Intelec is an intelligent collection system and there are significant differences between traditional data-based systems and intelligent systems. To fully appreciate this technology, you need a basic understanding of the concepts of expert systems. If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to review "The Intelec Story" and "An Overview of Intelec". Use the "Back" button on your browser or the "Go back" link on each page to return to this page. Intelec was designed to be used and supported by non-technical people - You can take advantage of this powerful technology with only your collection knowledge and an understanding of the features of the system!

The following demonstration will take you through the major areas of the system. As you progress through the demonstration, click on the links to display sample screens.

This presentation is best viewed on a high-resolution monitor, in full-screen mode (use F11 from Internet Explorer), with your display set to a resolution of 1024 by 768. We have obtained best results with Internet Explorer Version 5 or higher.

Intelec is a multi-company system that allows you to set up different companies on the same data base. Different companies could be used to manage different business operations, different offices, or for separating an early-out operation from bad debt collections. There is security to restrict access to different companies, based on the user who is accessing the system. Intelec is a menu-driven system - You define which menus a user is allowed to access and what areas of the system they can work with. (E.g. Client update, client inquiry etc.). To give you an example of a menu, the following is the "Main Menu" for the system.

   Understanding account information

This area will help you to understand the type of information we store about a debtor and the individual accounts for a debtor. Intelec allows you to "link" multiple accounts for the same debtor and to view and work them as a "group". Linking can be managed based on the client or type of account.

Let us first look for an account. You would select Account Inquiry to find an account.

Following is an account detail screen, the main screen that will be presented when working an account.

We also have an optional graphical user interface (GUI) for Intelec. This is an example of the account detail screen with a "PC look".

Some important concepts :

• You will notice the debtor's name highlighted in red. This is because there is something important about this account you want the user to be aware of. There are user defined "Description Codes" (DC on the right-hand side of the 5th line) that can be 'trained' to warn the user of special conditions. In this case the user can press a key to display the descriptions of the special conditions.
  
  
• On the first line of the account detail screen, you will see a field "Coll" which refers to collectors. This is an important feature because Intelec supports the concept of an "owner" and a "worker" for every account. At any given time, the person who has to work the account may not be the owner - it could be a support person such as a skip-tracer or client services representative. Depending on what the support person (worker) does, Intelec will also allow you to give credit to more than one person when a payment is received. The percentage of credit that the other worker will receive is user-defined.
  
  
• Intelec allows you to maintain a primary balance, interest, and up to 10 user-defined secondary balances on every account. These balance types can be defined at the company or the client level. Balance types, along with other debtor information, are displayed on the second detail screen. Secondary balances are user-defined and the manner in which they affect the system are specified in the knowledge base. (E.g. Does a collector get credit for payments? Is commission taken? Do payment transactions show on a client remittance statement? etc.)
  
  
• In addition to displaying information about a specific account, you can see that the debtor has a total of three "linked accounts". The total linked balance is $ 5246.79 and one of the 3 accounts is paid in-full. You can display a summary of the linked accounts in a new window, and then select and view the details of individual accounts. There are options to summarize the linked accounts by client, account type, worker etc.
  
  
• The most recent notes are displayed on the account detail screen and more notes can be displayed by using a function key. Notes can be displayed in different colors to highlight special conditions or comments.
  
  
• The most recent payment transactions on the account being presented are displayed. All the payment transactions on an account can be displayed if required, along with details such as commissions, collectors who received credit etc. The "Last payment" field on the screen will consider all the linked accounts and summarize the last transaction relating to the "debtor".
  
  
• There are many other windows where information can be stored. These do not have to used, but are available when needed. As an example there is an attorney screen. If information is filled in, letters will be sent to the attorney.
  
  
• There is a screen for "Additional contacts".
  
  
• Depending on the type of account you can display "Additional information". The system will display different screens based on the type of account. E.g. If the account is a medical account, an insurance screen is displayed. If it is a utility account, service information is displayed.
  
  
• If you are working a medical account, Intelec will allow you to store and print a 1500 or UB92 form.
  
  
• Other examples of account-related windows are the skip tracing, bankruptcy, financial profile and legal information screens. In a case where there is important information that does not correspond to any specific fields or screens within Intelec, this information can be placed on a "user-defined" window. Up to 99 such windows can be set up and multiple windows can be associated with one account. Some examples of the use of this feature would be to store an invoice detail or an itemized statement for a debtor. The special windows can be designated in a manner that will not allow users to add or update any information, or as windows that can be changed by a user. Any information stored in a user-defined window can be printed and some information can also be included in letters.
  
  
• Let us consider the ease-of-use of the system. Consider the need to set up a payment arrangement. From the account detail screen the user can display the setup screen for payment arrangements. This was designed to be used without the need for paper or a calculator! The system allows the user to analyze the impact of changing the installment amount or number of installments, taking into consideration all management guidelines that may be client and/or balance-related. In addition to a simple payment arrangement with fixed installments at standard frequencies, you can set up a nonlinear arrangement (variable amounts and dates) or enter a series of postdated checks or direct checks (checks that will be printed at your office).
  

This should give you a good idea of the debtor and account information that is maintained within Intelec. Let us move on to a different area of the system - its intelligence!

   The knowledge base

The knowledge base is the area that allows a user to set up the knowledge and rules that will be used to make decisions and manage accounts or work plans. Collectors would not have access to this area - It would only be accessed and maintained by management. Here is a System Control Menu that allows you to set up some of the knowledge and rules within Intelec.

• Consider the example of a Payment Arrangement. A collector has set up an arrangement? What happens next? The system will take over the management of the arrangement, based on the rules you set up for Payment Arrangements. You can define reminder letters, late letters, grace periods, when a missed payment should be sent to a collector or a "Smart Code" to be applied of a payment is missed. A maximum number of installments and a minimum installment amount can be defined based on the total balance qualifying for the arrangement. We will discuss Smart Codes later on. Once an arrangement is set up, the account is not presented to a collector until the debtor misses a payment or the arrangement is scheduled for a review.
  
  
• Let us look at some other areas of the knowledge base. Intelec uses "Close Codes" to recognize an account that should not be worked for any reason. (E.g. Paid in-full, disputed, write-off etc.) You can define a close code as being active (e.g. Unable to locate) or inactive (e.g. Withdrawn by client). An inactive close is not included in a debtor's linked balance and you would not usually accept a payment on such an account. Inactive closes would also affect your recovery percentage and be handled differently with regard to credit reporting. What happens when a payment is received on an account that is closed because a debtor refused to pay? Does the collector get credit for the payment? This along with other rules can be set up on the Close Codes System Control file.
  
  
• How are accounts distributed to collectors? Intelec allows alphabetic or proportionate distribution. In Proportionate Distribution, the system will allow pools of collectors to be defined, with separate groups for small and large balances. A client will be associated with a specific collector pool. You can also set up balance ranges at the individual collector level, giving you total flexibility in assigning a collector based on the placement amount. Another exciting feature is the ability to define "Case limits" for each collector, based on a dollar amount or a number of debtors. This feature will allow you to distribute accounts based on what a collector can manage - It will give accounts to those who need them, based on the case limits defined and their productivity. Work groups for collector assignment can be set up based on a client or a type of account. (E.g. Self-pay and insurance accounts within the same client code can be assigned to different groups of collectors.)
  
  
• Most companies use an automated series of letters when an account is new. With Intelec, you can start a series of letters at any time in the life of an account. We call the series a "Contact Series" because you can define letters and/or phone calls. This allows you to set up different dialer campaigns for the accounts that have phone numbers - the timing of the movement of accounts to the dialer is completely automated and requires no manual intervention. At the end of the Contact Series, an account can be closed or continue to be worked. You can also have the system apply a Smart Code. Smart Codes will be discussed later.
  
  
• Intelec allows you to set up rules for automatically linking new accounts to existing accounts. Within the area of linking there are powerful features that will allow you to manage how collector assignment is affected by linking. As an example, in the case of a new small balance account that has linked to an existing large balance, the new account could be taken away from the assigned (small balance) collector, and given to the large balance collector. On the other hand, a debtor may have several existing small balance accounts when a new large balance is received. In this case, the system could take all of existing small balance accounts and move them to the large balance collector on the new account.
  
  
• Now let us look at "Smart Codes". Smart Codes are actions, events or circumstances - anything that can occur on an account. E.g. Telephoned residence - no answer, or debtor is deceased or client called about the account. Here are some of the things that Smart Codes can do.
  
  
  • They can direct a user with reference to what information needs to be supplied. As an example, for a promise, the user can be forced to enter an amount and a promise date. For a dispute, the user could be forced to enter notes, while no notes would be allowed on a "No answer" - In this case, the system would automatically update the account with the correct notation! This feature ensures that the required information is always supplied, and saves time by consistently adding standard comments for the actions that do not need any special documentation.
    
    
  • Smart Codes can make simple or complex decisions based on a range of conditions or circumstances. Within a Smart Code, the system will check an unlimited set of conditions (selection criteria), and if the specified conditions are met, the corresponding action is taken. The action that can be taken is almost unlimited in its scope because Smart Codes can apply other Smart Codes! After some basic training, the rules can be easily modified by any non-technical person, and there is no necessity to train collectors to have to remember all of the different things that need to be considered for each type of account! Following is an example of a Smart Code used to close an account based on some specific conditions that may exist.
    
    
    
    
    
    
  • While key items are included within the selection criteria, you can add more detailed thinking to each of the conditions. This area contains additional options to allow you to make decisions based on fields that are not included in the standard selection criteria. In addition, you can also use "query-style" logic to make decisions based on the other important fields in the database.
    
    
  • Smart Codes can do many other things. They can stop or start a Contact Series, add or remove Description Codes or transfer an account to a different company. In most systems, there is a great deal of manual work that accompanies changes in circumstances surrounding an account. As an example, if a debtor has written disputing an account, not only does the account have to be notated, but any scheduled letters and dialer calls may need to be stopped. What about the example of a debtor calling in and promising to pay an account that has been closed for 2 years? The account should be dated and reopened so it can be worked at a later date. With Intelec, all of the things that need to be accomplished can be managed and realized by a single action applied by only one person! It is fast, accurate, effective and immediate.
    
    
• What makes Smart Codes extremely powerful is the fact that they can be entered by a user when an account is worked, or automatically applied by the system at different times. E.g. When new accounts link or do not link to existing accounts, at the end of a Contact Series, when a payment arrangement is broken etc. The term "scoring" is often used with reference to external scores, but Intelec takes traditional scoring to new levels. When a new account is received, the system could be set up to automatically analyze the history of the debtor if the account linked to an existing account. E.g. Has the debtor made payments in the past? How many other accounts exist? How old is the oldest account? Do the other accounts have the same address as the new placement? Have we ever contacted the debtor or received a promise? What is the potential commission? etc. Based on the results, the original strategy could be changed, with resources reallocated based on the projected collectability. All this happens with no human ever looking at the account! As discussed earlier, Smart Codes can be applied by the system at the end of a Contact Series or when a Payment Arrangement is broken. Now that you have an understanding of what a Smart Code can do, you will be able to appreciate the superior levels of automation that are offered by Intelec.
  
  
• To be classified an "intelligent" a system must be able to make judgments and change the rules based on specific conditions. (E.g. The type of client, type of account etc.) It is nearly impossible to set up a specific Smart Code that will work under all circumstances. Intelec allows you to set up variations of a Smart Code, so that completely different things can happen when the same Smart Code is applied to different accounts! The user does not have to be trained to do different things based on the type of account, the client or other circumstances. The user is trained to always do the same thing based on the situation or circumstances. The system will make different decisions based on the rules set up within the knowledge base.
  
  
• Smart Codes can be used to automatically work accounts over a period of time. The user is able to set up a "Smart Code Series" to have Smart Codes applied at different times in the future with decisions being made based on the circumstances that will exist at those future times! Some examples of using this feature are, ensuring that due diligence requirements are met, reviewing an account for sufficient work effort and returning the account to the client on a specific date. These processes can be completely automated through the use of a Smart Code Series.
  
  
• Consider what would happen if you had loaded 2000 new accounts, mailed the first letter and then been notified by the client that they had placed some of those accounts in error. What if the client wanted you to immediately send a letter of apology and close all of those accounts that were less that 30 days old since the date of service? You know how easy it is to set up a Smart Code to do this. But how do you find the 2000 accounts and apply the Smart Code to each of them? It is simple - You use the Multiple Smart Code Assignment! This allows you to design a Smart Code and then apply it to a large group of accounts by defining your selection criteria. It is quick, easy and does not involve any programming!
  
  
• The decision-making and actions specified within a Smart Code take place a few minutes after the Smart Code is applied. There is no waiting for the nightly processing to take place.
  
  
• Consider another example of intelligence. In the area of letters, Intelec is so smart that it could send a Spanish letter to a Spanish-speaking debtor, even though a collector requested the same letter code as for an English-speaking debtor! How is this done. Obviously, you have to supply the system with the intelligence. Here is an example of how we can "translate" a letter that is requested for a specific client, into a different letter. (The client may have requested this or may need a slightly different first letter from the other clients.) A similar technique is used to "translate" the letter into Spanish.
  
  
• There is an Additional System Control menu from where more rules can be defined.
  

You should now have an understanding of how Intelec can be programmed to think like a collection expert. This is not accomplished because someone decided to add several rules to a system. The intelligence in Intelec is a part of its design. It is integrated with the account information, client information, account history, the skill-level of the person working the accounts, the collectability of the account and potential profitability among other things! In other words, the system can consider everything that a human expert should consider, but rarely does, because of the volumes involved and the great complexity of the task.

   Something about collector queues

During Nightly Processing, the system analyzes all open accounts, filtering out payment arrangements, future promises etc. and creates work queues (or Processing Types) for each worker. In Intelec, it is not only collectors who work accounts. Accounts can be routed to managers, supervisors, skip-tracers, client service representatives etc. for action. Following is the "Account Processing Menu", the area that will be used by collectors and service representatives.

• A collector would usually select "Display Accounts to be Worked". Debtors are analyzed and classified into one of 7 different "Processing Types". All accounts for users who are not collectors (service representatives, insurance follow-up or managers) would be placed in a Processing Type called "Non-collector work". The user is able to select the Processing Type, QCat (a sub-classification within a processing type) and a Time Frame (Accounts can be moved around different time frames, so that they will be called at different times in the day).
  
  
• The user can review a summary of the accounts in their queues by displaying their "Work Map”. This shows how the accounts have been classified within each Processing Type and QCat.
  
  
• The user selects the Processing Type, QCat and time frame, and the accounts are presented for follow-up and appropriate action.
  
  
• In what order are accounts presented within a Processing Type? There are many options for sorting accounts. Consider the benefits of the "Breakpoint days" feature. You could sort a group of accounts, based on when they were last worked. You could first present the accounts which were not worked within the last 15 days, in descending balance, followed by all the other accounts, also sorted in descending balance. (In effect, you have two queues within a single queue!) This would ensure that the larger balances were always worked every 15 days.
  
  
• What happens if your collectors have too much flexibility in deciding when they should be working each Processing Type? You can even manage their choices specifying when they can or can not work specific processing types or QCat codes within their queues.
  
  
• What about scripting? Intelec offers intelligent scripting that will allow you to format powerful scripts with fixed text and variable information from an account. Different scripts can be presented based on the client, the user and different circumstances (e.g. before an account is presented, when a promise is broken, if there is a bankruptcy etc.). This feature is integrated with Intelec and does not require any other product such as a dialer. At the simplest level, all a person has to be able to do is read! And what if the debtor speaks a different language and a bilingual collector works the account? It is simple - Select the translation option!
  
  

  Some management options

Let us show you a few management options.

• Client Inquiry displays information about each client. There are many screens that are used to define standard information about the client, information pertaining to statements, reports, credit cards taken, how fees are computed and statistical information including graphical representations.
  
  
• Collector Inquiry can be used to display statistical information and to monitor goals.
  
  
• There are many Productivity Reports that are available. Information can be analyzed from a high-level
  
  
• Many of the reports we have for individual clients or groups of clients, can also be run for a company. As an example, there is a Company Statistics screen.
  
  
• Letters and notices are user-defined. You create the contents of the letter using fixed text, and "Merge Codes" for the information stored on the system. We can also create interfaces for a printing service. There are advanced letter options that help you to manage your correspondence and costs. As an example, if a client placed 5 accounts on one day, the first letter could show the five account numbers and balances on a single letter, with a total shown separately. In the case of a linked letter that is sent for a debtor who has accounts with different clients, the individual clients owed could be listed along with the total owed to each client.
  
  
• Traditionally, recovery percentages have been used to evaluate clients. Intelec allows you to define costs for all of your standard operations. (E.g. Posting an account electronically, entering an account manually, telephoned debtor and left message etc.) Costs can be evaluated at the client level, providing more accurate information on the true profitability of a client. Account can also be managed based on the costs incurred compared to the potential commission.
  
  

   Clerical functions

We have found that many companies have disproportionately more clerical personnel compared to the number of collectors they have. Intelec was designed to to be used with a minimal number of support personnel. Let us consider some of the clerical functions and features within Intelec.

• While accounts are loaded electronically, many collection agencies will still receive accounts that need to be entered manually. If you have a high percentage of linked accounts, you may often find that a new account gets entered into the system with a slightly different address compared to the existing account (e.g. 154 Tyvale Road versus 154 Tyvale Rd.). These accounts may not link due to the "difference" in the address. This is usually a costly mistake. Intelec's intelligence can recognize a potential match to an existing account and alert the operator to the conditions, allowing them to use either the existing address or the new on the new listing.
  
  
• Not all clients will supply you with the same information for new accounts. As an example, some may not provide a spouse's name, bank information or an interest balance. Intelec will allow you to specify this information at the client level and the data entry operator will be presented with customized screens for each client! Input time is greatly reduced because the operator does not have to skip over the fields that are not supplied.
  
  
• In an agency environment, much time is spent communicating with your clients. In most cases there is a significant amount of paperwork involved in this communication. As an example, several debtors would, in the course of a day, say that they already paid the client, are disputing a charge, they need an itemized statement or duplicate bill. This information must often be sent to the client and usually involves a great deal of manual work. With Intelec, the solution is simple - Design different Smart Codes for each type of request. The users are then trained to enter a specific Smart Code depending on the circumstances. At the end of the day (or periodically), you would select an option that analyzes the requests for each client and produces one letter for each client, sorted by the type of request and listed with the information such as account number, service date etc. Most collection software vendors will describe their systems as "paperless", but lack a basic features such as this!
  
  
• Payment processing is a critical part of your business. In Intelec Payment Processing allows you to enter payments and adjustments (different payment codes are used for each type of transaction), as well as capture information about the debtor. As an example, you can verify an address or enter bank information from the payment transaction screens. When linked accounts exist, the system will allow you to distribute payments among the linked accounts in many different ways. These methods include oldest account first or proportionately (based on the balance). You can even distribute a payment based on the commission rates! Client priorities and special rules for secondary balances are also supported. After payments are entered, an edit list is generated and batch totals are verified. After the data is verified, the batch can be posted. The system will support multiple users entering payment transactions at the same time - batches are maintained by User ID.
  
  
• Even features like returned mail have intelligence! On traditional systems, returned mail entry will usually flag the account as a bad address. In Intelec, you can have the system apply Smart Codes that will in turn make decisions on the account (E.g. Large balances could be routed to a skip tracer or skip-tracing service, while small balances could be closed by the system).
  
  

   Reporting capabilities

Intelec has extensive reporting capabilities. You can review some of the key reports by going to the Periodic Reports Menu.

• To give you an idea of the flexibility of the base package, consider the option called the Placement History. This is a report that analyzes information by placement period. Look at the choices you have on the screen below. Remember, this is just one report! In the base system you have all of these variations of this single report! Within each option, there are further choices, because you can select a “Report Type” which defines the specific columns and calculations within the report. As an example, you may wish to compute recovery percentage for some clients by reducing balance adjustments from the placement amounts. A bad check client will require a report that computes recovery rates based on number of checks collected as opposed to dollars liquidated.

   Our on-line training modules

We wanted our educational material to be accurate and up-to-date. This is not possible with paper-based documentation. We are committed to maintaining system-based documentation for all areas of the package. Consider the example of Collector Training. This is documentation with actual pictures of screens! Intelec also has field-level help text within most of the system.   

Would you like to review all of the screens in this demonstration?

These are just some of the features of Intelec. The unique design and flexibility of the system offer possibilities that can not be considered with traditional systems. For more information, please contact Quantrax Corporation at 301.564.4477. Or send us a message using the "Contact Us" section of our web site www.quantrax.com.



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