Credit Assistant

About the Role

This classification performs work functions associated with assisting the credit manager in coordinating, overseeing, and managing accounts receivable and collection duties. The role involves approving or declining credit lines, conducting credit investigations, and ensuring proper collection procedures are followed to limit losses while growing the store’s accounts receivable. The position also ensures delinquent accounts are contacted and managed effectively.

Responsibilities

• Leads assigned staff, processes employee concerns, directs work, and provides guidance to attain efficient office and credit operations.
• Manages and oversees the activities and operations of the accounts receivable and collection areas.
• Reviews and evaluates credit applications; investigates and verifies financial status and reputation of prospective customers; recommends approval or rejection of credit applications and establishes credit limitations.
• Contacts customers via telephone or text to determine reasons for overdue payments, reviews terms of sales or credit contracts, and encourages payment.
• Mails form letters, texts, and late charge notices to customers to prompt payment of delinquent accounts.
• Travels to customers’ homes to collect late payments and assists with repossessions of merchandise as necessary.
• Ensures all correspondence and attempted correspondence with customers concerning accounts is properly documented.
• Posts payments to customer accounts and reviews collection reports to evaluate the effectiveness of current collection policies.
• Organizes collection workload based on degree and amount of delinquency and delegates accounts to assigned staff for collection.
• Prepares paperwork for legal action against severely late-paying customers and submits delinquent accounts to attorneys or outside agencies for collection with prior approval.
• Collects on returned checks and delinquent accounts.
• Maintains a work environment free of legally prohibited discriminatory practices and sexual harassment.
• Completes, prepares, reviews, and approves various forms, logs, requests, records, reports, and correspondence related to daily responsibilities; oversees maintenance of accurate files and administrative records.
• Operates office equipment such as calculators, copy machines, and telephones to complete essential functions.
• Logs customer service requests into PQA and schedules merchandise repairs for customers.
• Assists customers on the sales floor, including participation in sales floor rotation, greeting customers, demonstrating products, completing sales write-ups, and updating CRM.
• Maintains an acceptable sales quota as established by weekly, monthly, and annual store goals.
• Complies with Store Operations Customer Service Counter and Telephone Standards.
• Upholds and promotes the company’s H.O.M.E. values: Helping others, developing Ordinary people to do extraordinary things, being a Motivated owner that cares, and Ensuring excellence is a habit personally and for those entrusted to lead.
• Performs duties of the Store Manager as required and assists in other store departments as needed.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Three years of experience in accounting/bookkeeping, loan processing, and/or collections; or any combination of training, experience, and education that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Must possess and maintain a valid State Driver’s License.

Skills

• Data Utilization: Ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, and assess data using established criteria, including exercising discretion to determine consequences and select alternatives.
• Human Interaction: Ability to function in a managerial capacity, including making decisions on procedural and technical levels.
• Equipment Utilization: Ability to operate, maneuver, and control office equipment, machinery, tools, and materials used in performing essential functions.
• Verbal Aptitude: Ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and advisory data and information.
• Mathematical Aptitude: Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, calculate decimals, percentages, and fractions, and interpret graphs.
• Functional Reasoning: Ability to interpret instructions in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form, apply principles of rational systems, and exercise independent judgment to meet objectives.
• Situational Reasoning: Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in evaluating information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Physical Ability: Tasks require moderate physical effort, including climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting/carrying objects weighing 12-50 pounds.
• Sensory Requirements: Ability to perceive and discriminate colors, sounds, depth, visual cues, and communicate orally.
• Environmental Factors: Exposure to adverse conditions such as dirt, dust, temperature extremes, electric currents, or toxic agents/chemicals may be required.