Collections representative vs business representative

The differences between collections representatives and business representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a collections representative and a business representative. Additionally, a business representative has an average salary of $51,604, which is higher than the $34,015 average annual salary of a collections representative.

The top three skills for a collections representative include payment arrangements, customer service and delinquent accounts. The most important skills for a business representative are customer service, patients, and powerpoint.

Collections representative vs business representative overview

	Collections Representative	Business Representative
Yearly salary	$34,015	$51,604
Hourly rate	$16.35	$24.81
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	85,275	197,264
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a collections representative do?

A Collections Representative's role is to collect payment for outstanding or overdue bills through phone calls, email, mail, or sometimes personal appointments. A Collections Representative is required to have a great deal of research and communication skills in order to reach out to people and explain how to settle their debts or even negotiate a payment term or plan. Collections Representatives must also make sure that these terms are honored and met, and create reports for the creditor regarding the delinquent accounts.

What does a business representative do?

Typically working as a member of a company's sales team, a business representative offers products and services to customers through appointments or calls and correspondence, securing sales and customer satisfaction. Among their responsibilities include answering inquiries, processing payments, assisting clients in filling out forms, negotiating contracts, developing sales strategies, researching new business and client opportunities, and producing sales reports. Furthermore, as a business representative, it is essential to have a great understanding of the company's vision and mission, including its policies and regulations.

Collections representative vs business representative salary

Collections representatives and business representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Collections Representative	Business Representative
Average salary	$34,015	$51,604
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $36,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	San Ramon, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Marathon Oil
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between collections representative and business representative education

There are a few differences between a collections representative and a business representative in terms of educational background:

	Collections Representative	Business Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Collections representative vs business representative demographics

Here are the differences between collections representatives' and business representatives' demographics:

	Collections Representative	Business Representative
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between collections representative and business representative duties and responsibilities

Collections representative example responsibilities.

Protect A/R assets by managing a portfolio of accounts to maximize gainful sales and reduce debt losses.
Maintain effective communication and utilize negotiation skills with internal and external customers to effect collections while maintaining customer good will.
Submit all reconsideration and appeals if need.
Conduct periodic data cleaning of queues balances deny with deny appeals.
Resolve valid or authorize NSF charges due to decline credit cards or ACH transactions.
Collect and count inventories, reconcile purchases and scan UPC's and inputting price information.

Business representative example responsibilities.

Manage customer relations with internal personnel, group administrators, brokers and members as related to Medicare insurance.
Verify ICD-9 to physician's diagnosis; insure correct CPT codes and level of service are going out on claims.
Handle incoming calls to investigate and troubleshoot network and hardware concerns that align with company expectations of quality.
Utilize multiple internal information systems and applications to troubleshoot hardware issues.
Verify all new and returning patients' insurance coverage and eligibility when reviewing patient registration.
Obtain and verify accurate and complete patient demographic information, appropriately schedule patients according to center and insurance guidelines.

Collections representative vs business representative skills

Common collections representative skills

Payment Arrangements, 14%
Customer Service, 13%
Delinquent Accounts, 9%
Past Due Accounts, 6%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Debt Repayment, 4%

Common business representative skills

Customer Service, 13%
Patients, 12%
PowerPoint, 8%
Business Development, 7%
Financial Services, 6%
Inbound Calls, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Collections Representative
Collections Representative vs Business Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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