Consulting Firms Team Up for Comprehensive Approach for Collection Agencies

ST LOUIS — Difficult times call for creative solutions. While most collections vendors are competing for business, two of the top credit and collections advisory firms have joined forces to provide what they claim is an unprecedented consulting and resources package to help agencies weather the tough times and prepare for a brighter future. The companies involved in the partnership are Shine Technology Partners and Emprise Technologies.

Marc Savage, President of Emprise Technologies in Toledo, Ohio, says, “Agencies are faced with unique conditions today – swelling placements and decreased liquidity. Given those conditions and with consultants generally specializing in some particular area, Shawn (McGinness, President of Shine Technology Partners in St. Louis, Missouri) and I decided that our clients would be best served by a comprehensive approach, addressing all areas of agency management and technology. My company employs experts in technical functions and Shawn is an expert on operations and management. Together, we can provide a systematic analysis of where an agency is today and what they need to address to best position themselves for growth in the future.”

The consulting package, which includes time both on-site and remote, provides a thorough assessment of the agency and its performance as it is today along with a list of recommendations. The recommendations are prioritized in order of value, with the items providing the most bang for the buck at the top. Additionally, Shine and Emprise provide 48 hours of time to be used at the discretion of the agency on such tasks as writing interfaces and custom reports, developing training programs, and revising the agency marketing strategy.

Shawn McGinness understands the difficulties agencies face. Previously an agency owner and manager himself, McGinness says, “When fees are up, an owner can exercise a bit more risk investing in various strategies and technologies knowing that some may not pay off. But given the current pressures, that’s not a wise option; owners need to be laser focused in how they deploy resources, where to cut costs, and in measuring the performance of collection strategies.” When asked why an agency would spend money on consulting in what he admits are difficult times, McGinness replied that the type of services that he and Savage have packaged will pay for themselves many times over. “For most owners, the low hanging fruit is gone. There are dozens of new technologies and the traditional segmentation buckets are no longer valid. Where should an agency spend money? How do they create an effective campaign while maximizing Return on Investment? Marc and I know the answers to those types of questions because we see what works and what doesn’t across a wide variety of agency clients.”

While the companies may indeed be generous with their knowledge, they are very conservative with the number of clients to which they will provide that knowledge. Citing a desire to provide superior service, Emprise and Shine are only accepting twelve clients for their new partnered services package; after that, agencies wishing to purchase this particular package will be put on a waitlist.

Founded in 1998, Emprise Technologies offers a wide range of services, including consulting and custom development, to collection agencies and credit departments nationwide. Emprise strives to empower its clients through technology that makes sense.

Founded in 2007, Shine Technology Partners is an advisory firm which specializes in operational strategies, technology deployment, and configuring software to meet the unique business needs of the client.

Together Shine and Emprise offer a package unsurpassed in the marketplace of experience, knowledge, professionalism – everything an agency needs to succeed.