ARC Management Group bridges the gap between businesses and consumers in an effective, efficient way.
By Jennifer Morrell
Since 2005, ARC Management Group has been helping companies to manage, maintain, and sustain communications that drive the revenue process for others. ARC is owned and operated by Bill Wilson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was driven by the need to fill a void in revenue cycle management. He imagined helping companies to grow and better service their customers, and today, ARC serves businesses all over the country.
Wilson and his group grew the right staff of people with top-notch and comprehensive training and technology, while incorporating early out staged billing and portfolio purchasing. Alexandra Carpanzano, director of client acquisitions, works in ARC’s Kennesaw location, and she is passionate about her role in the company.
“I enjoy solving businesses’ problems with unpaid accounts, and helping consumers who face problems with unpaid accounts,” Carpanzano says. “We fill that need for others, not just in Cobb County, but nationally and internationally.”
ARC is a full-service account recovery and collections firm that can carry a company from Day 1, all the way through the litigation process. “Our success is in our people,” Carpanzano says. “ARC’s high employee retention means you will have a dedicated agent to help coordinate your financial recoveries. We thrive on a healthy dissatisfaction of the status quo, providing a secure platform to ensure a dedicated relationship with each of our clients.”
ARC Management Group’s philosophy is to be all about the people — the staff and team, as well as the clients. The mission is to collect with respect and make it easy. “We have a very hands-on relationship with our clients versus other agencies,” Carpanzano says. “We cater our collections around what the client wants and handle each account with care. We don’t just go for the money without concern for the treatment of consumers; we are truly focused on resolution.”
Qualified quality
ARC is ISO 27002 compliant, meaning all data and infrastructure are approved for security standards set forth by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the Information Technology Association Framework (ITAF), set for the federal controls of regulation over data exchange, servers, firewalls, etc. Since ARC is licensed nationwide, the most stringent state laws are followed and applied across the board for all activity, no matter the state where business is being conducted. All HIPAA and FDCPA guidelines are followed, as well as requiring each collector to maintain compliance through nationally recognized monthly testing guidelines. Internal and external auditors hear and review communications between ARC and its clients and consumers.
The company has experience across many verticals within the bad debt industry. Carpanzano says that upon encountering a new vertical, ARC does the research and dedicates the time to understanding those cycles, and trains the collectors and account managers accordingly. “ARC utilizes a combination of technology and people skills to realize cash in optimum time,” she says. “We invest in multiple tools and layered continual training to guarantee top-notch service every day for every account. Our solutions are based on workflow and needs of the potential client, depending on volume, expectations, and laws governing our ability to contact or communicate with customers.” The company’s tight, documented policies and procedures ensure client portfolios receive the most effective level of service.
Between offices in Kennesaw, Georgia, and Hollywood, Florida, ARC employs about 50 people and maintains a nationwide network of law firms in partners to assist with any court necessary proceedings during recover stages. The group currently services about 170 clients, from low-volume, privately owned businesses to extremely high volumes for emergency room groups, providers, and state facilities.
COVID lessons
During tough times amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ARC was willing to work with customers in new ways and get creative in its offerings while sticking to its original plan. “No one wants to ignore their obligations,” Carpanzano says. “ARC is asked to step in to make sure they are honored. It is literally our job to stay in communication with the customer and resolve the account, so our clients can do what they do best: run their business. At the end of the day and the transaction, everyone is grateful. Hiring a professional to handle accounts receivables is the smartest and safest thing a company can do.”
In some ways, surviving year one of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way ARC does business. The experience emphasized the way business is conducted and ARC’s culture. This meant staying focused on the task at hand, while navigating the sensitivities of what was happening around the world and taking time to listen to consumers in order to offer a resolution that moved in the right direction. On the other hand, all too often consumers have the resources to pay and are simply unwilling. In this instance, ARC monitors their network of law firms for compliance with all laws and to ensure the consumer is handled in a respectful manner. No matter the circumstances, ARC anticipates resolution.
“Our motto that we ‘collect with respect’ became truly tested, tried, and remained true,” Carpanzano says. “Our clients knew we were there for them. We gave our employees the option to work from home. Some chose to do so, while a few others continued to come into the office each day. Working from home meant delivering and setting up secure and locking work stations with approved networks for recorded activities and calls to maintain compliance and seamless interactions.
“Those who stayed in the office were treated to catered lunch from a local restaurant every single day for 10 weeks from Bill Wilson,” she continues. “And one employee was so dedicated that she didn’t take a single day off from January until August. Those who had been home were welcomed back in stages, and new stations were set up around the office to maintain safe distancing. Even physically apart, we still had the family feel, but coming back together was rejuvenating.”
The flexibility of the staff became evident. Between some working from home amongst their family members, and those who came into the office every day, there were a lot of moving parts to manage. The flow of communication had to remain unbroken. “The way we treat people became even more important, because while we have set policies, we were suddenly requiring everyone to stretch in order to maintain our processes and procedures to obtain results and resolutions for our clients,” Carpanzano says.
Since ARC had already set up the best possible arrangements for customers, COVID didn’t affect the operations, ARC simply adjusted the options so all parties would have the best outcome. Overall numbers were lower in 2020 than in previous years, but the group still did a significant amount of business, says Carpanzano.
ARC emphasizes a strong sense of family, watching over each other, and assuring the staff stays safe. “Our ability to shift and turn quickly to meet our clients’ needs proved the true partnership we have with each of them,” Carpanzano says, “as they were going through their own troubles and organizational challenges due to COVID.”
“Everyone can lay down at night knowing we did the right thing, we treated people the right way, and we are always headed the right direction,” she says. “We don’t have any issues; we resolve them.”
