Collections Specialist

The Collections Specialist oversees the full collections lifecycle for business-to-business accounts, ensuring timely payments, accurate account maintenance, and strong customer relationships. This role manages accounts receivable inquiries, conducts proactive outreach to resolve outstanding balances, and collaborates closely with internal teams to reduce financial risk. The ideal candidate combines strong collections experience, excellent communication skills, and advanced Excel proficiency to support efficient financial operations.

Responsibilities

+ Manage the Accounts Receivable (AR) team inbox and respond promptly to inquiries with thorough research and appropriate follow-up.

+ Monitor and respond to messages in your personal inbox related to accounts receivable activities.

+ Send professional and courteous payment reminders to customers to encourage timely payment.

+ Engage with customers to establish, negotiate, and document payment arrangements and payment plans.

+ Handle incoming calls through the AR phone system and provide clear, solution-focused assistance.

+ Conduct proactive outreach via phone and email to support collection efforts and reduce past-due balances.

+ Supervise pooled collections modules to ensure timely and consistent follow-up on outstanding accounts.

+ Regularly review aging reports to maintain credit and aging thresholds within acceptable limits.

+ Identify patterns or issues in affiliate payment collections and escalate them when appropriate.

+ Collaborate with customers to ensure accurate and timely payment application to their accounts.

+ Maintain and update customer account information to ensure data accuracy and completeness.

+ Complete vendor onboarding documentation as needed to support new account setup and compliance.

+ Investigate and resolve invoice discrepancies by coordinating with internal teams such as finance and operations.

+ Support the cash application process by researching and resolving unapplied payments.

+ Initiate and process customer refunds in accordance with established procedures.

+ Evaluate and adjust credit limits to manage affiliate exposure and overall credit risk.

+ Monitor and manage account aging to mitigate financial risk and support healthy cash flow.

+ Coordinate disaffiliation processes across Operations and Finance to meet required deadlines.

+ Apply credits and vouchers to outstanding invoices where appropriate to reduce open balances.

+ Generate and distribute customer account statements on a regular basis.

+ Escalate bankruptcy or legal concerns to the Legal team or appropriate leadership for review and action.

+ Compile and submit documentation to Legal for affiliate and customer demand letters.

+ Foster strong customer relationships to reduce financial exposure and support ongoing business.

+ Review late fee waiver requests and escalate them when necessary for further approval.

+ Identify affiliates with outstanding balances and initiate outreach to discuss resolution options.

+ Negotiate repayment terms while maintaining positive affiliate relationships and high service standards.

+ Initiate commission deductions where applicable to recover outstanding balances.

+ Process credit card payments for captive account balances accurately and securely.

+ Apply available credits and vouchers to reduce open balances on captive accounts.

+ Perform data entry and reconciliation activities related to collections, invoicing, and account maintenance.

+ Prepare and review monthly statements and aging reports to track performance and prioritize collection efforts.

Essential Skills

+ At least three years of previous Accounts Receivable and Collections experience in a B2B environment.

+ Proven experience with outbound collections and collection calls in a professional setting.

+ Strong background in accounts receivable, account management, and financial operations.

+ Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, and formulas.

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Experience with Net Suite or a similar ERP system for managing financial and customer data.

+ Ability to read, interpret, and reconcile aging reports and monthly statements.

+ Demonstrated experience with customer invoicing, billing, and payment processing.

+ Skill in setting up and managing payment plans and negotiated repayment terms.

+ Accuracy and speed in data entry and reconciliation of accounts and payments.

+ Strong customer service skills in a collections or accounts receivable context.

+ Ability to research unapplied payments and support the cash…