Credit Assistant

Farmers Home Furniture•Inman, SC

About The Position

The Credit Assistant supports the credit manager with accounts receivable, credit review, and collections. The role helps review credit applications and investigate prospective customers’ financial status, recommends approval or rejection of applications, and establishes account credit limitations. It also contacts customers about overdue payments, documents collection communications, posts payments, reviews collection reports, and helps determine collection priorities and next steps. With prior credit manager approval, the role prepares paperwork for legal action and submits delinquent accounts to an attorney or outside agency. The position leads assigned staff and helps oversee accounts receivable and collection operations. It also handles customer service and store responsibilities, including logging service requests, scheduling merchandise repairs, assisting customers on the sales floor, meeting assigned sales quotas, and performing Store Manager duties or work in other departments when required. The role must maintain accurate records, follow company customer service standards, and uphold the company’s H.O.M.E. values. Work may involve traveling to customers’ homes to collect late payments and assisting with merchandise repossessions. Physical tasks may require moderate exertion, including climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and handling objects weighing 12–50 pounds. The work may also involve exposure to dirt, dust, temperature extremes, electric currents, or toxic agents and chemicals.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Three years of experience in accounting/bookkeeping, loan processing, and/or collections, or a combination of training, experience, and education that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Possess and maintain a valid State Driver’s License.
Ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, or access data using established criteria and exercise discretion in evaluating consequences and selecting alternatives.
Ability to function in a managerial capacity and make procedural and technical decisions.
Ability to operate and control equipment, machinery, tools, and materials used in the job.
Ability to use reference, descriptive, and advisory information.
Ability to perform basic arithmetic, calculate decimals and percentages, use fractions, and interpret graphs.
Ability to interpret written, oral, diagrammatic, and schedule-based instructions; apply rational systems; and exercise independent judgment to adapt methods and standards.
Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity when evaluating measurable and subjective information.
Ability to perform moderate physical tasks, including some combination of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling objects weighing 12–50 pounds.
Ability to perceive colors or shades, sounds, depth, and visual cues or signals, and to communicate orally.

Responsibilities

Lead assigned staff, address employee concerns and problems, direct work, discipline staff, and provide general guidance.
Help manage and oversee accounts receivable and collection operations.
Review credit applications; investigate and verify prospective customers’ financial status and reputation; document findings; recommend application approval or rejection to the credit manager; and establish account credit limitations.
Contact customers about overdue payments by telephone or text, review applicable sales, service, or credit terms, and attempt to obtain payment.
Send form letters, text messages, and late-charge notices to encourage payment of delinquent accounts.
Travel to customers’ homes to collect late payments and assist with merchandise repossessions as necessary.
Ensure collection correspondence and attempted correspondence are documented; receive payments and post them to customer accounts.
Review and analyze collection reports to assess collection status, outstanding balances, and the effectiveness of collection policies and procedures.
Review delinquent account records, organize collection work by delinquency, and determine which accounts to delegate to assigned staff.
Prepare paperwork for legal action against severely delinquent customers and, with prior credit manager approval, submit accounts to an attorney or outside collection agency.
Collect on returned checks and delinquent accounts.
Maintain a work environment free from legally prohibited discrimination and sexual harassment.
Complete, prepare, review, or approve forms, logs, requests, records, reports, correspondence, and other documents; oversee accurate files and administrative records.
Operate a calculator, copy machine, telephone, or other equipment needed to perform essential functions.
Log customer service requests into PQA and schedule merchandise repairs.
Assist customers on the sales floor, including participating in the sales-floor rotation, greeting customers, demonstrating products, completing sales write-ups, and updating CRM.
Maintain the sales quota established in weekly, monthly, and annual store goals as assigned by the Store Manager.
Comply with Store Operations Customer Service Counter and Telephone Standards.
Uphold and promote the company’s H.O.M.E. values.
Perform Store Manager duties as required, assist in other store departments as required, and perform other related duties.