Data collector vs accounts receivable specialist

The differences between data collectors and accounts receivable specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a data collector and an accounts receivable specialist. Additionally, an accounts receivable specialist has an average salary of $39,873, which is higher than the $35,626 average annual salary of a data collector.

The top three skills for a data collector include audit type, grocery store and retail store. The most important skills for an accounts receivable specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Data collector vs accounts receivable specialist overview

	Data Collector	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,626	$39,873
Hourly rate	$17.13	$19.17
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	80,812	61,988
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a data collector do?

A data collector is responsible for providing accurate and adequate information needed for business purposes and lead generation. Data collectors must have excellent knowledge of the data processing procedures, especially on updating information on the database, conducting web research, and revising statistical data as needed. They also perform related administrative and clerical duties, such as responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, writing reports, tracking business transactions, and creating business presentations. A data collector should be detail-oriented, doing tasks under minimal supervision, and complying with management deadlines.

What does an accounts receivable specialist do?

Accounts receivable specialists are members of the organization's finance or accounting department. They are responsible for managing the collection of payments for the company. They prepare official receipts and coordinate with account payable specialists from other companies with pending payables. They ensure that clients pay on time, and they also follow up on payments when necessary. They are responsible for checking whether the clients have already paid in full. Accounts receivable specialists are in charge of updating accounting records as well to ensure that client records are up to date.

Data collector vs accounts receivable specialist salary

Data collectors and accounts receivable specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Collector	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average salary	$35,626	$39,873
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $40,000	Between $31,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	EDC	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between data collector and accounts receivable specialist education

There are a few differences between a data collector and an accounts receivable specialist in terms of educational background:

	Data Collector	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Data collector vs accounts receivable specialist demographics

Here are the differences between data collectors' and accounts receivable specialists' demographics:

	Data Collector	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.9% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between data collector and accounts receivable specialist duties and responsibilities

Data collector example responsibilities.

Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Collect from all insurances (HMO, PPO, and MEDICARE).
Attend trainings and abide by HIPAA regulations.
Collect from insurance companies (PPO and Medicare).
Execute database queries in SQL in response to client requests.
Collect pricing information in grocery, office, pet and mass retailers

Accounts receivable specialist example responsibilities.

Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Perform accounts reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliation and journal entries.
Follow company's standard operating procedures in cooperation with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers to resolve billing issues.
Cash and credit allocation of customer payments in ROSS ERP system.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, word documents, letters and spreadsheets while meeting deadlines.
Reconcile direct billing accounts and adjust product pricing utilizing JD Edwards EnterpriseONE ERP system.

Data collector vs accounts receivable specialist skills

Common data collector skills

Audit Type, 31%
Grocery Store, 17%
Retail Store, 16%
UPC, 10%
PET, 8%
Inter-Rater Reliability, 2%

Common accounts receivable specialist skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 9%
Data Entry, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Accounts Receivables, 3%

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Data Collector vs Accounts Receivable Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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