An established company based in Umhlanga is seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Accounts Receivable Clerk to join their finance team.
The successful candidate will manage an assigned debtor portfolio, ensuring the timely collection, allocation, reconciliation and administration of customer accounts.
Key Responsibilities:
Debtor Portfolio Management:
Manage an allocated debtor portfolio.
Maintain accurate customer account records.
Ensure accounts remain within approved trading terms.
Reduce overdue debt and improve debtor days.
Review customer payment behaviour.
Escalate high-risk accounts.
Conduct regular reconciliations of customer accounts to ensure accuracy and completeness of financial records.
Investigate and resolve any discrepancies or issues related to payments and account balances.
Process the required daily and monthly journals for rebates, deductions, and discounts to the applicable group of customers, or portfolio.
Cash Receipting & Allocations:
Daily import and posting of receipts onto the accounting system (e.g., Pastel).
Ensure accurate and timely allocation of receipts to respective customer accounts.
Compile daily Ikhokha Schedules and process bank charges journals for cashbook batch processing.
Submit COD payment updates to internal sales three times a day to confirm orders.
Allocate payments to specific invoices or outstanding balances based on customer remittances and account information.
Verify payment details and reconcile discrepancies between payments received and amounts owed.
Collections & Credit Control:
Develop collection strategies to reduce overdue debt within the assigned portfolio
Contact customers proactively before accounts become overdue.
Negotiate payment arrangements where appropriate, and on approval from Management
Escalate accounts requiring legal action or possible loss to the company in advance
Manage debt collector handovers.
Monitor payment promises.
Credit Administration:
Validate all credit requests against Company Policy.
Prepare and process upliftment / credit requests and internal credits upon request accurately and promptly, for approved returns, discounts, or adjustments.
Ensure all necessary information is included on credit notes, such as customer details, reason for credit, and approval signatures.
Verify the validity of credit requests and ensure compliance with company policies and procedures.
Maintain thorough documentation and records of all credit notes issued for auditing purposes.
Collaborate with relevant departments, such as sales and customer service, to resolve any discrepancies or issues related to credit notes.
Communicate effectively with customers regarding the status of their credit requests and provide timely resolutions.
Identify recurring credit trends and recommend process improvements to reduce credit note values.
Applications of New Accounts:
These are either for COD Accounts or Account customers, and is dependent on the portfolio assigned to you:
COD Accounts:
Process applications for new COD (Cash on Delivery) accounts efficiently and accurately.
Verify the information provided on COD account applications, including customer details, billing address, and contact information.
Coordinate with sales representatives and internal teams to gather necessary documentation and approvals for new COD accounts.
Ensure all required documents, such as credit application forms and supporting financial documents, are completed and filed accurately.
Communicate approval or rejection of COD account applications to applicants in a timely and professional manner.
Set up approved COD accounts in the accounting system (e.g., Pastel) and provide necessary information to relevant departments for order processing and billing.
Account Customers:
Process applications for new account customers (credit customers) with attention to detail and accuracy.
Review and verify the information provided on account customer applications, including business details, financial statements, and trade references.
Conduct comprehensive credit assessments for account customer applicants, considering factors such as credit history, payment behavior, and financial stability.
Determine appropriate credit terms and credit limits for account customers based on credit assessments and risk analysis.
Collaborate with sales representatives and internal teams to gather required documentation and approvals for new account customer applications.
Ensure all necessary documents, such as credit application forms, financial statements, and trade references, are completed accurately and submitted for review.
Communicate approval or rejection of account customer applications to applicants promptly and professionally, providing clear explanations for decisions.
Set up approved account customers in the accounting system (e.g., Pastel) and ensure all relevant information is entered accurately for billing and credit management purposes.
Monitor the performance and payment behavior of new account customers during the initial credit period, proactively addressing any issues or concerns that may arise.
Provide ongoing support and assistance to account customers, addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and facilitating smooth transactions.
Perform annual customer account reviews to review credit limits based on purchasing trends recommend increases/decreases accordingly.
Debt Management:
Monitor overdue accounts and follow up with customers to secure payment of outstanding invoices.
Implement debt recovery strategies, including phone calls, emails, and letters, to collect overdue payments.
Prepare late payment and overdue schedules for review and action.
Negotiate payment plans with customers and escalate unresolved issues to management as needed.
Manage the hand over process with the debt collection agency assigned. Compile handover list to debt collectors when necessary, usually for accounts over 60 days overdue.
Devise measures to reduce bad debt overall and enhance customer's adherence to their account terms.
Reconcile all debtor accounts, including special arrangements, and email monthly schedules to key stakeholders.
Follow up on credit requests, claims, and outstanding payments on a daily basis.
Customer Communication:
Maintain professional and courteous communication with customers regarding outstanding balances, payment reminders, and account inquiries.
Provide timely and accurate responses to customer queries and requests for account information.
Build professional relationships with customers.
Resolve account queries promptly.
Partner with Sales Representatives to resolve payment disputes.
Maintain excellent customer service while enforcing company credit policy.
Reporting and Analysis:
Generate monthly statements and age analysis breakdown for cash flow forecasting.
Generate reports on accounts receivable aging, cash receipts, and collection activities.
Analyze trends in receivables data to identify potential risks and opportunities for process improvement.
Conduct weekly analysis of COD schedules and compile monthly customer query schedules for sales reps to assist with debt collections.
Collaboration:
Collaborate with internal teams, including sales, customer service, and finance, to resolve customer issues and improve payment processes.
Work closely with the collections team to coordinate debt recovery efforts and escalate high-risk accounts.
General Administration and Filing:
Compile documents for refund requests as required throughout the month.
Provide trade references as required throughout the month.
Prepare BEE letters annually as required throughout the month.
Issue acknowledgment of account terms to customers as needed throughout the month.
Maintain purchase order history for credit applications as required throughout the month.
Prepare letter formats for all correspondence as needed.
Complete inward payment forms for export customers as required throughout the month.
Request SAD500/clearing documents for VAT audits as required throughout the month.
Review credit limits/customer accounts on an ongoing basis to ensure that purchases align with approved credit limits. In addition, at the beginning of each year a full audit is done on all credit limits and purchases to align as necessary.
Ensure training is arranged and attended as needed with all Mass Retail Groups ie. Makro/Massbuild/Takealot as needed.
Ensure that all customer portals for the groups are maintained ie. portal maintenance, reset passwords, etc., as required.
Requirements:
Matric / Grade 12 with Accounting or Mathematics.
A recognised certificate, diploma or degree in Accounting, Finance, Credit Management, Bookkeeping or a related field is preferred.
Minimum of 3 - 5 years' practical experience in Accounts Receivable, debtors, credit control or a similar finance role.
Proven experience managing an allocated debtor portfolio and collecting overdue accounts.
Strong working knowledge of accounting and ERP systems. Experience using Pastel is highly advantageous.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including filters, lookups, formulas, reconciliations and data analysis.
Ability to extract, interpret and report on age analyses, customer statements, cash receipts and collection trends.
Demonstrate ownership and accountability for the assigned debtor portfolio.
Be proactive rather than waiting for accounts to become significantly overdue.
Follow up consistently and maintain clear records of all collection activity.
Escalate risks, disputes and broken payment arrangements without delay.
Communicate regularly with management and provide accurate progress updates.
Maintain strict confidentiality when handling financial and customer information.
Work collaboratively with Sales, Customer Service, Finance and Management.