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Bill and Account Collectors

In the Bill and Account Collectors occupation, workers locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visit to solicit payment. The job can ask you to record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts. Its interest code is CES. Conventional leads at 7.0 out of 7, so expect orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, with Enterprising next at 4.4. Plan on a few months to a year of learning on the job; O*NET labels this some preparation. Strength in speaking, active listening, and social perceptiveness helps most here. People who want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures usually fit better here than those who need research, analysis and working through hard problems.

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.
  • Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.
  • Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
  • Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Persuasion
  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and active listening.

May not suit you if

  • You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CES takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Account Representative
  • Accounts Receivable Specialist (AR Specialist)
  • Collection Agent
  • Collection Specialist
  • Collector

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.