Collections representative vs contact representative

The differences between collections representatives and contact 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 contact representative. Additionally, a collections representative has an average salary of $34,015, which is higher than the $33,776 average annual salary of a contact representative.

The top three skills for a collections representative include payment arrangements, customer service and delinquent accounts. The most important skills for a contact representative are customer service, technical assistance, and sound judgment.

Collections representative vs contact representative overview

	Collections Representative	Contact Representative
Yearly salary	$34,015	$33,776
Hourly rate	$16.35	$16.24
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	85,275	185,124
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
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 contact representative do?

As a contact representative, you will mostly work at agencies that oversee programs involving benefits, pensions, privileges, or taxes. This job involves a lot of interaction and aids in administrative and technical support to individuals and businesses primarily in person or through telephone inquiries. Moreover, contact representatives provide needed information and assistance to the public by answering a broad range of inquiries regarding the complexity of the laws, regulations, and other related administrative. The main purpose of contact representative work is to answer to a variety of inquiries.

Collections representative vs contact representative salary

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

	Collections Representative	Contact Representative
Average salary	$34,015	$33,776
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	San Ramon, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	City of Seattle
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between collections representative and contact representative education

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

	Collections Representative	Contact Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Collections representative vs contact representative demographics

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

	Collections Representative	Contact Representative
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3%
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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between collections representative and contact 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.

Contact representative example responsibilities.

Perform outbound telemarketing, marketing products and services to members and attain sale goals.
Lead contact center in consultation to patient's/doctors inquiring about Medicaid/Medicare coverage and claims.
Contact doctor offices to schedule Medicade and Medicare risk adjustment chart reviews.
Create common knowledge documents (CKM) to help agents resolve technical blackberry problems.
Answer questions relating to VA and treasury offsets on collection procedures for past due accounts.
Investigate and initiate corrective action on delays or errors and explain determination on individual cases and appeals.

Collections representative vs contact 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 contact representative skills

Customer Service, 24%
Technical Assistance, 6%
Sound Judgment, 5%
Patients, 4%
IRS, 4%
Inbound Calls, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Collections Representative
Collections Representative vs Contact Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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