Thriving In Third Party Collections: An Interview With Matt Logan (sponsored)

Running a successful collection agency can be a rewarding -- and often challenging -- experience. PDCflow’s latest blog series, “Thriving In Third Party Collections,” seeks to provide insight into the histories, motivations, and personalities of successful collectors across the country. We’d like to thank Matt Logan, Vice President of Collection Consultants of California, for participating in the first interview of our series.  

1. How long have you been in the debt collection business?

34 years

2. What is the biggest change in this industry since you started?

Legislation and consumer attorneys.

3. How have you and your agency adapted?

We have always treated consumers with respect and dignity. This helps when defending a suit by proving we are truly trying to help a consumer resolve a responsibility. Even with that proof it continues to be a battle.

4. What do you think has contributed to your longevity and success in this industry?

Listening to the needs of clients and consumers.

5. Where do you see the future of debt collections heading?

Mergers continue to reduce our numbers. The economics of a large agency are simply more favorable for the large agency to survive client loss and lean times.

6. What is your proudest moment in business?

When my daughter was being treated for a serious heart condition at a facility that is also a client. I was proud that I have helped that client stay in business since 1998. I was impressed with the treatment my daughter received and the facility did not know that we had any business connection.

7. In life?

Watching my son graduate from college.

8. What PDCflow Products/Services have been most beneficial to your business? In what capacity?

We have only used the online payment processing services (Credit card, debit card and ACH). The majority of our payments are received through this channel.

9. What do you wish you could do with your payment processing that you can't do today?

Intelligent payment negotiation.

10. If you weren’t at Collection Consultants of California what would you be doing?

Engineer? Macgyver?

11. What resources are most valuable to you with staying up to date on the industry changes?

CAC and ACA.

12. What was the last great book you read? Why was it great?

The Internet is a Playground by David Thorne. Everyone should have something to laugh at.

13. What jobs did you have in high school or college and what lessons did you learn from them that you still put into practice today?

I started working at 14 as a stock boy. Every job from that point on taught me a work ethic that has served me well. I learned to ask for work and different responsibilities. At first I did it to fight boredom, after a while I did it to learn, eventually I did it to move up the "ladder".

About Matt Logan:

Matt Logan is a well known staple in the world of healthcare debt collection. Having been involved in the industry since 1983, Mr. Logan has been a member of the CUBS users group, CAC and ACA. Matt began his career in collections when he went to work for a large agency, based in Los Angeles, CA. In the four years he spent with this company, Matt focused on learning all of the aspects of business. Involved in the company’s site build-out, supporting a point-to-point data network (anyone remember statistical multiplexors?) and providing systems back-up support gave Mr. Logan the technical expertise to support operations.

In 1987, Mr. Logan became a member of CCOC where he is now President and CEO. Since joining CCOC, Matt has built a company that comprises 50 internal employees and over 70 external users. Mr. Logan is still very involved in the day to day operations of CCOC and you will often find him with his sleeves rolled up and his hands in the technical nitty gritty. Matt is very involved in maintaining client relationships and is known as always going beyond his customer's expectations. His professional reputation precedes him on client referrals alone.

For more insights on the Collection Industry and on payments and compliance, subscribe to the PDCflow Blog.