· Reviewed by Nimra Khalid
What are first-party collections services?
First-party collections services are overdue-invoice follow-up carried out in the creditor's own name, as an extension of its accounts team. A remote specialist calls and emails late-paying customers, confirms the invoice, resolves obstacles and agrees a payment date or plan. Unlike third-party arrangements, the relationship, the receivable and every decision stay with the business.
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Collections: what we do and how it runs
First-party collections services are overdue-invoice follow-up carried out in the creditor's own name, as an extension of its accounts team. A remote specialist calls and emails late-paying customers, confirms the invoice, resolves obstacles and agrees a payment date or plan. Unlike third-party arrangements, the relationship, the receivable and every decision stay with the business.
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What it is
First-party collections services are overdue-invoice follow-up carried out in the creditor's own name, as an extension of its accounts team. A remote specialist calls and emails late-paying customers, confirms the invoice, resolves obstacles and agrees a payment date or plan. Unlike third-party arrangements, the relationship, the receivable and every decision stay with the business.
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What you get
Courteous phone follow-up in your name, not a third party's
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How it runs
Promise-to-pay tracking with follow-up on the promised date
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Discovery call
A 20-minute call to review the accounts you want worked, their history, any disputes you know about and the tone you want. We agree what you will and will not accept as a plan.
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A named accountant, a backup and a team lead
Inside your own software, on a fixed close calendar, with a reply from a person within 1 business day. Call +1-657-777-0006 or start a quote.
Get a custom quote 06 / 06
Who it is for
Owner-operators
You have a handful of customers who are 60 or 90 days late and you keep putting off the awkward call. You want it made professionally, in your name, without burning the relationship.
Businesses with concentrated receivables
Home care agencies, staffing firms and contractors depend on a few large payers. One slow account affects payroll, so persistent, documented follow-up matters more than tough talk.
Finance managers
Your team runs reminders but nobody owns the phone stage. You want a structured call cadence, a promise-to-pay log and a monthly number for what was recovered.
What's included
- Structured call cadence for invoices past the reminder stage
- Calls made in your company name from a branded line
- TCPA and FDCPA-aware scripts, reviewed for each country you sell in
- Promise-to-pay log with amount, date and follow-up on the day
- Payment plan proposals prepared to your written rules for your approval
- Invoice copies, statements and proof of delivery sent during the call
- Obstacle resolution: missing POs, wrong contacts, portal rejections, disputes
- Escalation notes for accounts that need your personal involvement
- Payments posted and the account closed once cleared
- Call recordings where local law allows, available for your review
- Weekly summary of calls, promises, payments and stalls
- Monthly recovered-amount report by customer and aging bucket
Deliverables and KPIs
| Deliverable | KPI we report | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Call cadence worked | Every account in scope receives a call attempt within 2 business days of entering | Weekly |
| Promise-to-pay tracking | Every promise logged; broken promises followed up next business day | Weekly |
| Payment plans | Every plan documented, approved by you and tracked to completion | Per invoice |
| Obstacle log | Every reason for non-payment recorded with owner and next step | Weekly |
| Recovery report | Recovered amount per month by customer, bucket and outcome | Monthly |
| Escalation pack | Full contact history handed to you for any account you decide to escalate | Per invoice |
KPIs are what we measure and report, agreed per engagement. Service-level commitments are set in your agreement.
How it works
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Discovery call
A 20-minute call to review the accounts you want worked, their history, any disputes you know about and the tone you want. We agree what you will and will not accept as a plan.
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Scripts, rules and access
We write call scripts and payment-plan rules in your voice and send them for approval. You grant access to your accounting or AR tool and a branded phone line and mailbox within 48 to 72 hours.
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Dedicated specialist assigned
A named specialist, a backup and a team lead begin the call cadence. Each account is prepared first: invoice, delivery proof, contact and any earlier reminders, so the first call is informed.
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Weekly cycle and monthly report
Calls, promises and payments are logged all week; payment plans are proposed for your approval; payments are posted. Each month you receive the recovered-amount report and a list of accounts for your decision.
Software we work in
How much does collections cost?
First-party collections are priced as a share of a dedicated specialist's time, sized by the number of accounts worked each month and the countries called. We do not charge contingency fees or a share of what is recovered, because the receivable stays yours. There is no setup fee and engagements run month-to-month. Pricing depends on volume and scope, so we send a custom quote within 1 business day.
What moves the quote
- Number of accounts and invoices in the call cadence each month
- Countries called and the consent, hours and recording rules that apply
- Whether payment plans and dispute resolution are in scope
- Whether payment posting and AR reporting are included
Market benchmarks
| Market | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | Dedicated offshore billing and AR staff $8 to $35 per hour all-inclusive; US-based equivalents $40 to $75 per hour | Madras, Acculink, Rose Talent (2026) |
| UK | Bookkeeping and credit control support £20 to £55 per hour | UK provider pricing surveys (2026) |
| Australia | Bookkeeping and AR support A$40 to A$100 per hour | Australian bookkeeping fee surveys (2026) |
Third-party ranges for orientation, not our prices.
Get a custom quote No setup fee. Month-to-month.
Collections for your industry
Case study
90+ day AR down 62%
Case studyCutting 90+ day AR by 62% for a home-care agency
A home-care agency in the Midwest billed a mix of Medicaid waiver programs, managed-care plans, long-term care insurance and private-pay families. Claims went out, but nobody owned the follow-up. Denials sat in the clearinghouse, family invoices were sent once and forgotten, and the 90+ day bucket grew every month. The agency engaged LedgerBPO for home-care billing, accounts receivable and AR follow-up calls. A named billing specialist, a backup and a team lead worked inside the agency's scheduling software, clearinghouse and QuickBooks Online. Over the engagement the 90+ day AR balance fell by 62%. The agency did not add staff, change payers or switch software. It added a team whose only job was to bill cleanly and follow every unpaid claim and invoice to a resolution.
Security and compliance
- First-party only: calls in your name, no assignment of receivables, no third-party referral
- Agents never take or store card details; customers pay through your portal or bank
- TCPA and FDCPA-aware scripts, permitted calling hours and recording notices per country
Full control list on the security page and country rules on the compliance page. Certifications are listed only when held.
Frequently asked questions
How much do outsourced collections services cost?
Pricing depends on volume and scope, and we send a custom quote within 1 business day. We charge for a specialist's time rather than a percentage of what is recovered, because the receivable stays yours. As a market reference, dedicated offshore billing and AR staff cost $8 to $35 per hour all-inclusive, against $40 to $75 per hour for US-based staff (Madras, Acculink, Rose Talent, 2026).
Are you a third-party agency?
No. We are your accounts team working under your name. We do not buy receivables, take assignment of them, charge contingency fees or contact customers as a third party. If an account needs formal action, we hand you the complete history and you choose what to do next with your own adviser.
What does a soft collections call sound like?
Calm, prepared and specific. The specialist introduces themselves as part of your accounts team, confirms the invoice and amount, asks whether anything is holding payment up, resolves what they can on the call, and agrees a payment date. There is no pressure language. Scripts are TCPA and FDCPA-aware in the US and follow local rules elsewhere.
How do you track promises to pay?
Every promise is logged with the customer, invoice, amount and date. On that date the specialist checks the bank or ledger; if paid, the account closes, and if not, a follow-up call goes out the next business day. Repeated broken promises are flagged so you can decide on a hold, a plan or escalation.
Can you set up payment plans?
Yes, within rules you set in advance: minimum installment, maximum term, and whether a first payment is required on the call. The specialist proposes the plan, you approve it, and it is documented and tracked to completion. Customers make each installment through your payment portal; agents never take card numbers. See our payment plan setup service for the phone workflow.
What if the customer disputes the invoice?
The call switches from collecting to resolving. The specialist records the reason, gathers the job sheet, delivery proof or contract, and routes the dispute to the person on your side who can decide. The account leaves the call cadence until it is resolved, then either re-enters or receives a credit note.
Which countries can you call?
The US, UK, Canada and Australia, in each market's business hours. Calling rules differ: TCPA and FDCPA-aware practice in the US, PECR and Ofcom rules in the UK, ACMA rules in Australia and CRTC rules in Canada. We confirm consent, hours and recording requirements for each country before the first call.
How is this different from your payment reminders service?
Payment reminders cover the early stage: pre-due notes, emails and texts, with calls from around two weeks past due. First-party collections is the later stage for accounts that have not responded: prepared phone calls, promise-to-pay tracking and payment plans. Most clients run both as one DunningDesk sequence, with the reminder history carried into the call stage.
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