https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Commentary

How government agencies can conquer account revenue management challenges in 2018

How government agencies can conquer account revenue management challenges in 2018

Ontario Systems' Steve Ard and Brett Sivits explain how governments can best overcome account revenue management issues.
  • Written by contributor
  • 17th January 2018

By Steve Ard and Brett Sivits

There are many challenges facing government agencies in 2018, both big and small. Chief among them is the age-old question: how can they do more with less? Government collections agencies are being tasked with more and more accounts, but with fewer staff to manage them. The national political climate hasn’t helped, either. State and local governments are extremely risk averse; some are dealing with pressure to streamline agencies and close central collection units. Agencies have been reluctant to offer new RFPs in 2017. Few have adopted new technology solutions, as most don’t have the in-house expertise to implement them. There is no way of knowing how long the downturn will last, but there is strong hope that things start moving forward in 2018.

With that in mind, how can agencies successfully tackle account revenue management (ARM) in the next year?

For starters, governments need to learn about the collections technologies that are available on the market and then determine how to implement them to their best advantage. There are many ways to accomplish revenue recovery without increasing staff, primarily through automation. Getting educated on what is available and then acquiring and implementing a useful automation toolset can substantially boost revenue recovery. There are even ways to do it without impacting the budget.

The single easiest way to move the needle is to add new channels of communication. Dialers, unattended messages, email, and SMS are necessary going forward. Using analytics to determine collectability and direct resources appropriately would also be a step in the right direction. By partnering with technology and solutions providers with a strong background in compliance, government collection agencies can reduce costs and increase revenue—all while remaining compliant. Blending compliant collections tools and technology can be done with little to no impact on the government’s budget.

Another key is to maximize employee productivity. Many state and local governments are slow to enforce employee productivity standards. Employees see themselves as “case workers,” which translates to a great deal of misplaced time from individual staff. Staff should be more segmented and procedures more automated. This can be done by using a combination of state-of-the-art collections tools and technology and providing the appropriate level of training for the collections staff. Buying a good collections product is useful, but it only goes so far if the staff doesn’t know learn how to use it to full advantage. Utilizing the right product from an experienced vendor—and providing the proper training—yields amazing results. 

By educating themselves on available solutions, picking the tools that best suit their needs, and maximizing their employees’ productivity, government collection agencies can conquer ARM challenges in 2018 while reducing costs and increasing revenue.

Steve Ard and Brett Sivits respectively serve as the director of government services and a client executive at Ontario Systems, an accounts receivables management company.

 

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: Economy Commentaries Commentary

Most Recent


  • HUD awards 28 multifamily subsidized properties $18 million for green energy retrofits, modernization
    The challenges of retrofitting legacy properties to modern standards can’t be understated—both practically and fiscally. The latest investment of $18 million in funding through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program announced last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is intended to help property owners participating in assistant multifamily housing programs […]
  • NYC is relaxing zoning to incentivize commercial-residential building conversions; industry experts say it's a complicated process
    With the commercial vacancy rate cresting 17% nationally this summer, cities and counties across the United States are scrambling to find sustainable strategies to reverse the trend. Converting empty commercial spaces into residential housing is one oft-talked about solution that many communities are considering. Following an “up to 75%” tax break initiative in Boston announced […]
  • NLC economic mobility grant program to support 8 American cities with more than $100K
    Eight American cities are the recipients of more than $100,000 for economic mobility initiatives from the National League of Cities. The competitive application program, called the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program, provides the funding to help communities launch or expand initiatives in one of three key areas: for employment opportunities, small business support, and […]
  • NYC's department of transportation to hold hearing on proposed citywide use of pedal-assisted cargo bikes
    In an effort to cut down on congestion and reduce pollution, New York City’s Department of Transportation wants to let delivery companies use pedal-assisted cargo bikes. An ongoing 30-day comment solicitation period for the proposed rule is slated to culminate in a public hearing next month. “Greater use of cargo bikes will bring incredible environmental […]

Related Content

  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Rethinking the ways cities can invest in vital neighborhoods
  • How to innovate and invest on a budget in state and local IT services
  • Treasury Department launches Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to deliver $350 billion in funding

WHITE PAPERS


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

Podcast


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2023

7th September 2023

U.S. cities with the cleanest air from latest “State of the Air” report

5th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.