For three years during the 1930s, Wes Ferrell led all of Major League Baseball, totaling 75 complete games during that span. Such an impressive stretch of durability will likely never be topped in baseball ever again.

Why won’t it ever be topped? As a means of comparison, two players tied for the most complete games in 2019 — Shane Bieber and Lucas Giolito — with three each.

The days of a baseball team using the same pitcher for all nine innings of a game has been replaced by teams using multiple pitchers, each with a defined role, during games instead. Teams will rely on different pitchers for different situations.

Businesses are adapting to this strategy as well. Rather than trying to go the distance and be everything to its customers, businesses are outsourcing components of their operation that are not part of their core competencies and focusing on what they do best. In many cases, managing a contact center or handling past-due collections are not what companies do best. That’s where collection agencies come in.

Especially during this time of a global pandemic, collection agencies are uniquely situated to be an extension of your brand and to step in and help make sure your customers are satisfied and taken care of.

Collection agencies have long specialized in being empathetic voices at the other end of a phone call. Collectors are trained to be good listeners and problem solvers. They strive to find suitable solutions to help individuals manage their financial obligations in a way that does not cause them short- or long-term financial issues. Doesn’t that sound like the kind of conversations you want your customers to have right now?

Showing, on your behalf, that you are ready to do whatever you can during this difficult time to help consumers get through this once-in-a-century crisis can go a long way toward cementing your customers’ impressions of you and solidifying your brand as a company that looks at people as more than just a wallet.

Even after an account is placed with a collection agency, the agency understands that there is still a relationship between the company and the customer, and will not do anything to jeopardize that bond. One negative interaction with a collection agency can cause a customer to stop interacting with a company, which could lead to the company pulling its business from the agency. Nobody wants that.

Trust collection agencies to be an incredibly effective relief pitcher that can be relied on time and again to help your team win game after game.