Collections Officer - Chester

Function and job purpose:

To ensure that collections and recoveries are received in a timely manner and to ensure our risks are mitigated.

Description of role and key responsibilities:

Arrears/collections:

• Collection of the company’s arrears cases.

• Corresponding by phone, email and letter to external customers and stakeholders.

• Always deliver a consistent and professional level of service.

• Achieve set revenue targets and call quality objectives.

• Handle each call promptly and in the correct manner, updating records accordingly.

• Follow Company policies and procedures at all times, ensuring that legislative requirements are met.

• Negotiating settlements in line with settlement policy where this provides the optimal outcome for the company.

Long Term Payment Arrangements (LTPA):

• Set up LTPA where this is the optimal outcome for the company.

• Collecting customer payments in accordance with LTPA, which includes conducting regular comprehensive reviews (research on Directors, recent financial activity, current job status, financials leading to increasing payments and managing lapsed payments).

• Proactive movement of non-adhered LTPAs to litigation.

• Any other request deemed reasonable from your line manager.

Core skills and knowledge:

• Excellent communication skills in all forms; confident telephone manner and excellent customer service skills.

• Strong negotiation skills, ability to make commercially aware decisions when dealing with arrears cases, agents, solicitors and third parties.

• Knowledge and experience of working in a collection’s role.

• Good all-round collections skills dealing with cases from inception of arrears to recovery of bad debts.

• Experience of working in a fast-moving environment and ability to work under pressure.

• Have the ability to relate to people from a variety of different backgrounds.

• Be persuasive, persistent and self-motivate. Show empathy, assertiveness, tact and resilience.

• Good numeracy and literacy skills.

• Capable of working independently as well as part of a team.

• Excellent organisational and time management skills.

• Attention to detail.

• Computer literacy.

• Take responsibility for resolving disputes, ensuring that caller concerns are actioned correctly, and all parties are notified.