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The differences between collectors and bill collectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a collector and a bill collector. Additionally, a bill collector has an average salary of $35,585, which is higher than the $34,872 average annual salary of a collector.
The top three skills for a collector include patients, customer service and payment arrangements. The most important skills for a bill collector are patients, customer service, and medicaid.
| Collector | Bill Collector | |
| Yearly salary | $34,872 | $35,585 |
| Hourly rate | $16.77 | $17.11 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,948 | 23,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 27% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Collectors are responsible for monitoring and providing immediate actions for client accounts with overdue payments. Collectors must be able to contact clients through phone or e-mail. A collector's duty also includes negotiating on payment procedures and offering repayment plans and alternative payment solutions to free the debt. Collectors need to document any agreements made to the client, updating and verifying contact information, resolving account discrepancies and client complaints, and report escalated concerns to the management.
A bill collector is responsible for reaching out to the customers to collect overdue payments, negotiate repayment plans, and update account information upon settling of payments. Bill collectors monitor the contact details of the customer, utilizing locator tools and software as required by the organization, and review contract terms to decide on credit advice or escalate the issue to a higher tier. A bill collector must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially in explaining the customer's case and perform debt collection duties efficiently.
Collectors and bill collectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Collector | Bill Collector | |
| Average salary | $34,872 | $35,585 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $30,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Pittsfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Uline | Retina Group Of Washington |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a collector and a bill collector in terms of educational background:
| Collector | Bill Collector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 27% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between collectors' and bill collectors' demographics:
| Collector | Bill Collector | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% | Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 3.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |