This post was originally published in October 2021 and was updated with additional information in August 2025 to reflect the latest insights and technology in collections.
What do collectors and detectives have in common? More than you think.
If you’re a true-crime fan, you know the drill. A suspect sits in front of two detectives who ask question after question with the aim of achieving the ultimate goal: Get to the truth.
Detective investigations aren’t all that different from a collections call. While the situation may not be as dramatic, a collector’s motives and means are much the same. You’re trying to get as much information as you can from your customer contact to resolve the case.
Much like detectives, professional collectors rely on the 6 Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
The Six Ws of Collections
Who
Identify the right people to solve a situation
What
Identify the problem, both on behalf of your customer and of yourself
Where
Determine locations or areas that will help you resolve issues delaying payment
When
Establish timelines and expectations for when a payment will be processed and sent
Why
Know why the problem exists in the first place (perhaps most important)
How
Increase understanding of the situation and how customers’ processes work
These open-ended questions are the basic techniques of information gathering and problem-solving. Today, however, the key isn’t just asking the right questions; it’s having the answers before you even need to ask.
The 6 Ws of Collections: Manual Investigation or Modern Intelligence?
In collections, the last thing you want to do is to make multiple calls about the same issue because you neglected to get all the relevant information the first time. Efficiency is key and modern approaches are streamlining this work.
The traditional approach is to use the 6 Ws to get all your answers in one call. The modern approach is to have (most of) the answers before you even pick up the phone, elevating your practice from data-finding exploration to strategic conversation.
Let’s compare.
Navigating the 6 Ws: The Old Way vs. The New Way
| The Old Way | The New Way | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Manually hunting for the right contact or internal approver to resolve an issue | Automated workflows route information to the right people at the right time, providing a complete communication history |
| What | Focusing on one overdue invoice at a time, trying to figure out what the immediate problem is | Viewing the entire account status—all invoices, disputes, and payment history—on one dashboard |
| Where | Relying on knowing the physical location of payment centers or specific documents | Physical location becomes irrelevant — all documents and communications are stored in a centralized system |
| When | Asking customers for payment and relying on their verbal commitments to estimate the remittance date | AI-powered cash forecasting empowers you to confidently predict when payments will be received |
| Why | Investigating the “why” behind a single late payment to make a one-off credit decision for that specific customer | AI analyzes all payment behavior to pinpoint trends, high-risk accounts, and system-wide optimization strategies for collections |
| How | Handling every overdue invoice manually, spending time learning each customer’s unique financial process | Automating collections, using AI to organize, summarize, and draft emails – so your team can resolve issues up to 10x faster |
Who
The Old Way
Asking “who” helps identify the right people to resolve a situation. If your customer contact claims that checks are cut on a certain day and you need payment faster, finding out who has the power to authorize a payment can lead you to getting paid sooner. By asking who, you can track down the right person in your own organization to get status updates on disputes.
The New Way: Centralized Visibility
Modern AR platforms provide a single source of truth. With centralized communications and account data, you have complete visibility into your customer interactions. Instead of hunting for the right person, you can see a complete history of communications and identify key contacts automatically, ensuring you’re always talking to the right person at the right time.
What
The Old Way
“What” allows you to identify the problem. Before picking up the phone, you’d ask yourself, “What am I trying to accomplish with this call?” to keep the conversation focused. On the phone, you’d look at what else is coming due and ask about those invoices to identify future issues early.
The New Way: Proactive Control
Today’s technology gives you complete account visibility before you make contact. With integrated dashboards, you see the entire account history—outstanding invoices, planned actions, and active disputes. This allows you to take proactive control, shifting from reacting to individual overdue invoices to managing the entire customer relationship strategically.
Where
The Old Way
Where” is all about determining locations or areas that will help you resolve the issues that may be delaying payment. Knowing from where your customers’ payments are generated is very important. If they are generated from a different location than where your contact is located, then your payment may be delayed further. You also need to know where to look for information, whether it’s in a PO or a contract.
The New Way: Digital Automation
Advanced AR platforms make physical location irrelevant by digitizing the entire process. For disputes, a smart case management system provides a central “where” for all related documents and communications, accelerating resolution. This level of automation removes friction and streamlines workflows, regardless of where your customers are located.
When
The Old Way
“When” establishes timelines and expectations. The most obvious question is identifying when a payment will be made or sent. Many times, a professional collector will be told invoices won’t be paid until a return is made. Establishing when the product will be returned will help you understand the timeline of when a payment will eventually be made. Having the customer commit to when they will have an answer or an update to a particular issue allows you to establish an expectation from them.
The New Way: AI-Powered Foresight
Instead of asking for a payment date, what if you could predict it? Our platform uses AI to generate accurate cash flow predictions. This AI-powered cash forecasting doesn’t just estimate payment dates; it gives you the visibility to make more accurate business decisions and manage resources more effectively.
Why
The Old Way
“Why” might be the most critical question. Knowing why a problem exists goes a long way to resolving it and influences your decision making. If the reason is financial instability, it could affect future credit decisions and business with that customer.
The New Way: Strategic Insights at Scale
Billtrust’s AI-powered Autopilot helps you understand the “why” behind payment behavior by analyzing customer data to identify high-risk accounts. It provides the data needed to tailor and optimize collections strategies for maximum effectiveness. This intelligence is also vital for making smarter credit decisions, allowing you to proactively adjust credit limits and turn your AR process into a true revenue driver.
How
The Old Way
Understanding “how” your customer’s processes work is crucial. “How are payments made?” “How does the payment approval process work?” The answers help you know when to expect payment and who to escalate issues to.
The New Way: Intelligent Automation
Agentic AI streamlines “how” you communicate by systematically organizing your inbox into themes like payment promises and disputes. Our AI can even draft responses to common inquiries, allowing your team to resolve issues up to 10x faster. This intelligent automation frees your team from repetitive manual tasks to focus on more strategic work.
Stop Investigating and Start Collecting
It’s time to evolve beyond manual detective work. Billtrust’s AI-powered Collections and Credit platform gives you the control, visibility, and automation you need to modernize your operations.
With Billtrust, you can:
- Automate manual work and prioritize your most critical accounts
- Gain the insights you need to reduce DSO and improve cash flow
- Turn your AR team into a revenue driver with smarter credit and collections strategies
To learn more about how Billtrust can transform your collections process, let’s connect and an expert will be in touch with you soon.
