Business leaders need to invest in and develop the people around them, but not before they invest in and develop their self, Silverstein says.
Choice Recovery collectors, called consultants, make commission in addition to an hourly wage. It fosters ownership as strong performers earn more.
If employees don’t perform, Silverstein has found it counterproductive to fire people without warning. But if he doesn’t push, they’ll stay because of the great atmosphere.
Instead, he says, “You’re a great culture fit, but your performance isn’t meeting the minimum expectations. You get another 90 days, but if it keeps up, you can’t stay.”
The core expectations that hold employees accountable are clear to everyone.
“I used to complain to the guy coaching me that people weren’t performing. He looked at me and said, ‘That’s your fault,’” Silverstein says.
Earn a spot
Other call centers plug and play, but if Choice Recovery hires the wrong person, it really damages the culture. Silverstein doesn’t like to hire people who’ve worked in other collection agencies. He’d rather take raw talent and build it.
Job candidates take an assessment test, undergo a background check and drug test, and then go through a three-step interview process.
“They get to me last and I try to talk them out of it,” Silverstein says. “The people who stand strong, fight for the job, are the people who usually get an opportunity to try it. Then we put them through 90 days of training, and if they make it through, they earn a spot.”
Building the right culture takes time. It’s always a work in progress, he says.
“There’s never an easy answer and most of the time, you have to make a decision that is going to make someone unhappy,” Silverstein says.
Choice Recovery has always tried to change the perception of collections, but kindness didn’t feel like enough after a while.
In 2014, Silverstein founded [re]start, a free employment head-hunting service that helps unemployed consumers in collections find a new job. It gave Choice Recovery a shared common purpose. [re]start, and its two employees, has helped nearly 600 people find new employment.
Once people are transferred to [re]start, their collection is put on hold. However, many people feel indebted and want to pay their bill.
“I score Choice Recovery on the revenue side because we have to and we’re a business. I score the [re]start side on how many lives we’ve helped. It goes hand-in-hand nicely,” he says.
It also helps attract better talent and lets Choice Recovery stand out.
“When you have the culture that I have, with more of an entrepreneurial mindset — where people are owners in the business, where they are making a cut of what they do — it’s hard for a call center to compete with me,” Silverstein says.
