Bill and Account Collectors

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.
• 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.
• Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.
• Notify credit departments, order merchandise repossession or service disconnection, and turn over account records to attorneys when customers fail to respond to collection attempts.
• Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.
• Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.
• Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.
• Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.
• Negotiate credit extensions when necessary.
• Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.
• Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.
• Contact insurance companies to check on status of claims payments and write appeal letters for denial on claims.
• Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.
• Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.
• Perform various administrative functions for assigned accounts, such as recording address changes and purging the records of deceased customers.
• Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.
• Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
• Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.

Skills

• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

Abilities

• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.

Knowledge

• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

• Skagit Valley College
  2405 E. College Way, Mount Vernon WA 98273
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 360-416-7600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.skagit.edu/
  Program Name
  Banking and Financial Support Services
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Walla Walla Community College
  500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla WA 99362-9267
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-522-2500
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.wwcc.edu/
  Program Name
  Banking and Financial Support Services
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree, Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Whatcom Community College
  237 W Kellogg Rd, Bellingham WA 98226
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 360-383-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.whatcom.edu/
  Program Name
  Banking and Financial Support Services
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree, Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

46940/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

22.57/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

3,580

Yearly Projected Openings

410

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

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

Tools

• Autodialers
• Notebook computers
• Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
• Scanners
• Special purpose telephones

Technology

• Access software
• Accounting software
• Categorization or classification software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Information retrieval or search software
• Internet browser software
• Medical software
• Office suite software
• Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
• Point of sale POS software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Time accounting software
• Word processing software