CCMR3’s Legal Specialty Workshop was designed to elevate the skills of its post-charge-off and outside counsel teams. It teaches advanced negotiation techniques and strategies to refine legal processes. Initially conceived as a targeted effort to quickly elevate the Legal team’s performance, it evolved into a comprehensive program that also promoted greater collaboration and consistency among team members at the collections agency.
Program Details
The workshop consisted of six modules, covering topics such as legal foundations, advanced product knowledge, system navigation, settlement negotiation, digital communication, and negotiation influence techniques. The content was developed and facilitated through a collaborative effort between the VP of Operations, VP of Education and Compliance, Supervisor of Education, team leads, and managers.
Delivery of this program involved a blend of prework through the company’s learning management system (LMS) and weekly interactive sessions via Microsoft Teams. The training sessions included interactive PowerPoints, videos, Q&A, and live demonstrations.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop, Quality Assurance (QA) analysts conducted detailed assessments of performance, while frontline monitoring by Operations provided real-time feedback. Additionally, key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards are tracked and cascaded down through individual development plans for the collection staff, enabling precise measurement of outcomes and ongoing performance management.
Reinforcement of the training occurs at the beginning of the weekly training sessions. The VP of Education and Compliance starts each session by revisiting previous training topics and encouraging collectors to share successful strategies and challenges during application of the lessons learned. The group then explores these insights, offering practical tips for improvement. Additionally, managers and team leaders continuously monitor calls between sessions, providing immediate feedback. This feedback is further discussed in weekly one-on-one meetings to ensure consistent application of the training.
Following the initial training, CCMR3 will implement regular refresher sessions to reinforce key concepts, and performance data will be reviewed monthly to identify and address any skill gaps. Success will be further encouraged through a structured feedback loop, through which managers and team leaders provide continuous coaching and support.
Results
Over the course of three months, QA scores increased by 8.64 percent, rising by 5.44 percent just one month after the workshop. This enhancement in team performance directly contributed to 3.5 percent increases in month-over-month recoveries for legal and post-charged portfolios and an 8.56 percent boost in liquidation rates by vintage. In addition, the team’s gross recoveries jumped 30 percent in just 3 months.
