Benefits To Members
ADRA is the home and voice of the professional debt recovery industry as well as the home and voice of the individual debt recovery practice. All the benefits ADRA offers are equally applicable to small and large practitioners, whether you are a law firm specialising in debt collection, a credit provider with an internal debt collection divisions or a service provider to the industry. If you embrace our norms and values there is a home for you in ADRA.
Below a snapshot of benefits and advantages ADRA members have over non-ADRA members.
Procurement preference
The industry client base (both private and public sector) value the safety net of assurance of professionalism, competence, ethics and accountability embodied in ADRA membership.
Since ADRA succeeded in driving the enactment of the Debt Collectors Act, the ADRA Code of Conduct at the time was effectively adopted as the statutory Code of Conduct as now contained in the Regulations to the Act. With this ADRA shifted its focus from the governance of the debt collector - consumer relationship to the enhancement of the debt collector - credit provider relationship.
ADRA actively engages the credit industry thereby promoting the ADRA brand and with that the business interest of its individual members. Due to the value ADRA membership offers the industry client base and the esteem in which the ADRA brand is held, ADRA receives regular requests from credit providers for assistance in identifying suitably positioned members for appointment as service providers. In many instances ADRA membership is a stated prerequisite or added value item in tender invitations.
This growing need of credit providers moved ADRA to establish a detailed verified online Member Database which credit providers frequent for their procurement needs.
Education
Member education is a fundamental function of ADRA and ensures not only growth and sustainability of members and the improvement of the professional industry reputation but a safety net for credit providers.
Education is provided through a variety of vehicles including the annual "Road-Shows" hosted in all major centres, newsletters containing breaking industry news and views, a quarterly industry publication, the ADRALink, and the publication of industry research and legal opinions etc. The accreditation of formal training service providers and the accreditation of ADRA itself as a formal industry training service provider is a priority on the ADRA agenda.
ADRA is at an advanced stage of publishing a comprehensive "Debt Collection Manual" which will provide guidance to our members on just about every conceivable industry topic. The publication will be made available onliine to all ADRA members and their staff free of charge.
The ADRA office also provides expert guidance to all its members on an ad hoc basis and has done so for 25 years.
Summary
- PROCUREMENT PREFERENCE
- EDUCATION
- PROTECTION OF INDUSTRY
- ACCREDDITATION OF PREFERRED SERVICE PROVIDERS
- NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
- DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- BALANCING PUBLIC OPINION
- FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Protection of Industry
ADRA represents its members and the debt recovery industry in developing reasonable and equitable legislation and standards through constructive engagement of and, debate with legislative and regulatory authorities. In doing so ADRA emphasise that, while regulation is desirable, a trend towards erosion of credit provider remedies and inconsistent application of controls can harm businesses, consumers and ultimately the economy. Legislation and regulatory policy needs to provide clarity for all stakeholders and not be overly onerous on one party.
As self appointed gatekeeper of the debt collection industry ADRA actively and aggressively represents its members in all relevant forums. Recent achievements on this front include:
- Salvaging Section 57 and 58 of the Magistrates Courts Act as collection procedures
- Salvaging emoluments attachment orders as collection procedure
- Preventing the enforcement of an "Opt Out" option in electronic debt recovery messages
- Moving the Council and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to accept critical additions to the Tariff contained in Annexure B.
- Successfully negotiating regular inflationary increases to the Tariff.
- Moving the Council and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development to adopt the concept of "candidate debt collectors" thereby creating a mechanism promoting job creation by expediting the registration process, reducing cost of registration of new entrants into the industry and simultaneously reducing the risk to employers of making appointments of individuals from outside the industry.
- Tempering imbalanced investigation and search and seizure statutory provisions which left scope for autocratic abuse.
- Successfully representing industry interest in payment streaming access such as debit orders with the Payment System Stakeholders Forum.
- Providing valuable input in the draft amendments to the National Credit Act
On the industry regulatory front ADRA maintains material representation on the Board of Directors of the statutory Council for Debt Collectors.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Credit Providers and consumers refer allegation of alleged misconduct by members to the ADRA office for resolution. In most instances disputes are amicably resolved to the satisfaction of all parties within a matter of days or even hours thereby preventing potential protracted, costly and counter-productive litigation and/or prosecution.
BALANCING PUBLIC OPINION
ADRA ensures fair and accurate reporting of the industry and its members by engaging regularly with the media in all its form.
Financial Sustainability
ADRA has achieved all this and more by raising only a fraction of its income from members. ADRA supplements its income from sponsorships and creating marketing opportunities.
Accreditation of Preferred Service Providers
By mustering the astronomical buying power of the combined ADRA membership, ADRA is constantly searching for and accrediting services providers relevant to our industry thereby securing greatly reduced rates for its members and ensuring that members has access to the highest standard of service/goods which is compliant with the unique requirements of our industry.
Service providers in the following areas have been accredited:
- SMS Services
- MMS Services
- Telephony
- Payment Streaming Services such as debit order systems
- Medical Aid
- Provident Fund
Networking platform
Through an array of activities ADRA creates opportunity for its members to meet and interact not only with its peers, but with credit providers (public and private sector) and other industry relevant institutions and individuals such as service providers and statutory regulators.
The creation of these opportunities has not been limited to South Africa only but has ADRA built a strong relationship with international institutions, such as FENCA (Federation of European National Collection Agencies), the American Lawyers Association (ALA), the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA) and pockets of organised industry representatives in Africa. ADRA was invited as guest speaker to the 2012 FENCA World Congress and during 2013 hosted the International Debt Collection Workshop which was particularly well received by the industry.
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