8 Skills You’ll Need For A
Successful Career in Credit Control

Are you thinking about making a move into a credit control job role? Have you written a stand-out graduate CV and cover letter tailored to this career? Then read on to find out 8 characteristics that could make you perfect for the role…

Credit control might not necessarily have been the job of your dreams as a child, but it’s certainly a necessary and sought-after job role in the 21st century. After all, debt collection isn’t just what you see in movies; there are a number of practical and efficient ways to collect the money that your company is owed.

From issuing a Statutory Demand to serving a Winding Up order, there are a number of effective methods to persuade reluctant debtors to pay what they’re due. That said, you also must have various personal skills to be right for a role in this field.

In this article, we’ll be taking you through the top eight qualities a credit controller must have. From communication skills to persistence, do you have what it takes? Find out here…

Excellent Communication Skills

As much of your daily role will be liaising with people, strong communication skills are key to succeeding in a role in credit control. After all, it’s imperative that you can establish and maintain good client relationships, both internally and externally at all levels to ensure a smooth process. Communicating clearly and confidently with members of your team and debtors also helps to be able to stop either party getting worked up.

On top of this, a good credit controller should be able to read between the lines, evaluating whether people will follow through with their resolution. You will also need to display empathy at times but be confident in getting the outcome you desire too.

Having a sense of humor will give you that human touch that might make resolving disputes easier and mean debtors can relate to you more. Overall, this will help you to build strong relationships, which will always help in the long-term.

Numerical Skills

Another skill a good credit controller will need to occupy is numerical skills as you will be working with numbers much of the time. You will need to be able to:

Any previous experience you have with numbers and figures will be an advantage when applying for a role in credit control. Computer skills, particularly with spreadsheets and using computerized accounts software will also be beneficial.

Negotiation Skills

A good credit controller should be outstanding at negotiating, so they can win rapport with even the most difficult of customers.

Negotiation involves skills such as planning, strategy, communication, persuasion, and confidence. Being confident in these negotiation skills will mean you have conviction in your ability to get the job done and overcome excuses from clients. These will be integral to achieving an outcome that works in your favor.

If your confidence is lacking, take a look at this article for eleven ways to build yourself and your confidence up.

Persistence

Persistence is key to getting things done. Lots of clients won’t pay the first time you chase them, whether it’s because they have forgotten, have other things on, or don’t want to pay. It means you will need to chase more than once.

It’s easy to sit back and leave things until they get dire, but chasing them, building a relationship, and explaining the situation will mean you are more likely to get results. Persistence and resilience also mean you will see through clients’ excuses and get the issues resolved.

If persistence isn’t paying off, don’t forget that you can issue a statutory demand, or another last resort, to resolve the issues efficiently.

Analytical Skills

Analytical skills are beneficial for credit controllers due to their role in investigating disputes. You need to be able to look at different parts of the process and logically come to a decision on what might have happened with evidence to back up your conclusion.

Analytical skills also involve spotting patterns, integrating new information, hypothesizing, and observing data. So, if this sounds like skills you have, find your next credit controller role today.

Decision Making Skills

Decision making skills will be necessary to help you make informed choices between options given to you. After all, you’ll always need to be in the know about what your next steps are when you aren’t getting the results you require. You should then be able to choose what step to take to succeed.

If you don’t feel you have this skill down yet, you can develop your decision making skills by reading up on the subject a little more.

Writing Skills

Although primarily a numerical job role, excellent written communication skills will be beneficial. This is because you may be required to provide written instruction that will need to be accurate and easy to understand.

You will also need to keep precise record keeping of calls made to clients you are chasing so there is a clear trail of what is happening. Having good written communication skills will also reduce the risk of invoice errors so situations can be dealt with promptly.

Be Results Focused

There’s no denying that, more often than not, working in the debt collection world will be tough. Dealing with people – especially those who aren’t paying your business – isn’t going to be a pleasant walk in the park.

So, a good way to tackle this is by being results focused. This will help you to compartmentalize, so you can get the job done and not be knocked back when things don’t go your way.

Ready to Start Looking for a Credit Control Job?

Credit control roles incorporate a mixture of great customer service and excellent finance skills. If you think you harbor these skills, and enjoy solving problems, a job in credit control might be a great fit for you. If you’re looking for your next credit control job, then head to Indeed to find their latest roles.