As Commercial Payments Slow, The Right Contact Can Change

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• The National Association of Credit Management's Credit Managers' Index fell 1.8 points to 54.6 in August, and NACM reported that more business customers are delaying payment to preserve cash.
• Southwest Recovery Services scores each commercial account for contact probability and verifies contact data before its first outreach attempt.
• The firm works commercial accounts in all 50 states on contingency-only pricing: no recovery, no fee.

Addison, TX, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Credit Management's Credit Managers' Index fell 1.8 points to 54.6 in August 2026. NACM reported that business customers increasingly expect payment extensions, holding cash or waiting to pay suppliers until they are paid themselves, regardless of contract terms. As those invoices age, the contact on file may no longer be the person who can approve payment. Southwest Recovery Services, a commercial collection agency founded in 2004 with 12 offices across seven states, scores each placed account for contact probability and verifies contact data.

"In a slower-paying market, the first contact on a commercial account carries more weight. We built our own sequence for scoring and routing each account on two decades of recovery data, and it decides which accounts we work first and how we reach them," said Steven Dietz, CEO & Founder of Southwest Recovery Services, whose career began in the early 1990s, working accounts as a collector before founding the firm.

How an Account Moves From Placement to Outreach

Southwest Recovery Services works each commercial account through four stages.

Stage	What happens
1. Placement	The creditor submits the debtor business name, last known address, balance owed, invoice documentation and any prior collection attempts. Outreach begins within 24 hours.
2. Account assessment	The team reviews the account history, runs skip tracing if needed and decides on the approach: direct outreach, escalated demand, payment plan negotiation or pre-legal.
3. Scoring and contact verification	Each account is scored for contact probability. The team verifies contact data and identifies the decision-makers to reach at the debtor company, such as accounts payable, the controller or ownership.
4. Sequenced outreach	Contact is sequenced by timing, channel and balance size across phone, email and automated voice.

What Contact-Probability Scoring Changes

A high-balance account with a verified accounts payable contact and a small balance with a disconnected number have different starting points, and the routing reflects the difference. On B2B collections accounts, the verification step aims the first contact at someone from the debtor company who can resolve the balance.

Where Compliance Fits Into the Sequence

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) covers consumer debts, not commercial accounts. The firm validates each phone number before a call as part of its Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What is predictive scoring in debt collection?
Answer: Predictive scoring rates each account by how likely the agency is to reach someone who can pay it. Agencies use the score to choose which accounts to work first and which channel to open with. Southwest Recovery Services scores commercial accounts for contact probability before outreach.

Question: How quickly does a commercial collection agency start working a new account?
Answer: Timelines vary by agency, so creditors should ask before they place accounts. On a new account, the agency usually starts by reviewing the file and running skip tracing to verify current contact data. Southwest Recovery Services typically onboards new clients within 24 hours.

Question: What does skip tracing do on a commercial account?
Answer: Skip tracing locates current contact information for a business that has stopped responding, including decision-makers, registered agents and alternate contacts at the debtor company. When an agency verifies those contacts before outreach, it can direct its first attempt to someone who can approve payment.

Source: NACM News: Growth cools as customers continue to hold onto cash (2026).

About Southwest Recovery Services
Southwest Recovery Services is a debt collection and accounts receivable management firm headquartered in Addison, Texas, with offices in Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio and Colorado. Founded in 2004, the company provides first-party collections, third-party collections, accounts receivable management, revenue cycle management, skip tracing and asset location services to clients ranging from independent medical practices to enterprise commercial creditors. Southwest Recovery Services scores accounts for contact probability before outreach and sequences contact based on timing, channel and balance size, drawing on two decades of recovery data across Dallas-Fort Worth and seven states.

CONTACT: Sabrina Nunez Zen Media...

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