Credit coordinators are individuals who are responsible for giving customers requested credit amounts in addition to collecting payments. These individuals must have solid written and verbal communication skills as well as be able to work under deadline pressure and remain detail-oriented. Strong interpersonal skills also are necessary for working with a wide range of clients in this industry. A person who plans to become a credit coordinator usually need to have a high school diploma or the equivalent certification, although employers also look for job candidates who have years of field experience.
A chief duty of a credit coordinator includes giving customers lines of credit according to a company’s established protocols when they want credit cards. He or she is responsible for checking to make sure that clients are able to handle certain credit limits based on their current credit scores and income levels. This involves ordering client credit reports as well contacting employment references along with lending companies and financial institutions such as banks for necessary customer information.
Keeping track of and working with new customers is a valuable part of this career area as well. A coordinator needs to know how to establish accounts for new clients in a timely manner. In addition, he or she must be able to keep all customer information confidential. This type of professional also strives to help clients to pay their debts by negotiating payment schedules that work with their budgets.
Handling confrontation and performing bookkeeping are other necessary skills in this industry. A person who is interested in becoming a credit coordinator must be willing to draft collection letters to send to customers who are behind on their payments. Sometimes a business has to write off bad debts that are never paid, but, if the appropriate monies finally do arrive at an organization, the credit coordinator can collect and record these funds. This type of professional thus must have strong accounting skills for increasing the organization’s revenues and decreasing debt amounts on paper while complying with government financial reporting regulations.
Performing office duties also is part of the job description in this field. A credit coordinator must manage his or her company’s filing system to make sure that customer documents are organized in an easily retrievable manner. These individuals also help answer telephone calls as well as type and send off relevant letters to appropriate parties. Sometimes the credit coordinator has to operate the entire office if the chief manager is not available.