What Do Bill and Account Collectors Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Bill and Account Collectors locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visit to solicit payment. Duties include receiving payment and posting amount to customer’s account; preparing statements to credit department if customer fails to respond; initiating repossession proceedings or service disconnection; and keeping records of collection and status of accounts. They also record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.

Other tasks include:

• Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.
• Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.
• Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers’ financial situations.
• Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
• Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.
• Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.

We asked Bill and Account Collectors how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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71% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 47% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

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Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Bill and Account Collectors sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports. They receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.

A typical day for a Bill and Account Collector will also include:

• Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.
• Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.
• Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.
• Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers’ financial situations.
• Perform various administrative functions for assigned accounts, such as recording address changes and purging the records of deceased customers.

We asked some Bill and Account Collectors a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	100% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	56% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	60% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	47% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	53% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	64% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Bill and Account Collectors also negotiate credit extensions when necessary. They may also notify credit departments, order merchandise repossession or service disconnection, and turn over account records to attorneys when customers fail to respond to collection attempts.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Bill and Account Collectors Contact insurance companies to check on status of claims payments and write appeal letters for denial on claims. They might also Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.

In addition, they Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Perform various administrative functions for assigned accounts, such as recording address changes and purging the records of deceased customers.

To some Bill and Account Collectors, it is also their responsibility to Confer with customers by telephone or in person to determine reasons for overdue payments and to review the terms of sales, service, or credit contracts.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Bill and Account Collector, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas..

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/office-and-administrative-support/bill-and-account-collectors.htm

http://www.acainternational.org/