Jose Lara Downs
Customer Service Rep - Accounts Receivable Analyst - Collector
Guapiles
Summary
Experienced in customer service and collections for over 15 years. Professional in business administration and relevant back ground in financial environments, such as Accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash applications and B2B collections.
Overview
2024
2024
years of professional experience
13
13
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Accounts Receivable and Payable Specialist
SYSCO
San José, Provincia de San Jose
6 2023 - 1 2024
- Responsible for all receivable duties required to support collection efforts, month end aging reconciliations, and supporting any account receivable related issues.
- Work tools: Netsuit (Oracle), Outlook, as400, TEAMS.
- Maintained strong relationships with vendors, resulting in favorable terms and improved cash management.
- Streamlined invoice processing for increased efficiency and accuracy in financial reporting.
- Increased efficiency in payment processing by transitioning from manual to automated systems, reducing errors and delays.
- Improved cash flow by efficiently managing accounts receivable and payable processes.
- Proactively identified potential issues related to account transactions, mitigating risks associated with inaccurate reporting or noncompliance.
- Played a key role in improving departmental workflow by suggesting process improvements that led to increased productivity.
- Supported audit processes by maintaining organized documentation and providing timely responses to inquiries from auditors.
KYC AML Operations Analyst 1
CITI
San José, Provincia de San Jose
03.2022 - 04.2023
- The KYC Operations Analyst 1 is an entry-level position responsible for participating in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) monitoring, governance, oversight and regulatory reporting activities in coordination with the Compliance and Control team
- The overall objective of this role is to assist in the development and management of a dedicated internal KYC (Know Your Client) program at Citi
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously, delivering results within tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards.
- Improved team productivity by implementing effective workflow strategies and time management techniques.
Cash Application Specialist
STRYKER
San José, Provincia de San Jose
06.2021 - 12.2022
- Cash Application Specialist responsibilities include posting remittance advice to patient accounts, resolving any errors after posting payments, posting guarantor payments, reconciling all posted cash, and requesting refunds
- Performs reviews of AR reports and identifies posting issues, root cause analysis and develops action plans
- Investigates and resolves unapplied cash Performs other duties as assigned
- Accounts reconciliation.
- Work tools: SAP, Oracle, JD Edwaurds, TEAMS, Outlook.
English/Spanish Interpreter
LANGUAGE LINE SOLUTIONS
San José, Provincia de San Jose
09.2020 - 04.2021
- Perform interpretation over the telephone for many different industries, providing an exceptional customer service and meeting international standards to ensure accuracy in the renditions.
- Certification in Medical Interpretations.
- Developed a comprehensive glossary of industry-specific terms to improve translation accuracy and consistency across projects.
- Conducted thorough proofreading of translated texts, ensuring error-free final deliverables that met client expectations consistently.
- Supported successful international trade negotiations, interpreting with focus on cultural sensitivity and business terminology to bridge communication gaps.
Customer Service Executive
APM TERMINALS MOIN
Limón, Provincia de Limon
03.2019 - 05.2020
- Planning daily trucking visit to the terminal
- Communicate with trucking companies to negotiate last minutes changes on their appointments
- Troubleshooting customers error messages when attempting to schedule or change appointments in the APM terminals website
- Managed high volume of inbound calls while maintaining a professional demeanor and ensuring timely resolution of issues.
- Developed effective strategies for managing challenging situations, resulting in positive outcomes for both customers and the organization.
Health Insurance Customer Advocate
CONCENTRIX
San José, Provincia de San Jose
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Explain customers about the benefits eligibility and coverage for medical procedures.
- Review and explain medical claims to customers.
- Analyze customer's complaints and recommend solutions.
- Discuss with customers by telephone and provide information on the company's products and services.
- Streamlined communication channels for improved responsiveness to customer inquiries.
- Managed multiple priorities effectively while ensuring a high level of accuracy and attention to detail in all tasks performed.
- Increased overall efficiency by streamlining workflows within the customer advocate team.
- Evaluated customer service standards, policies and procedures to verify customer service goal achievement.
Call Center Specialist & Acting Team Lead
LIGHTSTORM S.A.
San José, Provincia de San Jose
03.2015 - 02.2017
- Providing quality driven and efficient customer service to customers through the daily management of a team of employees to include hiring, motivating, recognizing and rewarding, coaching, counseling training, and problem solving
- Collections for monthly payment for storage units
- Billing Process, creation for disconnection lists for water services utilities companies, elaborate weekly and monthly report in Excel worksheets to have control of company assets, and taking positive and negative escalations
Fraud Analyst
BANK OF AMERICA
San José, Provincia de San Jose
10.2013 - 02.2015
- Review customer accounts for the prevention and detection of possible Fraud
- Responsible for more involved research and analysis of account activity to assess levels of risk and fraud type
- Complete inbound and outbound calls and take appropriate action based on transaction, characteristics of greater complexity
- Perform back-office functions related to research and resolution of fraudulent activity and service support
- Analyzed large amounts of data to find patterns of fraud and anomalies.
- Reviewed reports and individual transactions which appeared suspicious to uncover possible fraudulent activity.
- Increased accuracy in identifying fraudulent transactions by utilizing advanced data analytics techniques and software tools.
Offline Specialist
WESTERN UNION
San José, Provincia de San Jose
02.2012 - 09.2013
- Monitoring money transfers placed on hold in a security queue for different reasons such as Government Sanctions, company's interdiction list, money transfers exceeding daily limits, and performing large principal money transfers interviews to comply with government and international anti-money laundry regulations
- Conducted comprehensive competitor analysis to inform strategic decisions.
- Developed training materials to enhance staff proficiency and productivity.
- Improved customer satisfaction rates through proactive problem-solving and efficient complaint resolution.
- Improved team collaboration by initiating regular strategy meetings.
- Conducted in-depth market research for identifying new business opportunities.
Bill Collector & Customer Service Representative
VAN RU
San Jose, Provincia de Alajuela
06.2006 - 07.2011
- Bad debts collector (payments with more than 90 days of delinquency) and first party collector, collecting car monthly payments, maintaining a customer service-oriented perspective while ensuring positive results for the company as a collections industry
- Achieved consistent performance targets by diligently working assigned accounts and following up on outstanding debts.
- Streamlined internal processes by implementing improved organizational systems for tracking and managing delinquent accounts.
- Built rapport with clients through empathetic communication, leading to increased success in payment negotiations.
- Developed strong relationships with clients'' representatives which aided in resolving disputes efficiently.
- Conducted detailed investigations to locate hard-to-find debtors, increasing the likelihood of successful collections efforts.
Education
High School Diploma -
COLEGIO DEPORTIVO DE LIMON
Limon, Costa Rica 02.1997 - 12.2002
Some College (No Degree) - Business Administration
American Business Academy
San Jose 05.2017 - Current
Skills
Problem Solver
Customer Service Oriented
Attentive Listener
Proactive
Quick Thinker
Attention to details
Empathy
Adaptability
Timeline
KYC AML Operations Analyst 1
CITI
03.2022 - 04.2023
Cash Application Specialist
STRYKER
06.2021 - 12.2022
English/Spanish Interpreter
LANGUAGE LINE SOLUTIONS
09.2020 - 04.2021
Customer Service Executive
APM TERMINALS MOIN
03.2019 - 05.2020
Some College (No Degree) - Business Administration
American Business Academy
05.2017 - Current
Health Insurance Customer Advocate
CONCENTRIX
01.2017 - 01.2018
Call Center Specialist & Acting Team Lead
LIGHTSTORM S.A.
03.2015 - 02.2017
Fraud Analyst
BANK OF AMERICA
10.2013 - 02.2015
Offline Specialist
WESTERN UNION
02.2012 - 09.2013
Bill Collector & Customer Service Representative
VAN RU
06.2006 - 07.2011
High School Diploma -
COLEGIO DEPORTIVO DE LIMON
02.1997 - 12.2002
Accounts Receivable and Payable Specialist
SYSCO
6 2023 - 1 2024
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