Do Women or Men Make Better Debt Collectors?

By Steven Gan, CPA, CCE

I was having a discussion the other day with an associate of mine and this subject came up. To be honest with you, I really don't know the answer to this question. In over the 30 years I've been in the collection business, I've worked with hundreds of people and have observed the collection techniques, styles, approaches, and psychology of both genders. However, let me take a moment to outline some of the differences of each that I've observed and see what you think.

1) It appears to me that my female colleagues have a tendency to listen more carefully, take clearer notes, and wait for a pause in the conversation before responding to a debtor. This is especially important since before we can grapple with the reasons why a debtor can't or won't pay, we need to at least understand a complete picture of the situation.

2) I have sometimes observed some of my male colleagues of being a little bit too aggressive. Rather than listening to the debtor's reasons for non-payment, there may be some impatience to put everything aside and get right down to "when payment will be made and how much". When this kind of situation occurs, the collector may be missing an opportunity to just let the debtor "get something off of his/her chest", which could then make them feel better and ready to communicate on the matter.

3) I think when it comes to dealing with a very difficult debtor, it really comes down to case by case. Sometimes a male debtor who is upset will calm down more by speaking with a woman. The converse is also true in that an irate male debtor may feel more comfortable speaking with a male collector. There are many factors involved such as the tone of voice, the speed of the speech, and the ability of the collector to establish a level of comfortability in communicating together.

4) It seems to me that female collectors do not get quite as frustrated when having to follow-up and stay after debtors who break promises to pay. They have a tendency to accept the follow-up process as more or less part of the job. However, I think that male collectors may channel their frustration into an imparting sense of urgency that the debtor fulfill their payment obligation.

5) I am going to go out on a limb here with this observation but I believe that male collectors just edge out their female counterparts when it comes to negotiating techniques, especially when the male collector is dealing with a very seasoned male business professional (debtor). When I use the term negotiating techniques, I am referring to the ability to stay focused against the reasons that a debtor may use to maneuver out of the payment obligation.

6) At the same time, I think that female collectors can be more creative when it comes to providing or suggesting payment routes that will help to resolve a debt situation in which the debtor has the will and volition to pay, but not the capacity. I remember one very creative female collector who found a buyer to purchase the debtor's inventory as a way to pay off the creditor's claim.

7) This one may also be a little bit contentious but I've found that female collectors are more open to changes in the collection system and just wanting to learn more and advance higher up into the profession. As you may know, the collection industry is one of the fields that employs a very high percentage of women.

8) Point (7) leads me to the feeling that women in our industry tend to stay in the industry much longer and work at one company for a greater period of time than their male counterparts.

Perhaps with the above points I might be leaning towards women as better collectors but as this really is very subjective, I would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on whether women or men make better debt collectors.

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