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Career Exploration

Bill and Account Collectors

Also called: Collector, Credit Clerk, Debt Collector, Patient Account Representative

What they do:

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.

On the job, you would:
  • Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.
  • 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.
On the job, you'll need:

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Business

  • customer service
  • accounting and economics

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Safety and Government

  • law and government

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others

Social

  • talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
  • understanding people's reactions

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • group things in different ways
  • notice when problems happen

Conventional

People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.

  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Independence
  • Cooperation
  • Analytical Thinking

Customer relationship management CRM software

  • Austin Logistics CallSelect
  • Microsoft Dynamics

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Data base user interface and query software

  • Relational database software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Below Average.

New job opportunities are less likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $39,470

Education

High school diploma/GED or some college is usually needed.