In this guide 6 sections
A field collection process rests on four habits. Give each collector a route list built from the day’s dues. Write a receipt at the moment of payment. Record promises to pay with a date. Count and sign over cash each evening. Software helps by making each of these a screen, not a notebook.
Build the route from dues, not memory
Start the day with a list of borrowers who owe something, sorted by area and by how late they are. Collectors who choose their own order tend to visit friendly doors first.
Include the amount due, the last payment date and any promise made earlier. A collector who knows a borrower promised Friday does not arrive on Wednesday.
Cap the list to what one person can finish. An unfinished list is a signal, not a failure, and it should show up in the report.
Receipts written at the door
A receipt should carry the borrower, loan number, amount, mode, collector and time. Paper books work, but they put the entry task on someone else that evening.
On a phone app the receipt can print or send by SMS or WhatsApp to the borrower. That protects the borrower and the collector alike.
Never let a collector edit a receipt after issue. A correction is a new entry that names who made it and why.
- Borrower and loan number
- Amount and payment mode
- Collector name, date and time
- Reference for any cheque or transfer
Promises, disputes and visits that fail
Not every visit ends in cash. Record the outcome: paid, part paid, promised with a date, not found, disputed or refused.
A dispute needs a note and a photo of any paper the borrower shows. It should leave the collector’s route until someone senior settles it.
Use outcomes to see patterns. Many “not found” results in one area point to bad addresses, not bad borrowers.
Cash handover and daily sign-off
At the end of the day the collector hands cash to a cashier who counts it against the receipts for that collector. Both sign. Any difference is written down that evening.
Cash held overnight is a risk to the collector and to the lender. Where possible, deposit to the bank the same day or collect by transfer.
Do not let the sign-off slide to the weekend. Differences that are a day old are usually found. Differences that are a week old are usually argued about.
What the owner should see
Demand against collection by collector, receipts not yet deposited and visits by outcome are the three reports that matter first.
Add ageing buckets once the daily routine is steady. Ask each collector’s manager to review the report weekly in a short call.
If you are choosing a tool, ask how it behaves with no signal, who can see which borrowers and how an audit trail is kept. Our guide on buying a loan system covers more questions.
Collector daily route and handover sheet
A two-part sheet. Part one lists the route with borrower, address, amount due, last payment and earlier promise. Part two lists receipts issued, visit outcomes, cash counted, cashier’s sign-off and any difference with a written reason.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How many borrowers can one collector visit in a day?
It depends on distance, loan type and how many conversations turn into disputes. Track completed visits for a few weeks and set the cap from your own data.
Should collectors carry cash at all?
Where you can, offer payment links, transfers or deposits at a bank. Where cash is unavoidable, count and hand it over daily with a signature.
Can a collector see other collectors’ borrowers?
They should not. Assign borrowers to routes and show each collector only their own list.
What if a borrower disputes a receipt?
Pull the receipt from the record with its time and collector. If a correction is needed, add a new entry with the reason and the approver’s name.