Amy Higgins
Jeffersonville,IN
Summary
At Mercer Transportation Co., Inc., I have excelled as a Collections Officer, leveraging strong negotiation skills and exceptional communication to enhance customer repayment rates and minimize risk. My proactive approach and dedication to professional development led to significant improvements in debt recovery processes, showcasing my goal-oriented mindset and commitment to achieving results through effective problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Collections Officer
Mercer Transportation Co., Inc.
10.2004 - Current
- Maintained strong customer relationships through respectful communication and effective problem-solving techniques.
- Delivered exceptional customer service on collection calls and maintained calm and professional demeanor.
- Verified and reviewed customer account information.
- Evaluated customer financial situations, offering tailored solutions that promoted successful repayments while minimizing risk exposure for the company.
- Initiated negotiations for debt recovery through email, telephone, and mail contact.
- Improved client payment rates by negotiating and establishing feasible repayment plans.
- Received inbound calls and answered questions from customers satisfactorily.
- Ensured compliance with federal and state regulations by staying up-to-date on industry standards and best practices.
- Assisted debtors in setting up payment plans to recover overdue balances.
- Abided by rules of Fair Debt Collection Practice Act for fully compliant activities above basic industry standards.
- Provided exceptional customer service while upholding professionalism during difficult conversations with debtors regarding their outstanding balances.
- Continuously sought opportunities to enhance personal knowledge and skills through professional development courses, industry seminars, and networking events.
- Coordinated with legal counsel when necessary to escalate appropriate cases for further action or resolution outside of standard collections efforts.
- Prepared and submitted legal documents to initiate court proceedings.
- Processed debtor payments and updated accounts to reflect new balance.
- Researched billing errors and discrepancies to initiate corrective action.
Education
Associate of Applied Science - Business
Jefferson Community And Technical College
Louisville, KY05.2015
Skills
- Banking knowledge
- Goal-Oriented
- Strong negotiation skills
- Customer research
- Debt recovery expertise
- Processing payments
- Payment Acceptance
- Issue investigation
- Payment Plan Options
- Persuasion techniques
- Litigation Support
- Monitoring accounts
- Professional integrity
- Data entry proficiency
- Problem-Solving
- Attention to Detail
- Multitasking
- Excellent Communication
- Active Listening
- Effective Communication
- Decision-Making
- Payment Scheduling
- Documentation and Recordkeeping
- Negotiation and Resolution
- Self Motivation
- Interpersonal Skills
- Accurate payment posting
- Pleasant Telephone Demeanor
- Payment Processing
- Written Communication
- Professional Demeanor
Additional Information
My history with Mercer Transportation Co., Inc has included the departments listed for this position. I started my career in Truck Pay then left to homeschool my children. When I returned in 2004 I worked in Broker Pay. After a few years I moved to Truck Pay. I moved to Payables when a position was created in that department for the job duties I was performing in Truck Pay. That position then moved to the current department of Contractor Accounting. After discussing my job duties with my manager it was agreed that a new job description and title were needed. I wrote up the current job description giving it the title of Collections Officer.
Along with my current job duties, I routinely assist both Truck Pay and Broker Pay with daily questions and problem solving. I have a good rapport with my co-workers and I feel they respect my knowledge.
I feel that by having knowledge of multiple departments and the level of my involvement in daily operations would be an asset in transitioning into the position of Assistant Manager. My current duties as Collections Officer lend themselves well to complimenting this new leadership role of Assistant Manager.
Timeline
Collections Officer
Mercer Transportation Co., Inc.
10.2004 - Current
Associate of Applied Science - Business
Jefferson Community And Technical College