Collections Specialist
Mintel · Kuala Lumpur
The Collections Specialist is responsible for managing overdue accounts, ensuring timely payments from customers, and supporting accurate cash application activities. They contact clients to follow up on outstanding invoices, negotiate payment plans, resolve billing issues, and assist with allocating customer payments against open invoices. They also maintain accurate records of collection efforts, collaborate with internal teams to address disputes, and ensure compliance with company policies and regulations. Their goal is to minimize bad debt and improve cash flow for the organization.
Responsibilities:
- Monitor accounts receivable aging and proactively follow up on overdue invoices.
- Execute collection activities including reminder emails, phone calls, and escalation in line with collection strategy.
- Resolve payment issues such as invoice disputes, short payments, unapplied cash, and cash application queries in coordination with relevant teams.
- Support cash application activities, including matching and applying customer receipts to invoices, investigating unidentified payments, and clearing unapplied or misapplied cash items on a timely basis.
- Negotiate payment plans and settlement terms within approved authority limits.
- Prepare regular collection status reports and escalate high-risk or long-outstanding accounts.
- Prepare monthly AR ageing analysis to highlight overdue balances, collection risks, account movements, and required follow-up actions for management review.
- Support weekly PO reporting by tracking PO status, following up on missing or pending purchase orders, and coordinating with internal stakeholders to support timely billing and collections.
- Identify potential bad debt risks and support provision and write-off processes.
- Maintain and enforce standardized credit and collection procedures. Ensure collection activities comply with internal policies, local regulations, and audit requirements.
- Document collection actions and customer communications accurately in ERP system.
- Prepare and maintain dashboards and reports to track Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), aging and collection effectiveness, promise-to-pay conversion and average days delinquent.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance collection efficiency and DSO performance.
- Support annual audits by providing collection documentation and account reconciliations.
- Perform any other ad-hoc duties as assigned by superior.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant working experience in credit and collections.
- Strong understanding of accounts receivable, credit management, and collection processes.
- Prior experience in SSC (Shared Service Centre) or multinational company.
- Good analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work with financial data.
- Strong attention to detail and a proven ability to deliver work within deadlines.
- Good written and spoken communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively within a team. Mandarin speaker will be a plus.
- Proficient in MS Office. Basic to Intermediate MS Excel skills (VLookup, Pivot and basic formulas).
- Proficiency in accounting software and ERP systems. Experience in MS Dynamics CRM and NetSuite will be a plus.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a face-paced environment.
- Flexible to work when required during Malaysia public holidays in which replacement holidays will be provided.
- Flexible to work on staggered hours to support UK & US timing.
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