Bill and Account Collectors
SOC: 43-3011.00

Description:

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.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Employment Projections:

Employment (2014):
350,400 employed

Projected (2024):
330,900 employed

Projected growth (2014-2024)


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 2014-2024 employment projections external site. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2014-2024). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Alternate Titles:

  • Account Receivable Associate
  • Account Representative
  • Account Resolution Analyst
  • Account Service Representative
  • Accounting Technician
  • Accounts Collector
  • Accounts Receivable Specialist
  • Agent
  • Bad Credit Collector
  • Bill Collector
  • Biller
  • Billing Clerk
  • Billing Manager
  • Billing Representative
  • Business Office Manager
  • Car Repossessor
  • Chaser
  • Claims Collector
  • Collection Agent
  • Collection Clerk
  • Collection Manager
  • Collection Specialist
  • Collection Supervisor
  • Collections Agent
  • Collections Clerk
  • Collections Manager
  • Collections Officer
  • Collections Representative
  • Collections Specialist
  • Collector
  • Credit Clerk
  • Credit Collections Manager
  • Credit Coordinator
  • Credit Manager
  • Credit Specialist
  • Customer Account Specialist
  • Data Collector
  • Debt Collector
  • Delinquency Counselor
  • Dunner
  • Group Billing Coordinator
  • Installment Agent
  • Installment Loan Collector
  • Insurance Billing Clerk
  • Insurance Collector
  • Medical Biller
  • Medical Collections Specialist
  • Medical Collector
  • Patient Access Specialist
  • Patient Account Representative
  • Patient Accounts Clerk
  • Patient Financial Service Representative
  • Payment Collector
  • Recovery Collector
  • Rent Collector
  • Repossessor
  • Self Pay Representative
  • Skip Tracer
  • Telephone Collector

    • Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

    Education:

    These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Technology Design
  • Programming
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Production and Processing
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Mathematics
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Geography
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Communications and Media

    • Tasks:

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

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Amplified telephones
  • Autodialers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Predictive dialers
  • Scanners
  • ADP Drive DMS for Accounting
  • ADS Advantage
  • Adtec Agency Manager
  • Austin Logistics CallSelect
  • Collection Data Systems CollectOne-Tiger
  • Columbia Ultimate Archive
  • Columbia Ultimate Remit
  • Columbia Ultimate RPCS
  • CU Connect processing software
  • Data-Tel Ceasar
  • Debt account management and collection software
  • Diagnostic and procedural coding software
  • Document management system software
  • Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS software
  • HMS software
  • Internet browser software
  • JD Edwards software
  • LexisNexis Banko
  • LexisNexis software
  • Medical condition coding software
  • Medical procedure coding software
  • MEDITECH software
  • Microsoft Dynamics GP
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Ontario Systems FACS
  • Optical character recognition OCR software
  • Oracle software
  • Quantrax Intelec
  • Relational database software
  • Sage Peachtree software
  • SAP software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • System Innovators software
  • TCI XML Credit Interface
  • W3 Data BatchAppend411
  • Web browser software
  • Word processing software

    • office and administrative support

    industry stats

    SOC: 43-0000

    Total Employed: 21,846,420

    Average Annual Salary: $36,330