TCM BELGIUM LETS INTERN WALK A TIGHTROPE: MEET TIM DEBOES

Tightrope walker? At TCM Belgium, Tim Deboes, student intern, learns the balance between the ethical and economic aspects of the recovery process. This is also the subject of his thesis. And we can only encourage that.

For years, we have been attentive to our ethics and to our economic and social role. We ask Tim about his professional experience within our company!

• Hi Tim, we always ask our new hires what they know about debtors and collections. What was your perception of indebted persons before you started your internship? And what about the debt collection industry?

I had never been in contact with debt collection, but I had a rather dark fantasy vision: the tough guys going around with baseball bats 😊.

Even before the pandemic, I lived in my “bubble”. I don’t know anyone who is really “in debt”. I have always been surrounded by people with a situation comparable to mine: fairly “standard”. At least that’s what I thought. This internship puts me, for the first time in my life, in contact with people in debt and debt mediation.

It quickly became apparent to me, through this internship but also through the research for my thesis, that poverty seems to be a matter of circumstances or situation rather than of character. Divorce, for example, can drag you into precariousness.

• You have been supporting us in our daily tasks of contacting debtors for several months now. Has your vision changed? How? ‘Or’ What?

My friends found the idea of ​​an internship at a collection agency particularly eccentric. My parents are bankers and were therefore already used to dealing with a wide variety of people. I quickly realized at TCM that people in financial difficulty can really be helped. But if you are not “in this business” it seems difficult to understand what debt collection is.

I still find myself having stereotypes about debtor situations. This is probably due to the way I approach life. Recently, for example, I found it strange to hear a debtor say that she had two cell phones. I live by the saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. I am not particularly materialistic, and a few good friends are enough for me. But I realize that my experience and my vision were shaped by a privileged and protected situation. And then, this debtor could just as well have received these cell phones or have already bought them before having financial problems.

My point of view has therefore changed. However, I do not bring these problems back at home; I don’t spend all day worrying about debtor situations. I continue to seek the right balance between my capacity for empathy and my objectivity.

• What talents are needed by TCM employees? What do you consider to be particularly difficult in this job? And what is the most satisfying?

This profession needs “chameleons”: people capable of adapting to many different situations.

You must also answer the phone without prejudice because no situation is the same. And it sounds easy, but in fact it’s not obvious when you seem to hear the same excuse for the twentieth time that day.

In addition, communication is the key to success in this job. Those who are very good at communication get good results. Unfortunately, I feel less good at it and so it is quite difficult for me.

It also seems to me that collection managers need to be steadfast – that is, not give up or give in too quickly. In the end, an amicable solution can be found, suitable for both the debtor and the creditor.

I find it very satisfying to see that a claim has been paid because it is good for debtors as well as for creditors. Recently, I received a kind message from a debtor who thanked us for the workable repayment plan she was allowed to follow. It was thus possible for her to settle the debt amicably.

• The subject of your thesis is the balance between ethical recovery and economic health. Does this seem like an easy exercise to you?

No. You must be in balance yourself to find that balance for creditors and debtors. It’s a tightrope walk – we’ve already said that! – to start every conversation without prejudice and analyse the debtor’s situation from there.

The conversation must create trust: the debtor needs to be confident in the manager’s approach, and the manager must have confidence in the debtor, ie his ability to explain his situation in order to arrive at an appropriate solution.

• How does TCM Belgium play a role in this area and can this role be fulfilled even better?

I think the amicable solution is the best lifeline for debtors. TCM certainly plays a key role. The longer you work here, the more experience you gain in this area and therefore the better your ability as a “saviour” (another talent!) I am still sometimes pushed by debtors to propose what they would like to hear, although I know that it is not quite a solution as the creditor would have no benefit from it.

As an intern at TCM, I received a lot of theory training and role-playing, but I think that would also help to do some field research to raise awareness?

By that I mean study days during which experts share their vision on the different facets of this profession (poverty, credit control, psychology, etc.). Meetings with organizations engaged in the fight against poverty would also be useful. If you, the credit controllers, can better understand where some of the debtors’ reactions are coming from, you can respond better as well, and this promotes an amicable solution. And I certainly think that’s a good ethical approach, because an even better fit solution can be obtained.

10 August 2021

Tim’s interview continues …

TCM BELGIUM LETS INTERN WALK A TIGHTROPE: MEET TIM DEBOES

Tightrope walker? At TCM Belgium, Tim Deboes, student intern, learns the balance between the ethical and economic aspects of the recovery process. This is also the subject of his thesis. And we can only encourage that.

For years, we have been attentive to our ethics and to our economic and social role. We ask Tim about his professional experience within our company!

• Hi Tim, we always ask our new hires what they know about debtors and collections. What was your perception of indebted persons before you started your internship? And what about the debt collection industry?

I had never been in contact with debt collection, but I had a rather dark fantasy vision: the tough guys going around with baseball bats 😊.

Even before the pandemic, I lived in my “bubble”. I don’t know anyone who is really “in debt”. I have always been surrounded by people with a situation comparable to mine: fairly “standard”. At least that’s what I thought. This internship puts me, for the first time in my life, in contact with people in debt and debt mediation.

It quickly became apparent to me, through this internship but also through the research for my thesis, that poverty seems to be a matter of circumstances or situation rather than of character. Divorce, for example, can drag you into precariousness.

• You have been supporting us in our daily tasks of contacting debtors for several months now. Has your vision changed? How? ‘Or’ What?

My friends found the idea of ​​an internship at a collection agency particularly eccentric. My parents are bankers and were therefore already used to dealing with a wide variety of people. I quickly realized at TCM that people in financial difficulty can really be helped. But if you are not “in this business” it seems difficult to understand what debt collection is.

I still find myself having stereotypes about debtor situations. This is probably due to the way I approach life. Recently, for example, I found it strange to hear a debtor say that she had two cell phones. I live by the saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. I am not particularly materialistic, and a few good friends are enough for me. But I realize that my experience and my vision were shaped by a privileged and protected situation. And then, this debtor could just as well have received these cell phones or have already bought them before having financial problems.

My point of view has therefore changed. However, I do not bring these problems back at home; I don’t spend all day worrying about debtor situations. I continue to seek the right balance between my capacity for empathy and my objectivity.

• What talents are needed by TCM employees? What do you consider to be particularly difficult in this job? And what is the most satisfying?

This profession needs “chameleons”: people capable of adapting to many different situations.

You must also answer the phone without prejudice because no situation is the same. And it sounds easy, but in fact it’s not obvious when you seem to hear the same excuse for the twentieth time that day.

In addition, communication is the key to success in this job. Those who are very good at communication get good results. Unfortunately, I feel less good at it and so it is quite difficult for me.

It also seems to me that collection managers need to be steadfast – that is, not give up or give in too quickly. In the end, an amicable solution can be found, suitable for both the debtor and the creditor.

I find it very satisfying to see that a claim has been paid because it is good for debtors as well as for creditors. Recently, I received a kind message from a debtor who thanked us for the workable repayment plan she was allowed to follow. It was thus possible for her to settle the debt amicably.

• The subject of your thesis is the balance between ethical recovery and economic health. Does this seem like an easy exercise to you?

No. You must be in balance yourself to find that balance for creditors and debtors. It’s a tightrope walk – we’ve already said that! – to start every conversation without prejudice and analyse the debtor’s situation from there.

The conversation must create trust: the debtor needs to be confident in the manager’s approach, and the manager must have confidence in the debtor, ie his ability to explain his situation in order to arrive at an appropriate solution.

• How does TCM Belgium play a role in this area and can this role be fulfilled even better?

I think the amicable solution is the best lifeline for debtors. TCM certainly plays a key role. The longer you work here, the more experience you gain in this area and therefore the better your ability as a “saviour” (another talent!) I am still sometimes pushed by debtors to propose what they would like to hear, although I know that it is not quite a solution as the creditor would have no benefit from it.

As an intern at TCM, I received a lot of theory training and role-playing, but I think that would also help to do some field research to raise awareness?

By that I mean study days during which experts share their vision on the different facets of this profession (poverty, credit control, psychology, etc.). Meetings with organizations engaged in the fight against poverty would also be useful. If you, the credit controllers, can better understand where some of the debtors’ reactions are coming from, you can respond better as well, and this promotes an amicable solution. And I certainly think that’s a good ethical approach, because an even better fit solution can be obtained.

10 August 2021

Tim’s interview continues …