If you run a dinning hall, you know that there’s a lot of areas that need attention. Keeping all the items stocked, sending out emails to staff and students about special events, prepping and cooking the food, serving the food, cleaning the dining room, the list goes on and on. You can easily use the help of 100 staff members each day. In order to a operate dining hall that can feed the student body, you need to have the money to support all the ingredients, items, and labor. But what happens when students don’t pay off their meal plans? That can greatly impact your business. You might not have the right staff or the time to collect unpaid bills. Here are some common struggles that you might face.

Lack of Knowledge or Commitment

A majority of your employees will be students. That’s simply what happens when you run a college dining hall. It’s safe to say that most students won’t be well-versed in debt collection practices. You might have a student or two, but that’s simply not enough to keep up with an entire student body. Not to mention, calling other students about their debt is probably not what they signed up for when working in the food industry. 

Unless you have employees that are fully committed to the debt recovery industry, chances are they won’t focus all their efforts on collecting money from their peers. Additionally, it puts them in an awkward situation.

Hiring More Staff

You may think that hiring additional staff to specifically handle debt collection is a smart move.

It may seem like an affordable option. However, have you considered where you are going to house them? You will need to expand your infrastructure in order to provide the space and technology for these staff members to effectively operate. You will need to seek permission from the school in order to expand, if that’s even possible.

Upholding University Reputation

Money is a delicate subject, and it’s not easy approaching this matter. It’s especially challenging when you are dealing with students. Their financial situation is usually tight, but they need to eat in order to stay alive. It’s a sticky situation. On one hand, you don’t want to be the bad guy that denies proper nutrition to poor college students. But on the other hand, income is essential for keeping the college dining hall open for the rest of the student body.

The university’s image is also on the line. That’s why you need to have a good relationship with the students. Negative publicity can hurt the reputation of the school, which can drop the number of applicants and future incomers. You and your staff need to be trained properly, in order to collect unpaid debt in professional, respectful manners.

Southwest Recovery Services

You can avoid all of these challenges by hiring a debt collection agency like Southwest Recovery Services. Our team of agents has been successfully collecting nationwide debt for many years. We are expertly trained to approach each of your clients with respect and empathy. We know how to relate to these students, as well as how to compel them to pay. We also use every available strategy to collect their debt, such as oral and written communication and effective negotiation techniques. Get in touch with us today, and we’ll help you keep your college dining hall running smoothly.