Summary

The Collection Specialist is responsible for effectively managing Accounts Receivable through the proper evaluation of account debtor risk and the timely resolution of purchased accounts. Must maintain daily and monthly productivity expectations. This position requires direct interaction with all departments and requires teamwork across all division lines.

Responsibilities

• Provide courteous, timely and effective customer service to both internal and external customers.
• Contacts customers and receives payment status on past due invoices; establishes reason for past due account situation as necessary. May be asked to contact customers prior to due date to ensure needed paperwork has been received in order for timely payments to be made. 
• Researches and analyzes accounts prior to initiating debtor contact; examines historical data, evaluates past resolution efforts.
• Adheres to follow-up guidelines in order to ensure outstanding obligations are satisfied. Uses collection queues and call-backs to assist in determining calling priorities.
• Records resolution notes for individual invoices in Division’s collection software.
• Communicates any short pay/no pay situations to Account Executive and other Division management as necessary. Seeks to recommend alternative collection methods when required.
• Assists entire collection process to ensure proper coverage, contact, and follow-up is conducted to provide the collection effort expected by Division management.
• Effective communication and follow-up with Account Executives, customers, and management is vital to success.
• Research and route for correction/refund any required payment corrections, duplicate payments, or unapplied payments.
• Other duties as requested/assigned. 

Skills/Experience/Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred.
• 2 years equivalent work experience in business operations role in a fast-paced organization; Bi-lingual is a plus.
• Previous collection/call-center experience preferred; knowledge of transportation industry is a plus.
• Adaptability – adapts to changes in the work environment positively. Exhibits flexibility and unbiased attitude, open to new ideas and deals effectively with high pressure situations.
• Dependability – meets commitments, works independently, accepts accountability, stays focused under pressure, and meets attendance requirements.
• Initiative – tackles problems and takes independent action, seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-development and seeks learning opportunities.
• Productivity – manages expected workload, takes on additional responsibilities as needed, manages priorities and deadlines, develops and follows work procedures and policies, manages time effectively, handles information flow.
• Quality – attentive to detail and accuracy, shows commitment to quality standards, makes continuous improvement, takes ownership in resolving quality problems/issues, recognizes and communicates quality problems/issues to management.
• Communication – speaks clearly and concisely in a positive, or negative, situation. Listens and gets clarification. Responds well to questions, ability to present numerical data effectively, and ability to read and interpret written information.
• Teamwork – contributes to team projects, exchanges ideas and opinions, helps prevent and resolve conflict, works with other departments effectively, and develops positive working relationships.
• Knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Adobe.
• Knowledge of Cadence is a plus.
• Excellent customer service skills.

Essential Mental & Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel if required to perform the essential job functions. 
• Ability to work under stress and meet deadlines.
• Ability to read and interpret a document if required to perform the essential job functions
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer may be required.
• Ability to lift/move/carry approximately 15 pounds if required to perform the essential job functions. If the employee is unable to lift/move/carry this weight and can be accommodated without causing the department/division any “undue hardship” then the employee must be accommodated; hence omitting lifting/moving/carrying as a physical requirement.

Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company and its subsidiaries is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, genetic information, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, military and veteran status, physical and mental disability, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe in attracting, retaining, and promoting quality talent and recognize that our diversity is critical to the success of the company.