Debt Collector Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

Debt Collector Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides exhaustive information of the job description of a debt collector, to help increase your knowledge of what they do.

It presents the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that commonly define the debt collector work description in most organizations.

It also highlights the major requirements that most recruiters may want you to meet to be hired for the debt collector position in their company.

Please, read on to learn more about the debt collector career:

What Does a Debt Collector Do?

A debt collector is responsible for assisting in an organization or debt collection agency to communicate directly with debtors for the main purpose of collecting payments and resolving outstanding balances.

The debt collector job description entails notifying the owners of account that are past due of their duty to pay, while also helping them to find and facilitate the best method of payment.

A debt collector most of the time works for financial companies dedicated to collecting on past due accounts.

In other words, a debt collector refers to a professional individual who is responsible for helping a business or an organization to obtain payment from debtors who have failed to cooperate in paying back what they owe.

A debt collector is responsible for carrying out several important daily activities that involve communicating with debtors, usually through the telephone to collect payment on delinquent accounts on behalf of the original creditor or a third party debt collection agency or organization.

He/she is also responsible for negotiating payment and settlements on behalf of his/her agency.

He/she negotiates payments with customers by working cooperatively with them to develop, recommend, and enact payment plans to get rid of the debt, which are manageable for the customer, to prevent the account from falling into delinquency again.

Another duty that typically makes up a debt collector work description is maintaining collection records by keeping a correct and accurate record of all customer communications, such as agreed-upon settlement payment plans.

He/she may also use relevant computer software to manage customer records and maintain oversight of debts and payments.

A debt collector is also saddled with the responsibility of locating debtors by utilizing skip tracing methods to locate them to begin the recovery process.

Another duty that may be carried out by a debt collector is to post customer payment either through check or credit card.

To become a debt collector requires that individuals possess and demonstrate certain skills and qualifications that are needed for efficiency in the job process.

Some of the required skills and qualifications include customer service skills, good negotiation skills, persuasion skills, well-developed patience and diligence, problem-solving skills, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

In terms of academic qualifications, an ideal candidate who wants to work as a debt collector is required to process at least a High School diploma.

Most employers prefer applicants with adequate experience in customer service or telemarketing, although, there are many opportunities for on-the-job training.

Debt Collector Salary: The average salary of a debt collector is $37,020 annually.

Debt Collector Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that typically define the debt collector job description include the following:

• Monitoring assigned accounts to identify outstanding debts
• Planning and implementing a course of action to recover outstanding payments
• Finding, locating, and contacting debtors to make inquiries on their payment status
• Negotiating pay for deadlines or payment plans
• Overseeing, handling, and answering questions or complaints
• Strictly adhering by requirements when legal action is inevitable
• Negotiating for a settlement in which the customer pays a percentage of the debt to clear it from collections
• Keeping and maintaining collection records with the use of relevant materials or software such as MS Office
• Track and locate debtors through the necessary means to begin the recovery process
• Attending educational programs for professional growth and skill development.

Debt Collector Job Description for Resume

If you have worked before as a debt collector or are presently working in that role and are making a new resume, it is important to add the professional experience section to your resume.

With this section, you can show the recruiter the debt collector duties and responsibilities you have successfully performed or are currently performing.

The chances of the recruiter being favourable to your application are higher if they knew of your debt collector work experience, especially if the new job requires such experience.

You can easily create a compelling professional experience section for your resume by applying the sample debt collector job description above.

Debt Collector Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

If you are seeking to work as a debt collector, here are major requirements you may be expected to meet by recruiters to be hired:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills, since a debt collector is expected to communicate efficiently with customers or clients, as customers can be hostile or rude when dealing with a collection agency
• Good negotiation skills which enable a debt collector to work cooperatively with customers and resolve their debts by approaching the necessary method
• Excellent persuasion skills, since the job of a debt collector involve convincing debtors that they need to pay their outstanding debts on time
• Problem-solving skills, as he/she needs days to develop payment plans and handle customers whose debts are difficult to resolve
• Good customer service, since the job is primarily a customer-facing role
• A good educational background that involves at least a High School diploma.

Conclusion

If you are a recruiter or HR manager needing to hire for the debt collector role, you will need to make and publish a description of the vacant job to inform prospective candidates the duties and responsibilities they will be expected to perform if hired as a debt collector.

Publishing this information will increase your chances of having only competent people applying for the job, which subsequently increases your chances of hiring the best debt collector for your company.

The information on this page is also helpful to individuals interested in the debt collector career; they will be able to learn all they need to know about the work performed by debt collectors.