Credit & Collections, AR/AP, Claims Specialist

Carman Strozier

Atlanta / Peachtree City Area 678-***-**** *************@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/cstrozier2013

Credit and Collections, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Claims Specialist

Positive, process-oriented credit and collections, AR, AP, and claims analyst. Known as a strong team player with superior attention to detail. Able to connect with customers and work out win-win payment solutions. Outstanding active listening, critical thinking, decision-making, negotiating, and problem-solving skills. Known for maximizing revenues while minimizing risk. Core competencies include:

Credit and collections. At Cooper Lighting, managed collection and consolidation activities encompassing seven divisions including 3000+ accounts with a monthly average portfolio of $125M, or $1.5B annually. Evaluated creditworthiness, managed overdue accounts, contacted customers, negotiated payments, and minimized financial risks to ensure cash flow. Achieved receivables of less-than-30-days outstanding of 96%.

Accounts receivable and accounts payable. Managed AR and AP at four companies. Managed incoming payments, issued invoices, tracked outstanding balances, reconciled accounts, and ensured timely collections to maintain cash flow. Processed invoices, verified expenses, managed payments, reconciled vendor accounts, and ensured timely and accurate disbursements while managing financial records and compliance.

Customer service and claims. At Cooper Lighting, supported 100+ sales agencies across the U.S. with pricing and product information. Offered competitive product ideas, solutions, and pricing with a lot of phone and email contact. Managed 50-100 emails and calls per day. Worked closely with the post-sales team to resolve claims issues. Issued return authorization numbers for defective fixtures.

Professional Experience

April 2025-August 2026 Esquire Depositions Solutions East Point, Georgia

Esquire Deposition Solutions is a US based nationwide provider of court reporting, deposition management, remote deposition technology, interpreting, transcription, and litigation support services.

Specialist, External Billing and Accounts Receivable

Monitor the accounts receivable and identify overdue accounts

Contact clients/customers with overdue accounts and attempt to either collect the overdue amount or negotiate a payment plan to collect it in installments.

Maintain records of contacts and attempted contacts with delinquent account customers as well as records of any payments collected from the customer.

Resolve customer issues and complaints concerning billing

Submit regular reports on the status of unpaid accounts and any repayment progress

Upload legal invoices to various electronic billing platforms

Coordinate submission, tracking, and troubleshooting of electronic invoices.

Primary liaison between client/carrier, finance department and third-party vendor platforms.

Ensure billing accuracy, adhere to strict client/carrier billing guidelines and rapid resolution of submission errors.

June 2016 – January 2025 Cooper Lighting Solutions Peachtree City, Georgia

Cooper Lighting Solutions specializes in innovative, energy-efficient lighting and controls for commercial, industrial, and residential applications. Signify acquired Cooper Lighting Solutions in March 2020.

Claims Specialist

Managed collection and consolidation activities encompassing seven divisions including 3000+ accounts with a monthly average portfolio of $125M, or $1.5B annually.

Achieved receivables of less-than-30-days outstanding of 96%.

Reviewed and resolved customer claims and shorts for the U.S. and Canada.

Researched legitimacy and accuracy and made the appropriate disposition per guidelines.

Routed deductions to approvers and supported credit analysts in collections.

Communicated with internal and external customers to resolve issues.

Analyzed claim history to identify trends and improve processes.

Processed and researched accounts daily using SAP, GetPaid, Excel, and Access.

Prepare daily/monthly reports for unapplied cash

Ensures that receipts, discounts, and adjustments are accurately posted to customer accounts in a timely manner to meet department goals on a daily and monthly basis

Batch and Code Invoices, process exceptions and research for missing PO numbers, process weekly check run

Enter and upload invoices to the general ledger

Set up new vendors in system

Hired as Senior Assistant in Credit, Claims, and Financial Services; promoted to Claims Specialist in 2020.

April 2015 – June 2016 Acro Service Corporation Peachtree City, Georgia

Accountant II » Eaton’s Cooper Lighting

Reviewed and resolved customer claims and shorts for the U.S. and Canada.

Routed deductions to approvers and supported credit analysts in collections.

Communicated with internal and external customers to expedite resolutions.

Processed and researched accounts daily using SAP, GetPaid, Excel, and Access.

Analyzed claim history to identify trends and improve processes.

September 2013 – April 2015 FreshPoint Forest Park, Georgia

Accounts Receivable Specialist

Managed 800+ commercial accounts while nurturing strong customer relationships.

Tracked and documented outstanding accounts, researching non-payment issues.

Processed credit card payments, cash receipts, and account updates.

Monitored bank balances, ACH transactions, and credit card deposits daily.

Contacted customers for account updates, collections, and payment claims.

Assisted with general ledger reconciliations, revenue analysis, and audits.

Promoted from temp to full-time within 90 days.

July 2012 – July 2013 Express Personnel Newnan, Georgia

Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable Specialist/Payroll Assistant

Processed credit card payments, arbitration claims, and bank deposits.

Provided daily cash reports and EFT summaries to the CEO, CFO, and Controller.

Assisted patients, businesses, and insurers with account inquiries.

Managed month-end closing, batch processing, and lockbox reporting.

Reconciled bank statements and applied cash to customer accounts.

Processed Data for payroll transactions, employee information for new hires and changes, preparing payroll runs, recognizing and modifying errors

Reporting and forwarding to management

July – October 2012 Accounting Principals Atlanta, Georgia

Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable Specialist/Payroll Jr. Asst

Managed accounting for multiple companies in QuickBooks, including bank reconciliations, bill payments, and financial reporting.

Processed credit card payments, applied cash, and ensured accurate customer account statements.

Prepared bank deposits and provided daily cash and EFT reports to executives.

Assisted with month-end closing, adjustments, batch processing, and lockbox reporting.

Addressed account inquiries from patients, businesses, and insurance companies while supporting various financial projects.

Processed RTI for payroll transactions, employee information for new hires and changes, preparing payroll runs, recognizing and modifying errors

Assist overall payroll workflow

September 2008 – January 2012 WDXP Newnan, Georgia

Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable Specialist

Reviewed, processed, and approved invoices, purchase orders, and check requests while ensuring proper documentation and payment terms.

Audited and reconciled vendor statements, credit card bills, and customer accounts, resolving discrepancies and processing adjustments. Entered data for payroll transactions, processing employee information, capturing errors and reconciling. Processed checks.

Managed billing, collections, and cash applications, following up on payments and ensuring adherence to deadlines and policies.

Maintained accurate financial records, including accounts receivable files, receipts, and cash transactions, in compliance with accounting standards.

Assisted with month-end closing, reporting, and bank deposits to support financial operations.

Responded to vendor and customer inquiries, investigated issues, and facilitated resolutions through multiple communication channels.

Education and Professional Development

Clayton State University Morrow, Georgia

Completed two years of studies toward a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting.

Curriculum included Accounting, Auditing, Business Law, Computer Information Systems, Financial Accounting, Management, Managerial Accounting, Marketing, and Payroll Accounting.

Certifications

Certified Tax Preparer Ashworth College

Accounting and Computer Applications Interactive Learning Systems

Technical Inventory

GetPaid

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (formerly Great Plains), Oracle

Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, v-lookups, formulas, charts)

Microsoft Office Suite 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Teams)

Microsoft SharePoint

QuickBooks

SAP

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