Debt Collector Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Debt Collector, sometimes called a Collections Agent is responsible for recovering debts for businesses. Their duties include making and receiving calls from non-paying customers, negotiating payment terms and escalating complex cases.

 

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Debt Collector duties and responsibilities

Debt Collectors perform a range of customer-focused tasks when recovering debts. Their duties may vary depending on their employer, but usually include:

  • Writing letters to inform customers of their outstanding accounts
  • Answering phone calls from non-paying customers with questions about their debts
  • Calling non-paying customers and determining why their payments are outstanding
  • Explaining payment plan options to non-paying customers, negotiating payment terms and enrolling customers interested in these payment programs
  • Identifying vulnerable customers and escalating their cases to support teams
  • Identifying non-compliant customers and escalating their cases to insolvency teams
  • Servicing court orders to recover outstanding payments, in some cases

 

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Debt Collector Job Description Examples:

 

Example 1

Job description We are looking for an experienced Debt Collector or Debt Collection Paralegal to work in a fast-paced environment. This will include but will not be limited to the main responsibilities given below. The right candidate is expected to use a high degree of self-management and initiative. The right candidate will have the opportunity to progress into a senior position. The successful candidate must have excellent interpersonal and communications skills as the role interacts with a wide range of people.   Main Tasks: List of areas of responsibilities * Managing a caseload * Writing, emailing and telephoning debtors, to pursue payment * Advising and assisting clients in pursuing County Court Judgments * Regular reporting and updating clients on the progress of recovery * Liaising with potential clients and general business development * Carrying out some credit control work * Updating and maintaining an accurate case management system Knowledge, skills and experience required * Experience in Debt Collection * Experience in Credit Control * Experience in Advising and Assisting clients in pursuing County Court Claims * Experience in running own caseload * Must have minimum GCSE Maths and English or equivalent * Excellent communication skills – verbal and written * Determined and Enthusiastic * Reliable team worker * Willingness to learn * Good Microsoft office skills * Flexible approach * Polite telephone manner * Attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure * Good personal organisational skills Part-time hours: 35 per week Application deadline: 30/06/2021 Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent Salary: per year Benefits: * Company pension * Sick pay * Wellness programmes Schedule: * Monday to Friday * No weekends Experience: * Paralegal: 1 year (preferred) Work remotely: * Temporarily due to COVID-19

Example 2

Plantec Assist who are a part of the Examworks UK family are looking for individuals with strong negotiation skills, who can be confident on the phone, when liaising with insurance companies to recover monies relating to a Motorbike accident, building a good rapport from the outset, and managing your own caseload. *What will I be doing?* You will liaise with various parties throughout the Recovering of debt. Speaking from Customer, to Insurers, Brokers and Solicitors. You will also build strong internal relationships. You are going to need to be a decision maker, be a strong negotiator and a clear communicator. Excellent customer and client focus is essential. You will be confident to handle your own case load allocated to you directly to Recover debt, you should have a confident and professional telephone manner. *Skills and experience required* You must have strong administrational skills, with a great attention to detail. It is not essential but is very desirable if you do understand Credit Hire or have experience in the Motor claims industry. This position would be suitable for Law graduates who are looking for a step into their next career and to further develop your legal skill. Perhaps you studied Torte law and took a strong liking to it! Or perhaps you are looking to move away from a sales role, into a B2B position without the cold calling! Whatever your background, we offer full training for the right candidate. Giving you valuable experience in -negotiation, resilience, and relationship building. *Additional information: * · Starting salary - £17,500- £19,000 per annum *(dependant on experience)* · Hours - between 8.30am - 5.00pm and no weekends · Location - Based on the Shakespeare Centre, an easy commute from, Liverpool and Southport. · 30 days holiday including Bank holidays · Bonus incentives · Discounts with hundreds of local retailers, discounted gym memberships and much more! *Immediate interview and start available.* Plantec Assist Ltd reserves the right to close this vacancy once we have found a suitable candidate. IND2 Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Salary: per year Benefits: * Bike to work scheme * Casual dress * Childcare * Company pension * Employee discount * Gym membership * Referral programme * Sick pay * Store discounts * Wellness programmes Schedule: * 8 hour shift * Day shift * Monday to Friday * No weekends Work remotely: * No

Example 3

*Position: Debt Collector* *Location: Exeter Head Office* *Salary: Competitive DOE* Thrifty Car and Van Rental are looking for an experienced and motivated Debt Collector to join our Credit Control team based at our Exeter Head Office. You will be required to assist in the recovery of charges owed from retail and corporate customers. *What will this role involve?* · Chasing for payments via telephone · Manging a diary of accounts to be chased and recording accurate notes of any activity · Dealing with requests relating to invoices/credits from customers · Being responsible for escalations received from Credit Controllers and ensuring processes are followed through to the legal stage · Liaising with various departments and branches throughout the company to resolve queries · Working with the Credit Control Manager to reduce overall debt *What skills and experience is required for this role?*
  • Experience of collections is required for this role
  • Excellent and confident skills
  • Good understanding of Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel & Outlook If you are interested in this role, please click APPLY today. Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Benefits: * Bike to work scheme * Company events * Company pension * Employee discount * Store discounts Schedule: * Monday to Friday Work remotely: * No

    • Example 4

    *About us* Debt Solve UK Ltd has been in business for 14 years and specialises in veterinary debt. The team consists of 12 dedicated individuals who are very good at what they do and a credit to the company. Come and join us. You will never look back. _*Debt Collector [Specialist Veterinary Team]*_ Debt Solve UK Ltd t/a DSL, a Redditch-based Debt Recovery Agency providing specialist services to the veterinary industry, is looking to recruit a Full-Time Experienced Telephone Collector working in a environment. A career with us means being part of a standout business with a clear vision and strong values. We’ll give you everything you need to do a great job, and your contributions will be properly recognized, highly valued, and well rewarded. We promote from within, and there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon. It's a great time to join an expanding well-respected company. As a Collection Officer, you will be working 40 hours per week within a small, highly skilled team dedicated to veterinary debt collection. You will need to be flexible with a can-do attitude and enjoy working as part of a team. You will be responsible for information gathering and the collection of overdue veterinary accounts. Good IT skills are important for this role as the successful applicant will be working within our main CRM system. Y*ou will be responsible for: * Contacting defaulters by telephone to negotiate payment. Gather intelligence and ensuring GDPR compliance is maintained. Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations. Working within Industry Guidelines. Ensure we provide the Best Service possible to our customers. Reporting progress to line managers. *Job Types: Full Time, Permanent* Salary: £19,240.00 per annum COVID-19 considerations: Reference ID: MB Full-time hours: 40 per week Job Types: Full-time, Permanent Salary: £19,240.00 per year Reference ID: MB Application deadline: 22/07/2021 Expected start date: 02/08/2021 *Debt Solve UK Ltd provided the following inclusive hiring information: * We are an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status or disability status. Job Type: Full-time Salary: £19,240.00 per year Benefits: * On-site parking Schedule: * 8 hour shift * Monday to Friday * No weekends * Overtime COVID-19 considerations: Covid restrictions in place, social distancing, face masks, hand sanitiser, work station dividers. Experience: * Debt Collection: 3 years (required)

    Example 5

    Nightfox are currently looking for experienced Field Collection Agents to reconnect with non-paying debtors with face to face visits. At Nightfox there will be plenty of scope for progression as we have rapid growth plans over the next 12 months. The ideal candidate will have previous experience working within a Field Agent Collection role, and should have excellent communication, IT and organisational skills along with the ability to work to within regulatory requirements. You be willing to travel to locations Nationwide. Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Face To Face collections following up overdue payments to reconnect customer with our in house team
  • Establish reasons for non-payment, assess what has changed in customers circumstances and advise of forbearance options available
  • Contribute towards collections strategy and ensure accomplishments fall in line with regulatory compliance measures and deliver against business needs
  • Manage own workload daily whilst liaising with the wider team and prioritise it based on geographic area to ensure productivity
  • Required to report full analysis on a daily basis
  • Be professional at all times ensuring data protection
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Previous experience in door to door debt collection/recovery would be beneficial but not essential as full training and support would be given.
  • Strong negotiation skills required
  • Clean driving license desired but not essential
  • Be able to work on own initiative
  • Electronic support (Laptop/body camera etc) will be provided
  • Fully expensed company vehicle will be provided
  • Basic wage with achievable commissions with an OTE of upto £40,000.00 p.a Immediate starts are available. Reference ID: Expected start date: 05/07/2021 Job Types: Full-time, Commission, Permanent Salary: £26,000.00 per year Additional pay: * Bonus scheme * Commission pay Benefits: * Company car * Flexible schedule * Work from home Schedule: * Monday to Friday * No weekends COVID-19 considerations: Employees expected to wear full Covid Compliant PPE when facing the public Application question(s): * Are you able to work away from home as some overnight stays will be needed? Work remotely: * Yes

    • What does a Debt Collector do?

    A Debt Collector attempts to extract payments from non-paying customers. They spend most of their time talking to customers over the telephone about non-payment of their accounts. The work they do aims to convert non-paying customers to paying ones. They may do this by encouraging full payment or enrolling non-paying customers in payment plans. Some Debt Collectors, called Field Collections Officers, visit non-paying customers in their homes to recover payments. These professionals help businesses improve their cash flow and increase their profits.

     

    Debt Collector skills and qualifications

    Debt Collectors use soft skills to convert non-paying customers into paying customers. A successful Debt Collector candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include: 

    • Written and verbal communication, including active listening for alerting customers of non-payment, determining reasons for non-payment and explaining payment options in simple terms
    • Diplomacy for discussing sensitive matters tactfully
    • Negotiation skills for convincing customers to meet their financial commitments
    • Conflict resolution for calming hostile non-paying customers
    • Bookkeeping and numeracy for determining outstanding payments and appropriate payment instalments
    • Understanding of financial terms, credit services, debt recovery procedures, IFRS9, data protection and the Financial Conduct Authority’s principals of treating customers fairly
    • Computer literacy, including data entry and confidence using business applications
    • Administrative skills, including filing and touch typing

     

    Debt Collector experience requirements

    Many businesses prefer hiring Debt Collectors with previous debt collection or asset finance experience. However, experience working in customer service is also valuable, as Debt Collectors spend most of their time talking to customers. Any office role will give candidates transferrable skills, such as computer literacy and administrative skills.

     

    Debt Collector education and training requirements

    There are no set educational requirements for these professionals. However, most employers expect their candidates to have good GSCEs, between 9 to 5 especially in mathematics. A National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in bookkeeping can also give Debt Collector strong financial knowledge. Some businesses support new Debt Collectors getting these qualifications after they secure a position, as most receive on-the-job training.

     

    Debt Collectors salary expectations

    According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary of a Debt Collector in the UK is £6.70 per hour. Their salary can vary depending on their experience, location and employer.

     

    Job description samples for similar positions

    If you do not have a vacant Debt Collector role, another job description sample may be a better fit for your company. Here are some job description samples for similar positions:

     

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    Debt Collector job description FAQs

     

    What is the difference between a Debt Collector and a Recovery Officer?

    Debt Collectors and Recovery Officers both try to recover debts for businesses. However, Debt Collectors work for the businesses that are owed money. Recovery Officers work for third-party organisations that recover debts on behalf of other companies.

     

    What qualities do successful Debt Collector have?

    Debt Collectors are empathetic people who can relate to the situations that non-paying customers find themselves in. They show compassion to the people they speak to while encouraging them to repay their debts. They are naturally persuasive people who know how to sell their payment plans to non-paying customers. Debt Collectors work in fast-paced call centres, so they must be able to stay calm and work efficiently to deadlines.

     

    Who does a Debt Collector report to?

    A Debt Collector usually reports to a Manager or Supervisor. These professionals are usually Senior Debt Collectors who monitor other employees while resolving their own collections cases. They may also help Debt Collectors with complex cases.

     

    How can I feel confident my Debt Collector is of good character?

    Many businesses employing Debt Collectors submit their short-listed candidates to Disclosure and Barring Service and County Court Judgement checks. The Disclosure and Barring Service check identifies if applicants have criminal records. The County Court Judgement check reveals whether any creditors have taken action against your applicants for unpaid debts. You must state employment is subject to these checks in your job posting.

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