In enforcement proceedings, a large share of collections depends on reaching the debtor and talking to them in the right way at the right time. While service and garnishment procedures are under way, contact by phone can bring a debtor to agree to a payment plan and help close the file sooner.
In many offices, however, debtor outreach is still fragmented: the list lives in an Excel file, numbers are dialled by hand, call notes end up in different places, and up-to-date information from UYAP never reaches the person making the call. This article explains step by step how to speed up debtor outreach by bringing the call center and UYAP data together.
The cost of a fragmented process
- Wasted time: A large part of agents’ time goes into dialling numbers and waiting on busy and unanswered calls.
- Calls with outdated information: Even if the debtor’s new address or employer has shown up in a UYAP query, the call is made with incomplete information if that data is not on the caller’s screen.
- Promises nobody follows up: If no one checks whether the debtor who said “I will pay on the 15th” actually paid on that date, the promise means nothing.
- Performance you cannot measure: Without knowing how many people were reached, how many promises to pay were made and how many were kept, the process cannot be improved.
Step 1: Prepare the call list properly
Everything starts with data quality. The call list should contain at least the file details, the debtor’s name, the current amount owed, phone numbers and the stage of the proceedings. If the same debtor has more than one file, showing those files under a single person record prevents the debtor from being called several times on the same day.
Step 2: Enrich the list with UYAP queries
Having up-to-date information about the debtor before the call changes the quality of the conversation. MERNİS address, SGK and EGM queries run in files where you act as counsel are valuable here:
- The MERNİS address helps with identity confirmation and, where needed, with the service process.
- SGK information gives an idea of whether the debtor has a regular income; the possibility of salary garnishment can be explained in appropriate terms during the call.
- EGM vehicle information helps assess the debtor’s ability to pay.
Remember that this information must not be used for any purpose other than the proceedings and should be handled with restraint during the call. For details of the query process, see our article on speeding up MERNİS, SGK and EGM queries.
Step 3: Prioritise the list
Instead of calling all files in the same order, divide the list into meaningful groups: amounts owed above or below a certain figure, debtors living in a particular province, newer or older files, debtors whose promised payment date has arrived, and so on. The order of priority should match the likelihood of collection and the deadline calendar.
Step 4: Use automatic dialing
Automatic dialing (predictive dialer) systems call the numbers on a predefined list automatically and connect only answered calls to an available agent. Busy, unanswered and unreachable calls do not take up the agent’s time. Agents can therefore focus on conversations instead of dialling, and more debtors can be reached in the same amount of time. Being able to set start and end times for calling also prevents calls at inappropriate hours.
Step 5: Record call outcomes with standard codes
The outcome of each call should be recorded with a standard code rather than free text. For example:
- promised to pay (with date and amount),
- asked for a payment plan,
- disputes the debt or wants to speak to the lawyer,
- wrong number, or the number does not belong to the debtor,
- not reached, to be called again.
Standard codes make reporting possible and help determine the next step automatically.
Step 6: Connect the call with the UYAP steps
The phone call and the enforcement process should not run separately. On the date of a promised payment, the collection should be checked; if the promise was not kept, the file should go back on the call list or be routed to a legal step such as a garnishment request. For debtors who cannot be reached for a long time, an up-to-date address query and the service process can come into play. This way, the call team and the lawyer handling the file are looking at the same picture.
Legal and ethical framework
Debtor calls are sensitive and directly affect both the office’s reputation and its legal responsibility:
- Identity confirmation: Information about the debt should be shared only with the debtor; details must not be disclosed to third parties such as family members or colleagues.
- Data protection (KVKK): Call recordings and query results are personal data; the duty to inform must be fulfilled and access rights restricted.
- Measured communication: Threats, pressure or degrading language must never be used; the frequency and times of calls should be reasonable.
- Recording and oversight: Recording calls and being able to listen to them for quality purposes protects both agents and the office.
Which metrics should you track?
- Contact rate: the share of debtors called who were actually reached.
- Promise rate: the share of those reached who promised to pay.
- Promise-kept rate: the share of promises that turned into payment on time.
- Calls per file: how many calls it takes to reach an outcome.
- Performance per agent: call durations, distribution of outcomes and quality reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Does an automatic dialing system replace the agent?
No. Automatic dialing takes over dialling and waiting; the agent is still the one who talks to the debtor, listens and finds a solution. The system lets the agent spend their time on conversations.
Does this setup make sense for a small office too?
Even if the team is only a few people, prioritising lists, recording call outcomes with standard codes and showing UYAP information on the call screen make a difference. The setup can be scaled to the file volume and team structure.
What are call recordings good for?
Recordings help document the agreement reached with the debtor and the promise to pay, support agent training and help assess possible complaints. If calls are recorded, people should be informed accordingly and access to recordings should be restricted.
How Asistan34 makes this easier
Asistan34 is a call center and CRM solution developed specifically for law and enforcement offices since 2010, and it is used by more than 500 offices in all 81 provinces of Turkey. All of the steps above come together on a single platform:
- With the automatic dialing system and predictive dialer, lists are built by filtering on criteria such as amount owed, province and file date, and are called automatically.
- Thanks to UYAP integration, MERNİS, SGK and EGM query results are added automatically to the debtor’s CRM file; the agent sees up-to-date information during the call.
- With live call monitoring and advanced reporting, quality and performance are tracked in one place.
To plan a setup that fits your office’s call volume and team structure, get in touch with us or request a demo.