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There’s no sugar-coating it: collections is a difficult gig. Finding the right blend of care and professionalism is a tough line to walk. Thankfully, Alice Morell has empathy in spades. Working her way through Altogether Group from a casual cleaning assistant to our Collections 2IC, she says that if you’ve got heart and drive, there’s a place for you here.
If you’re going through a rough patch in life, everyday tasks can quickly become overwhelming. The letters pile up, the inbox is full of unread notifications, and sorting out the bills can feel like hiking Mount Everest.
When you pick up the phone to pay an overdue bill, Alice Morrell is exactly the kind of person you’d want on the other end of the line.
With a friendly demeanour, tangible warmth and professional understanding, Alice thrives as our Collections 2IC. In this customer-focused role, she spends a large part of her time helping people who’ve fallen behind and need support to pay their bills.
“Collections can be quite difficult. The people we talk to are experiencing hardship, sometimes at quite extreme levels. In this role, you need to have a strong sense of empathy - people will pour their heart out to you. But on the other hand, we are a business, and we want people to pay. It can be a difficult line to walk, but Altogether has a strong people-first value. So, that’s the priority - how can we support them as people?”
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Alice has just celebrated her seven-year anniversary at Altogether, the latest milestone in a journey that’s seen her go from strength to strength. While she’s always had a knack for customer service, Alice says the most important quality for a collections officer is a desire to learn.
“My friend, Erica, started here as a cleaner, and I had helped her out a few times. Then she got a job in customer service and moved up into a team leader role - that’s when she said, ‘Come work with me!’ I’d never had an office job before, but I came in for an interview and they were happy to give it to me.”
Alice fondly recalls the paper application forms and handheld phones from her early days at Altogether and marvels at the progression she’s seen over her years with our organisation. Now, she’s working across multiple systems with a solid understanding of industry rules and regulations, while supporting a team of collectors to grow their skills, too.
“There’s plenty of opportunities for career development. I’ve seen a lot of movement between departments. I think customer service was a great place to start because it helped build a foundation of knowledge for our systems and services. Moving into collections was still a learning curve, with different regulations in place. But there are plenty of avenues to explore and support in every corner.”
On the outside looking in, collections may seem like a tricky role. While Alice faces her fair share of challenging days, she says these are outweighed by the positive impact and purpose found in every conversation.
“I really love talking to customers. Every day, I speak to someone different. It could be helping an elderly person set up their account. Or if someone is struggling with a bill they’ve received, we can help them access government support. Just yesterday, I talked with someone who was in a fraud situation and was really worried about their debt. We have systems in place to offer them support - it’s nice to be a meaningful part of that process and to feel that we can help make tomorrow better.”
And the best part about doing it at Altogether rather than anywhere else? Well, it’s all about the values our team shares.
“Altogether really does care. If you’re like me and you love customer service, it’s a great place to be. We’re not forced to make a quick decision or throw money at a problem to make it go away. We really look into it to find the best solution for the customer.”
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