Chris Starkey
Head of Collections, Operations Manager at Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, L.L.P.- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Kristen Pettit
There is nobody like Chris Starkey! I had the pleasure of working for him twice and he is truly the best! He is a standout in the collections world. His passion, his drive, his determination, is like no other. He has the ability to take something great, and turn it into outstanding by simply being there. His energy, his positivity, his desire to motivate and encourage others to be bigger than they are is second to none! I am a lifelong fan for sure! I am a better person because of him, that’s for sure!
Mike Winslow
Chris Starkey your only go-to in the world of collections. Everything I learned to excel in relation to customer service, negotiations, and high level collections I learned from Chris. He was a fantastic supervisor and team manager during my time working with him at Discover Financial Services. You won't find anyone more dedicated, goal oriented, or results driven than Chris. He consistently produced top level results and motivated his team to multiple collections awards throughout the department.
Kristen Pettit
There is nobody like Chris Starkey! I had the pleasure of working for him twice and he is truly the best! He is a standout in the collections world. His passion, his drive, his determination, is like no other. He has the ability to take something great, and turn it into outstanding by simply being there. His energy, his positivity, his desire to motivate and encourage others to be bigger than they are is second to none! I am a lifelong fan for sure! I am a better person because of him, that’s for sure!
Mike Winslow
Chris Starkey your only go-to in the world of collections. Everything I learned to excel in relation to customer service, negotiations, and high level collections I learned from Chris. He was a fantastic supervisor and team manager during my time working with him at Discover Financial Services. You won't find anyone more dedicated, goal oriented, or results driven than Chris. He consistently produced top level results and motivated his team to multiple collections awards throughout the department.
Kristen Pettit
There is nobody like Chris Starkey! I had the pleasure of working for him twice and he is truly the best! He is a standout in the collections world. His passion, his drive, his determination, is like no other. He has the ability to take something great, and turn it into outstanding by simply being there. His energy, his positivity, his desire to motivate and encourage others to be bigger than they are is second to none! I am a lifelong fan for sure! I am a better person because of him, that’s for sure!
Mike Winslow
Chris Starkey your only go-to in the world of collections. Everything I learned to excel in relation to customer service, negotiations, and high level collections I learned from Chris. He was a fantastic supervisor and team manager during my time working with him at Discover Financial Services. You won't find anyone more dedicated, goal oriented, or results driven than Chris. He consistently produced top level results and motivated his team to multiple collections awards throughout the department.
Kristen Pettit
There is nobody like Chris Starkey! I had the pleasure of working for him twice and he is truly the best! He is a standout in the collections world. His passion, his drive, his determination, is like no other. He has the ability to take something great, and turn it into outstanding by simply being there. His energy, his positivity, his desire to motivate and encourage others to be bigger than they are is second to none! I am a lifelong fan for sure! I am a better person because of him, that’s for sure!
Mike Winslow
Chris Starkey your only go-to in the world of collections. Everything I learned to excel in relation to customer service, negotiations, and high level collections I learned from Chris. He was a fantastic supervisor and team manager during my time working with him at Discover Financial Services. You won't find anyone more dedicated, goal oriented, or results driven than Chris. He consistently produced top level results and motivated his team to multiple collections awards throughout the department.
Credentials
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Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making
LinkedInJan, 2021- Nov, 2024 -
Communicating Across Cultures
LinkedInSep, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Skills for Inclusive Conversations
LinkedInSep, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Atomic Certified Specialty Tech
Atomic Aquatics IncOct, 2019- Nov, 2024 -
ScubaPro Certified Specialty Tech
SCUBAPROSep, 2019- Nov, 2024 -
Certified Professional Food Manager
PrometricNov, 2007- Nov, 2024 -
Introduction to Programming Using HTML and CSS
CompUSA
Experience
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Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, L.L.P.
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United States
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Law Practice
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1 - 100 Employee
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Head of Collections, Operations Manager
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Apr 2022 - Present
Oversee all aspects of consumer recoveries, collection strategy, consumer engagement, BPO, client / vendor relationships, compliance and remediation, and post judgment remedies. Currently manage multiple Fortune 500 clients in credit card, auto, lending, home equity, and various debt buyers. Oversee all aspects of consumer recoveries, collection strategy, consumer engagement, BPO, client / vendor relationships, compliance and remediation, and post judgment remedies. Currently manage multiple Fortune 500 clients in credit card, auto, lending, home equity, and various debt buyers.
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Information & Energy Services, Inc.
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United States
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Environmental Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Collections Manager
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Dec 2019 - Apr 2022
Oversaw all collections activities for small business and commercial clients for a world class energy consulting firm. - Reduced defaults to under 5% and increased e-payments by 85% by implementing digital communication channels including email, text, pay by phone and a self-service customer portal. - Designed and implemented collections letters and customer engagement communication strategy. - Oversaw file placements and third-party vendor relationships. Oversaw all collections activities for small business and commercial clients for a world class energy consulting firm. - Reduced defaults to under 5% and increased e-payments by 85% by implementing digital communication channels including email, text, pay by phone and a self-service customer portal. - Designed and implemented collections letters and customer engagement communication strategy. - Oversaw file placements and third-party vendor relationships.
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CK Real Estate (Residential Construction and Investment)
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North Carolina
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Founder / Partner
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2015 - 2020
Started a residential real estate investment and construction business. Did the hard work, learned the trades, tore down, rebuilt, and redesigned properties across North Carolina. Hands on experience in plumbing, electrical, framing, drywall (and finishing), insulation, installations, and clearing properties. Oversaw projects, P&L, contractors, completion of work, inspections, permitting, sales, and forecasting. Started a residential real estate investment and construction business. Did the hard work, learned the trades, tore down, rebuilt, and redesigned properties across North Carolina. Hands on experience in plumbing, electrical, framing, drywall (and finishing), insulation, installations, and clearing properties. Oversaw projects, P&L, contractors, completion of work, inspections, permitting, sales, and forecasting.
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LendingClub
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United States
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Financial Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Head of Collections, Payment Solutions
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2013 - 2014
Successfully oversaw pre and post charge-off collections, vendor management, and back-office operations during a hyper-growth, Pre-IPO period. - Doubled the operation while building new collection strategies, developed recruiting methods, and oversaw the standardization of SOPs, and all regulatory compliance processes. - Increased collections by 197% within the first 120 days by streamlining manual work processes and by implementing an empathetic call model creating predictable, repeatable, and measurable interactions. - Oversaw vendor management increasing performance 15% within first 90 days by conducting weekly call calibrations, redefining account placement criteria, and vendor scorecard development. - Led the regulatory transformation of each critical work process through SOP development and by partnering with industry regulators leading up to IPO. - Automated bankruptcy process reducing cycle time from 7 days to 1. - Collaborated with cross-functional partners to standardize new hire training, compliance auditing, call quality scoring, agent scorecards, and performance management. Show less
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Time Warner Cable
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Telecommunications
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700 & Above Employee
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Department Manager, Site Leader - Payment Services
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Mar 2012 - Sep 2013
Efficiently led a 100-seat billing and collections operation center leading a staff of 7 Managers, Leads, Training, QA, and third-party agencies. - Increased KPI productivity 96%, Call Quality 78%, Saves 42% with 20% less FTE becoming the top performing operation center for 12 consecutive months. - Reinvented our contact strategy by certifying each agent and leader in empathetic consumer engagement call model; rolled out as the SOP across 3 operation centers and 400+ FTE. - Managed vendor relationships by conducting call calibrations, audit reviews, and regular check-ins. - Outperformed third party vendors by 55% against cost per dollar collected. - Partnered with business leaders to open a new operation center overseeing new hire on-boarding and customer experience. Show less
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American Express
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United States
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Financial Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Collections Manager l Operations Analyst
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2009 - 2012
Directed both consumer and small business collections teams with accountability for personnel, workforce management, projects, asset management, and leadership development. - Improved team performances from bottom 10% to top 5% across verticals by teaching, coaching, and mentoring staff on empathy, customer engagement, sales, and negotiations. - Developed digital contact strategy improving right party contacts 60% while achieving a 90% cure rate on high risk, high net worth customers with 0% right party contact within a 30-day period. - Championed a real-time contact strategy generating an additional $223M globally. - Collaborated to develop and deploy the EDI: Engage, Develop, and Inspire program driving employee engagement by empowering team members to digitally track and measure activities. Show less
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Discover Financial Services
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United States
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Financial Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Sr. Team Leader; Cardmember Assistance
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Jan 1988 - Dec 2007
Successfully led cross functional teams in Collections, Dialer Operations, Cardmember Assistance, Merchant Services, Skip, and Back-Office. - Taught, coached, mentored, and led various operations teams and business groups throughout the collections life-cycle. - Implemented various collections strategies leveraging proprietary data to increase liquidation rates. - Developed and facilitated Discover’s QWAM: Quality Ways and Means continuous improvement program teaching problem solving, quantitative analysis, and process improvement. - Saved $25M in annual bankruptcy losses by improving queue management and strategic direction. Show less
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Education
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University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science - BS, E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce -
2020 -
Google Analytics Academy
Analytics interface, reporting, filtering, data collection and tracking. -
2020 -
freeCodeCamp
Python -
CompUSA
HTML & XML -
Scottsdale Community College
Business/Commerce, General
Community
