Senior Customer Collections Specialist

The primary responsibilities of a Senior Customer Collections Specialist entail performing as a Department subject matter expert in developing Customer relationships, identifying causes of account difficulties and pursue the best course of action to resolve delinquency issues. Duties performed include: manage on a daily basis a large inbound/outbound volume of Customer communications; identify in real time the best approach to negotiate actionable Customer payment arrangements; resolve payment discrepancies with Customers; skip trace Customers; determine likelihood of equipment recovery if no payment can be obtained; work with third parties including recovery agents, attorneys, insurance companies and other AmurEF Departments to balance the dual objectives of maximizing net recoveries and minimizing recovery time; provide formal and informal training and guidance to the entire Customer Collections team as well as champion new productivity-enhancing processes and technologies.

The Senior Customer Collections Specialist will be expected to produce a minimum agreed upon quantity and quality of daily deliverables (e.g., daily call count, individual Customer contacts and error-free correspondence) as well as surpass monthly production objectives agreed upon with the Collections Manager.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
Resolving Customer Delinquency

• Research, investigate and understand complex/difficult delinquent Customer accounts using Credit Files, Internet research and other company and external resources.
• Perform Customer collections tasks using all methods of contact and correspondence such as emails, phone calls, text messages and letters, always in accordance with industry standards and AmurEF’s internal guidelines.
• Thoroughly perform skip tracing of unresponsive Customers to obtain other contacts.
• Utilize third-party services for site visits to either engage with Customer or provide details about the current condition of the Equipment or business.
• Systematically and correctly identify the specific factors causing a Customer delinquency and implement appropriate collections solutions based upon this assessment.
• Develop situation-specific action plans to cure special delinquency situations.
• Handle escalated Collections calls from Customer Collections Specialists.
• Resolve payment delinquency issues via Payment in Full, Payment Plan Arrangements or Settlement, in each case including delinquent Periodic Payments, late fees, NSFs and other payment due under the Contract.
• Analyze and interpret medium to high complexity documents to make sound collections decisions and recommendations; know when to escalate major account issues to Management.

Collecting Customer Payments

• Create accurate, complete and timely Default Letters for delinquent Customers and follow-up accordingly.
• Collect and process same-day Customer payments.
• Maintain and update Customer payment information.
• Follow up on Promise to Pay accounts to ensure a positive resolution and Customer satisfaction.
• Provide Customer with requirements for Modification, Restructuring and Settlements and work with (Senior) Collections Documentation Specialists in preparing and communicating approval, denial and/or additional information requests.
• Note, file and scan Customer correspondence accordingly in AmurEF’s file management systems.

Reporting

• Consistently, clearly and concisely document all interactions with Customers and Vendors in a self-explanatory manner to ensure reporting accuracy and ease of account hand-off.
• Ensure all Customer information is complete and correct in AmurEF’s files.
• Prepare routine reports to identify type of collection to report to PayNet (Example: Repo, Collections, Legal).
• Work with entire team to identify broader portfolio issues and trends from account delinquency and collection outcomes and discuss them with Management.

Customer Service and Departmental Cooperation

• Embody a contagious positive, professional and energetic attitude to promote a high-performing, collaborative and enjoyable work environment.
• Be a model for excellent customer service skills, ability to manage conflict and negotiate successful outcomes.
• Mentor and assists team in handling effectively difficult or complex accounts and situations, leveraging technical knowledge, proper procedure and own experience.
• Be always available to provide formal and informal advice to ensure positive transaction-specific outcomes and overall Department results.
• Assist in facilitating staff training and coaching plans as directed by Collections Supervisor.
• Prepare and forward to Customer forms for Insurance Claim and Engine Repairs; prepare Voluntary Surrender documentation.
• Assist AmurEF’s Asset Management Department with finding and arranging pickup of equipment from defaulted Contracts.
• Take on as needed any Departmental overflow work.
• Coordinate with Credit, Sales Reps, Brokers, Vendors and other personnel to effectively utilize all resources to meet recovery objectives.

Skills and Abilities

• Self-disciplined and capable of identifying, prioritizing and completing critical tasks independently, creatively and always with a sense of urgency.
• Strong, communication, problem solving, negotiation and analytical skills.
• Timely decision-making ability.
• Fully proficient in the knowledge of Collections processes and procedures.
• Highly proficient in MS Office, including Excel, Word and Access, as well as Internet-based solutions and AmurEF platforms (e.g., Lease Plus, Aspire, SSRS)
• Attention to detail and an eye for accuracy.

Education and Training Guidelines

• High School diploma or G.E.D. certificate
• Prefer three (3) to five (5) year’s work experience in commercial collections/and or customer service