Collections Associate

Company: Business Wire
Location: San Francisco
Posted on: February 25, 2021

Job Description:

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global market leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. We are on a mission to redefine how organizations connect with their audiences - and that's just the beginning! Organizations, big and small, depend on us to accurately publicize market-moving news and multimedia, host online newsrooms and investor relations websites, and generate social engagements that continuously develop interactions with their target audience. About the Role Reporting to the Collections Manager, the Collections Associate will be a key contributor to Business Wire's AR operations. The Collections Associate will manage collections efforts for a portfolio of commercial customers which will include some of Business Wire's high-profile clients. Collections Associates are responsible for managing the collection and resolution on customer account balances. This includes resolving customer billing questions, responding to customer account inquiries, proactively contacting customers and Business Wire sales teams to address past-due balances, and recommending Business Wire process improvements and methods to improve the customer experience with the Business Wire invoice payment process. What You'll Do

• Develop and maintain collaborative and supportive relationships with counterparts on the external customer and internal business sides in order to improve Collections operations.
• Leverage an understanding of customer requirements, products and systems to identify and proactively address payment performance issues, and provide ongoing consultation and support to stakeholders on questions related to Business Wire's policies and processes.
• Partner with Business Wire operations personnel to proactively address process gaps/issues.
• Promote customer adoption of Business Wire process changes and new platform offerings to improve billing and payment experience, and provide customer feedback to Finance team leaders.
• Drive resolution on billing and payment problems by troubleshooting issues faced, understanding root causes, driving corrective actions, and interfacing with internal teams to facilitate quick and efficient resolutions.
• Prepare open balance customer account reports, and gather credit and/or reference information.
• Contribute to the maintenance of customer database by entering, updating, and retrieving data, as well as formatting and generating reports.
• Resolve open invoice problems on past due accounts.
• Respond to inquiries from customers or external collection resources, and contact those with unresolved issues.
• Work collaboratively with manager and Collections team to improve collections performance, address operational issues, and help design & test new systems and system upgrades.
• Work, as needed, with the cash applications group to help reduce the backlog of unapplied cash.
• Proactive use of telephone and electronic communication to work with external & internal customers to maintain accounts in good standing and resolve past due balances. What You'll Need
  • 10+ years of Commercial Collection experience calling on large corporate clients in a high-volume environment.
  • Candidate must be focused and driven, and needs to show a consistent record of reducing DSO and improving agings.
  • Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent work experience.
  • Team player who can work collaboratively with all levels of an organization.
  • Strong customer service skills with the ability to establish and maintain relationships with customers and sales teams.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Logical deduction and problem-solving skills.
  • Detail oriented with the ability to prioritize based on the level of urgency.
  • Sales tax reporting experience and a good understanding of tax exemptions in a multi-state environment is preferred.
  • Proficient in MS Office, particularly Excel. Business Wire will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position. Local candidates preferred. Relocation assistance is not provided. Business Wire is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and other similar state laws and local ordinances, and its internal policy, Business Wire will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Keywords: Business Wire, San Francisco , Collections Associate, Accounting, Auditing , San Francisco, California