Collections Specialist

Spectrum Brands' global enabling functions, including Finance, Legal, IT, Human Resources, Supply Chain, and Commercial Operations, provide enterprise-wide strategy, structure, and common processes to deliver the knowledge and expertise that helps our businesses grow. Enabling functions may operate as a center-led global team, providing a central strategy, structure, and standards; or as business partner teams, with resources embedded within the businesses to deliver business unit-specific results.

The Collections Specialist will be responsible for establishing relationships with customers to collect monies from accounts with outstanding Accounts Receivable (A/R) balances and resolve customer billing issues in an effort to minimize the loss to the Company and optimize Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) collection and Average Days Delinquent. Our Collections Specialists will enforce terms compliance, pursue unearned discounts and focus collections efforts on credit card, line of credit, wires, check payments and all other customer loan types.

Delinquent Accounts Collection

• Perform business-to-business collections calls to delinquent customers. Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by telephone, email, customer portals and mail to solicit payment in a professional manner while keeping and improving customer relations.
• Manage delinquency on A/R accounts using collection techniques. Review and collect on assigned delinquent accounts.
• Provide relevant statistical/transaction analyses to investigate root causes of slow payments as well as track the sustainability of cross-functional remedies in addressing these issues.
• Ensure notifications, including collection emails, letters and applicable state/regulatory letters are sent to customers.
• Perform necessary transactional research and analysis to facilitate account reconciliation with our customers' transactions to allow for timelier payments of open invoices.
• Adhere to all established company guidelines for collections process.
• Achieve requisite proficiency in navigating within various major customers' transaction/process flows through their unique portals to effectively track our invoices in route to payment (example from EDI transmission to payable posting for payment).
• Analyze delinquent accounts to determine if they are uncollectable based on past due status, payment history and member contacts. Prepare uncollectable accounts for charge off on a monthly basis.
• Prepare regular management updates on account specific issues involving accounts with past due balances exceeding $100K. Updates include high level discussion of cross functional issue involved, who are the partners they enlisted in the resolution process and strategy being pursued toward resolution.
• Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using SAP and a variety of automated systems to mine the necessary information in identifying the impact of cross functional issues impacting collection of past due invoices.
• Negotiate credit extensions, payment plans and other credit risk mitigation measures when necessary to address slow payments or high-risk customer situation.
• Actively leverage sales support in the resolution of payment issues by adequately providing them adequate understanding of what the issues are as well as requisite analyses to validate our position.
• Provide coaching/mentoring support for Offshore team members and new On Shore team members toward aligning process flows and operations with SPB best business practices.

Customer Service:

• Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customer's financial situations.
• Respond to verbal and written inquiries from customers.
• Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
• Discuss and persuade customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.

Administrative:

• Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.
• Perform functions for assigned accounts, such as recording customer information and address changes.
• Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.

• Associate's Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field required.
• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field preferred.
• Functional appreciation of such areas as EDI, order entry, billing, shipping, supply chain and logistics in terms of their impact on our past due issues.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience in a customer service role required with preference in a call center environment.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience in credit or collections is desired.
• Relevant experience will be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Previous SAP or related ERP experience desired
• Strong Microsoft Office experience, specifically Excel, a plus
• Effective organization, decision making and interpersonal skills
• Ability to effectively function in a cross functional team environment.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service skills and skillfully handle confrontation.
• Appreciation of how cross functional service issues impact cash flow.
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Demonstrated analytical, problem-solving and system-mining knowledge
• Ability to work independently, organize and prioritize work
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of collections concepts and practices

Working conditions are normal for an office environment.

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this job/classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Spectrum Brands is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

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