Accounts Collections Specialist

Main Purpose of the Role:

Responsible for payment collections to ensure all past due amounts are collected while preventing the aging of current balances. Responsible for all customer communications (including dunning, refunds and statements) and dispute resolution to ensure all customer portfolios are in compliance with established payment and credit terms.

Main Tasks:

• Contact Customers to pursue for payment
• Reviews all customer AR balances to ensure billing/invoice and payment accuracy.
• Serve as main contact on all accounting aspects of the customer's account.
• Exhibit an understanding of the company capabilities and service, and effectively communicate all policies and terms to the customer.
• Provides regular two-way communication between the customer and ZIM to provide strong representation and set proper customer expectations.
• Act as Liaison between customer and Dispute team to facilitate timely resolution and payment
• Investigate and recommend solutions to clear all service failures and other issues that may prevent prompt payment from being received and applied.
• Handles the customer's concerns by escalating the customer's complaints, disputes or inquiries to the appropriate internal departments or to management as needed.
• Issue timely and complete account statements.
• Provide invoices and detail for invoices
• Provide the Credit and Collection management staff with regular input on all account activity, including status and call reports on a weekly basis.
• Coordinate dunning process
• Contact customers to obtain information like email or phone
• Ensure customers paying to correct bank account
• Ensure customers paying to correct name in compliance with banking requirements
• Work with Customer Service to determine how to meet customer needs that are outside our normal AOR
• Perform manual processes to meet customer needs that are outside our normal AOR
• Supports cash flow target by ensuring that all processes and procedures are completed, quality standards are met, and that customer accounts are handled effectively and efficiently.
• Research and validate credit balances on accounts
• Identify all payment discrepancies and obtain remittance details from customers or internal departments to ensure prompt resolution of residual balances.
• Research, resolve, and reconcile all unapplied receipts.
• Encourage customer to utilize credits
• Coordinate refund
• Minimum of three years of collections/AR/industry and/or related experience
• Strong knowledge of commercial collections experience
• Experience in the Shipping Industry preferred
• Accounting software - SAP knowledge in FI/CO and MM modules (preferred)