How Do I Become a Billing Representative?

Many companies have billing representatives, because they are the employees who notify customers that their payment is late and then either collect the money or take legal action against them. If you want to become a billing representative, you should be organized, persuasive and comfortable talking to new people every day. Though this career does not typically require a college degree, some type of schooling may improve your chances of finding a job. An additional advantage is prior experience in a related field, though some companies are willing to provide all the billing representative training you need.

Becoming a billing representative often requires that you be comfortable talking to new people every day, because you typically will be expected to persuade people to pay their bills while providing good customer service, which may involve both listening and communicating information accurately. In addition, you are advised to be organized if you wish to become a billing representative, because you will need to keep track of delinquent accounts so the appropriate action can be taken. If you do not possess these skills naturally, you should likely work on them to have the best chances of success in this position.

One of the best ways to learn the skills is through schooling, though billing representative careers do not typically require applicants to have more than a high school diploma. You can, however, increase your chance of getting this kind of job by seeking higher education, such as a four-year degree program. If you go to a university, majors that may help you become a billing representative include accounting, mathematics and computer-oriented subjects. You also can go to a community college to take courses that teach these subjects, because this will at least give you an overview of the skills that will typically help you in this field.

Many companies hiring billing representatives expect you to have some experience in this field, or at least experience in a related occupation. For example, you typically need to possess good clerical skills to become a billing representative, because you will likely do a lot of typing, filing and working with office technology that may include copiers and fax machines. You can expect to be on the phone nearly every day, so you should feel comfortable talking to customers through this medium. For this reason, prior experience with outbound sales calls or customer service is often advised if you want to become a billing representative. If you do not have this kind of experience, though, you may be able to find a company that offers on-the-job training to employees with the appropriate education and skills.