Suzanne Smallwood
Sutton,Surrey
Summary
Accomplished Senior Credit Controller with extensive experience in credit management, customer relationship management, and payment reconciliation across diverse industries. Proven track record in reducing outstanding debts and enhancing payment efficiency, notably achieving a reduction of 120-day outstanding debt from 34% to 0% at MSI Group Ltd. Skilled in liaising with local authorities and the NHS, resolving complex rate issues, and training team members on best practices. Proficient in a wide range of financial software including Sage 50, SAP, and Oracle – Peoplesoft. Career goal: to leverage expertise in credit control to drive financial stability and growth within an organisation.
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Credit Controller
Achieve Together Ltd
09.2023 - Current
- Liaised with both local authorities and the NHS to ensure prompt payment.
- Resolved complex rate and uplift issues.
- Allocation of large-value, complex payments.
- Maintained regular email and telephone contact with customers to appropriately manage overdue account payments.
- Received and resolved customer queries efficiently, enabling timely invoice processing and payment.
- Handled telephone credit collections promptly and professionally, quickly resolving account issues.
- Provided training to new team members on credit control processes and best practices.
- Used exceptional communication skills to build strong customer relations, enabling positive, professional account management.
- Prepared letters requesting payment for overdue accounts and escalated aged accounts for legal action.
- Reconciled complex accounts
- Developed and maintained strong relationships with clients, enhancing communication and payment efficiency.
Sole Credit Controller
Harley Street Medical Centre
11.2022 - 09.2023
- Deal with all major insurance companies; total ledger value £3M.
- Collect excess payments from patients.
- Allocate payments, daily banking.
- Taking credit card payments, cheques.
- Answering all phone calls.
- Month-end reporting.
- Weekly meetings with the Head of Finance.
- Dealing with all legal files directly with the debt collectors and solicitors.
- Deal with queries and pass credit notes.
- Special billing and prices.
Temporary Rent Controller
Vonder Europe
08.2022 - 09.2022
- Collections.
- Allocations.
Accounts Assistant
Berkeley Projects UK Ltd
04.2021 - 07.2022
- Monitored accounts receivable and payable, ensuring timely collection and payment of invoices.
- Trade Payment Breakdowns.
- Kept general ledger documents updated for accurate transaction records.
- Assisted with receiving, processing and verifying all invoices related to accounts payables.
Senior Credit Controller
The Sugarman Group
11.2014 - 09.2020
- Ledger value between £700,000.00 and £1,000,000.00.
- Reconciling complex accounts.
- Collections by telephone and email.
- Deal with queries by telephone and email.
- Calculate and invoice interest charges on overdue balances.
- Dealing with Self Bill Accounts.
- Download the bank statement each day.
- Payment allocations.
- Daily reporting to management to show changes in DSO.
- Posting and emailing LBA’s.
- Hand bad debt accounts to the Legal Department.
- Process small balance write-offs.
- Process and request refunds.
- Specialise in 90+ debt recovery.
- Dealing with NHS Trusts, various councils, and schools.
Credit Controller / Sales Ledger Clerk
Fuller, Smith and Turner
08.2014 - 10.2014
Credit Controller
Wolters Kluwer UK Ltd
02.2014 - 06.2014
Credit Controller
British Electric Lamps Ltd
01.2013 - 01.2014
Credit Controller
Reed Managed Services
05.2012 - 12.2012
Senior Credit Controller
South East Water
02.2012 - 03.2012
Accounts Assistant
Town & Country Housing Group
12.2011 - 01.2012
Credit Control Supervisor
MSI Group Ltd
02.2011 - 11.2011
- Manage 2 staff members
- Control accounts for 3 companies within the Group
- Billing of Euro and GBP accounts
- Weekly reporting to Directors
- When I joined MSI, the percentage of o/s debt of 120 days was 34%. The target set out by the MD was 5%. When I left the Group accounts were 0% and the euro accounts were 1%.
Credit Controller
Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd
11.2010 - 01.2011
Accounts Supervisor
Well Dressed Tables Ltd
01.2009 - 11.2010
- Bank reconciliations
- Allocation of payments
- Run credit checks
- Refunds – chq and credit card
- Full legal function
- Full month end run
Credit Controller
Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd
10.2008 - 12.2008
Billing Clerk / Sales Ledger Role
Saville Consulting
09.2008 - 10.2008
Sales Ledger Clerk
HTC Healthcare
04.2008 - 08.2008
Credit Controller
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
02.2008 - 03.2008
Owner
Casa da Wendywood and Casa da Brooklyn
12.2005 - 10.2007
- Wages for 45 staff
- Payment of weekly and monthly accounts
- Petty cash
- Daily cash ups
Owner
Zan-Zan Ladies Clothing
06.2004 - 07.2005
Dealer Debtors Manager
Autopage Cellular
05.1998 - 03.2004
- Managed 16 staff, 10 credit controllers and 6 invoicing / admin staff
- Credit vet new applications on ITC
- Open new accounts / set credit limits
- Request bank guarantees
- Sign off cheques
- Legal handovers
- Full month end function
- Visit dealer (franchise) shops nationally
- Attend dealer conferences
- Prepare management reports
Flight Controller / Check-in Supervisor
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
11.1990 - 09.1995
- Computerised check-in
- Tracing lost luggage internationally
- Reporting of flight time schedules
- Ordering of meals
Senior Credit Controller
Budget Rent a Car
11.1988 - 03.1993
- Telephonic collections
- Queries
- Allocating of payments
Credit Controller
Schachat Homes
05.1987 - 09.1988
- Collections
- Allocating of payments
- Suspense account
Education
Matric (A Levels) -
Damelin College
01.1997
Skills
- Merit
- Credit Hound
- MS Word
- MS Excel
- MS Outlook
- Sage 50
- Bacway
- JD Edwards
- Profitability
- CBS
- ITC
- Accpac
- Consensus
- CRM
- Access Dimension
- TSS
- Navision
- Freeway
- Atlas
- Influence
- Oracle – Peoplesoft
- Sun Accounts
- Genero
- Lotus Notes
- RIMS
- Opera
- Pegasus
- SAP
- OnGuard
- Arthur
- One Office
- Great Planes
- SUMS
- Civica
- Care HQ
- Various in-house systems
- Credit control
- Customer relationship management
- Payment reconciliation
- Legal compliance
Timeline
Senior Credit Controller
Achieve Together Ltd
09.2023 - Current
Sole Credit Controller
Harley Street Medical Centre
11.2022 - 09.2023
Temporary Rent Controller
Vonder Europe
08.2022 - 09.2022
Accounts Assistant
Berkeley Projects UK Ltd
04.2021 - 07.2022
Senior Credit Controller
The Sugarman Group
11.2014 - 09.2020
Credit Controller / Sales Ledger Clerk
Fuller, Smith and Turner
08.2014 - 10.2014
Credit Controller
Wolters Kluwer UK Ltd
02.2014 - 06.2014
Credit Controller
British Electric Lamps Ltd
01.2013 - 01.2014
Credit Controller
Reed Managed Services
05.2012 - 12.2012
Senior Credit Controller
South East Water
02.2012 - 03.2012
Accounts Assistant
Town & Country Housing Group
12.2011 - 01.2012
Credit Control Supervisor
MSI Group Ltd
02.2011 - 11.2011
Credit Controller
Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd
11.2010 - 01.2011
Accounts Supervisor
Well Dressed Tables Ltd
01.2009 - 11.2010
Credit Controller
Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd
10.2008 - 12.2008
Billing Clerk / Sales Ledger Role
Saville Consulting
09.2008 - 10.2008
Sales Ledger Clerk
HTC Healthcare
04.2008 - 08.2008
Credit Controller
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
02.2008 - 03.2008
Owner
Casa da Wendywood and Casa da Brooklyn
12.2005 - 10.2007
Owner
Zan-Zan Ladies Clothing
06.2004 - 07.2005
Dealer Debtors Manager
Autopage Cellular
05.1998 - 03.2004
Flight Controller / Check-in Supervisor
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
11.1990 - 09.1995
Senior Credit Controller
Budget Rent a Car
11.1988 - 03.1993
Credit Controller
Schachat Homes
05.1987 - 09.1988
Matric (A Levels) -
Damelin College