Will AI replace Bill and Account Collectors?

AI can do 74% of the work Bill and Account Collectors do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 3 of their 15 tasks, while 8 more are ready but barely used so far. 4 still need a person.

AI is already doing this3 · 33% of time

People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.

  • Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.Mostly automated14% of time
  • Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.Mostly automated14% of time
  • Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.Mostly automated4% of time

AI could do this next8 · 41% of time

AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.

  • Confer with customers by telephone or in person to determine reasons for overdue payments and to review the terms of sales, service, or credit contracts.9% of time
  • Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.9% of time
  • Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.7% of time
  • Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.4% of time
  • Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.4% of time
  • Contact insurance companies to check on status of claims payments and write appeal letters for denial on claims.4% of time
  • Notify credit departments, order merchandise repossession or service disconnection, and turn over account records to attorneys when customers fail to respond to collection attempts.3% of time
  • Perform various administrative functions for assigned accounts, such as recording address changes and purging the records of deceased customers.1% of time

Still needs a person4 · 26% of time

No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.

  • Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.9% of time
  • Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.9% of time
  • Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.7% of time
  • Negotiate credit extensions when necessary.1% of time

Your week is not the average

Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.

Get my personal report

What this means

AI can do most of this work faster, but a real part of the job still needs a person. People in this job already use it heavily. The people who learn which tasks to hand off will pull ahead.

What to do next

  • Do the 3 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
  • Get ahead on the 8 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
  • Build on the 4 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks77%Procurement Clerks68%Billing and Posting Clerks87%Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks59%Gambling Cage Workers58%Tellers44%

Get the weekly brief

One short email a week on how AI is changing work, including jobs like this one.

Check another job