Collections Specialist

Job Family: Collections
Job Title: Collections Specialist (Early)

PURPOSE SUMMARY:

To assist the department in collection of accounts that are between 1-90 days past due. The Collections Specialist (Early) is responsible for liaising with customers for up-to-date payment arrangements and arrears management on all inbound and outbound phone contacts. By applying communication, negotiation, customer service and collection skills, the Collections Specialist leverages collateral into payments. Bringing arrears accounts up to date allows us to achieve monetary goals and assists customers to ensure a solid credit history.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Responsible for volume outbound and inbound calls, responding to a wide variety of customers' arrears problems and concerns.

• Negotiate payments and arrangements on inbound and outbound telephone contacts by using the Collections system, resolving delinquencies.

• Ensure a high level of customer service is provided to the customer, offering them all relevant information to allow them to understand any options available to them.

• Undertake all collections activities in accordance with the required regulations; ensure treating Customers fairly, Companies Policies and Guidelines

• Review SLA adherence and performance reports (in conjunction with the Manager).

• Adheres to formal regulatory processes, policies and procedures.

• Treats customers with respect adhering to principles of Treating Customers Fairly.

• Such other duties as management may from time to time reasonably require.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPI's):

• Service Quality: achieve 3% maximum inbound call abandonment rate
• Service Quality: achieve 80% calls answered in 20 seconds
• Service Quality - check 90% of work queries with 2 days
• Performance: achieve TBC% Payment Arrangement kept performance (TBD in the future)

ABILITY AND SKILLS PROFILE:

• Excellent communication (including written) and negotiation skills when dealing with customers
• Ability to listen to customers to obtain clues that lead to additional contact information
• Possess a "sales" type personality - can convince customers to reconcile their accounts and bring their arrears up to date
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills
• Confident in making decisions; takes ownership of individual arrears cases where required
• Demonstrate prioritisation skills in terms of meeting formal service and productivity targets
• Ability to operate, upon training, contract, collections and workflow management systems and associated office equipment

COMPETENCY/BEHAVIOURAL PROFILE (PERSON SPECIFICATION):

• Balance empathy with assertiveness.
• Tenacious - capable of overcoming difficult customer objections
• Ability to remain calm under pressure/during stressful conversations - keep conversation focused
• Possess a contagious, positive attitude and enthusiasm
• Maintain professionalism in all aspects of communication
• Self-driven and motivated.
• Welcome and participate in change.
• Put team and organisational goals above individual goals
• Ability to interact within a team and thrive in a team environment
• Independent and able to work with minimal daily supervision
• Able to accept feedback from team and team leader/manager and change behaviour based on feedback
• Adaptive - ability to adjust to rapidly changing business environment
• Adhere to the Collections team schedule and attendance guidelines - ability to work a shift pattern including Saturday on a rota basis
• Ability to maintain a satisfactory attendance record

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS:

• Educated to A Level Standard or equivalent
• At least 2 years' experience within a Collections, customer service role within a call centre environment preferred (ability to wear a headset and talk on the phone for up to 70% of working day)
• Experience in the automotive or consumer finance industry a plus
• Excel and Word - intermediate level