Method
Write first, call second
Phone calls get you facts. Letters get you results. Most people have this backwards.
The instinct after a wrong bill is to call. Calling feels active. It is also the weaker tool.
A call gets you a name and a fact. Those facts are useful, and they are the raw material for the thing that actually moves: a letter with a timestamped delivery record that nobody can deny.
What calls are actually good for
- Finding the root cause. In our case, the wrong insurance ID on the claim.
- Getting a supervisor's name and a reference number.
- Getting an admission, if one is going to happen at all.
- Hearing a collections hold's start and end dates.
What letters are good for
- Creating a record.
- Restating a phone promise so it cannot evaporate.
- Making a specific, dated demand.
- Attaching to a later regulator complaint.
Why the call rule exists
During one week our agent ran calls every hour and then every five minutes. It burned credits and produced nothing. Billing staff recognize thrash, and it makes them less likely to help. After we switched to a calm written rhythm and used the phone only on triggers, the written progress started arriving.
The triggers worth calling about are specific: a new collections notice, a written denial, a promised date that passed with nothing in writing, or a certified letter that was delivered.