the software as a service. This approach is known as Software as a Service, or SaaS.

The core of the business model relies on creating a popular product people love, and then improving and refining it continually. Subscription-based products are often in flux. When you sell something to somebody permanently, they have the final product in their hands. SaaS businesses are different. Netflix adds and even produces new content all the time, and Microsoft updates Word regularly.   

Slack, the popular workplace chat platform, is another popular SaaS company, as is Salesforce. However, companies want to focus on their products, not collecting payments. That part of the business model needs to be very streamlined to free up attention on the constantly changing and improving product. Tech companies especially need to be constantly looking forward, and they can’t do that if they’re spending time tracking money that should already be in their accounts.

SaaS lets them collect a slow drip over the long-term, but it doesn’t work if payments are delayed. Let’s check out how Summit Account Resolution can play a key role in helping SaaS companies.

Investigator In House

When a company attempts to collect a difficult outstanding debt, they have a choice to make. Should they invest resources into hopefully locating the debtor and pressuring them to pay up, or is it better to forgive the debt rather than invest extra money into getting it paid? There’s a risk either way. Paying to locate the debtor may be unsuccessful and only add more wasted money to the unpaid debt.

On the flip side, companies don’t want to set a precedent of allowing customers or partners to not pay what’s owed. Letting people enjoy the products without paying for them is not the foundation for commercial success. Summit Account Resolution is the only debt collection agency in the US with its own fully licensed private investigator in-house, available to clients at no extra charge. This changes the calculus. Now, companies can sit back and outsource debt collection to a professional company with a private investigator on staff. They have access to a higher grade of resources that debt collection companies relying on free tools don’t have.

When the investigator tracks down the debtor and their assets, they make timely reports to the credit bureaus. They can get your customers to pay sooner because once a debtor’s credit rating is threatened, and obtaining a loan in the future becomes more difficult and expensive, they can save money by paying you. Once paying the debt becomes cheaper than not paying it, the money will come in quickly.

Professional debt collectors let SaaS companies focus on providing a better product than rivals instead of looking backward and struggling to secure the money from past sales.

Friendly Collections

As you can imagine, people tend to be friendlier when asking to borrow money. Those seeking debt repayments aren’t always as nice. Perhaps the movies make debt collection seem especially hostile, but real debt collectors have been known to use aggressive methods that reflect badly on a business.

Companies have a huge marketing budget and invest a lot of time and energy into creating a good reputation and brand for the business. Debt collection is important, but so is protecting your reputation.

Summit Account Resolution takes pride in our PHD philosophy — Preserve Human Dignity. Our debt collectors are trained negotiators who see the job as helping two people find the optimal path to move forward.

SaaS companies want to keep partnering with B2B colleagues and ensure the constant drip of monthly subscriptions continues over the long term. Summit Account Resolution will never use underhanded collection methods that would reflect badly on your business, like late-night calls, robocalls, threatening language, or other unsavoury tricks.

Not only do these methods upset and alienate people, but they also undermine your branding and marketing efforts. But they’re also not very effective! Summit Account Resolution manages to recoup nearly double the industry average without resorting to tactics that will push customers and partners away.

SaaS companies want to streamline and automate payments as much as possible. Negativity is unacceptable. Even if negative debt collection worked, it would come at a price — long-term success.

Hire friendly debt collectors with a proven track record of financial success.

Consulting

While there are general trends in the tech sector and specifically SaaS companies, no two businesses are the same. Each company has its own personality and way of doing things.

Summit Account Resolution can help improve tactics to improve your debt collection strategy. Our seasoned professionals understand how to get businesses back in the black, but first, they need to speak with you about how your business operates.

Then, they can consult about better internal practices and what you can do differently. Nobody wants to face unpaid SaaS bills, though which route will best solve the problem depends on your company’s particulars. There’s no universal approach, so if you’re considering hiring us to collect your debts, you may want to also consider our consulting services to improve your internal processes.

SaaS companies run a savvy tech operation that relies on steady monthly income. If that money doesn’t arrive when it’s supposed to, it can make paying salaries, wages, and utility bills challenging. Connect with Summit Account Resolution today to keep your SaaS company moving forward without being dragged down by outstanding debts.