Using a Collections Agency

[Anna W.]

I have some tenants who moved out still owing me money. (approx 1k). I have tried to collect this money from them for three months now, with no luck. They are nearly impossible to get into contact with (wont answer phones, have phones with no message ability enabled, wont respond to emails, etc). I am tired of trying to deal with this myself. How do I go about turning the balance over to a collections agency. Are there any agencies you all recommend? Also how do I place a debt owed on a credit report (is that even possible for a small time landlord?)