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by Rakesh Waghela

13.11 Collections

Epic overview

Section titled “Epic overview”

Collections is the most-supervised aspect of NBFC operations from RBI’s view. One viral incident — an agent abusing a borrower, calling at midnight, contacting relatives — can revoke the NBFC’s CoR and end the brand. The platform must make compliance the easiest path, not an after-thought.

Build a multi-channel collections engine that prevents non-compliant behaviour at the system level (time-of-day enforced; agent identity disclosed; recordings mandatory) while maximising collection efficiency through smart cadences, well-targeted queues, and prompt escalation.

User stories

Section titled “User stories”
  1. As a borrower, I want reminders before due dates via my preferred channel (SMS / WhatsApp / IVR) in my preferred language.
  2. As a collection agent, I want a clear queue of cases prioritised by value, ageing, and likelihood of contact — without manually picking.
  3. As a supervisor, I want to monitor each agent’s productivity (calls / day, resolution rate) and compliance (calls outside hours, complaint flags).
  4. As a CRO, I want bucket-level visibility (SMA-0 / 1 / 2 / NPA distribution) and roll-rate trends per cohort.
  5. As a borrower, I want clear recovery agent identity disclosure before any agent contacts me.
  6. As an agent, I want call recording auto-attached to the case, with disposition codes guiding next action.
  7. As a system, I want to refuse outbound communication outside 08:00 – 19:00 IST local to the borrower.
  8. As a borrower in distress, I want to negotiate a settlement (one-time-settlement) via a formal workflow rather than ad-hoc agent promises.
  9. As a credit committee member, I want to approve / reject settlement offers per the delegation matrix.
  10. As a legal officer, I want to initiate arbitration / SARFAESI (if secured) for chronic NPA accounts via a tracked workflow.
  11. As a field agent, I want offline-capable mobile app for case visits in low-connectivity areas; geo-tag and photo captured.
  12. As a compliance officer, I want sampled call recordings (5 – 10%) auto-reviewed for FPC adherence with flagged calls in my queue.
  13. As an ops user, I want a stuck-PTP dashboard (promises broken with no follow-up) for escalation.
  14. As a borrower, I want a clear grievance path if I feel an agent behaved improperly; my complaint reaches the NBFC’s grievance officer.
  15. As a CTO, I want to swap the dialer vendor without code change.

API requirements

Section titled “API requirements”

Cases

Section titled “Cases”
  • GET /v1/collections/cases?queue={q}&assigned_to=me — agent’s queue.
  • POST /v1/collections/cases — create case (auto on bounce / SMA transition).
  • GET /v1/collections/cases/{id} — case detail.
  • POST /v1/collections/cases/{id}/assign — assign to agent.
  • POST /v1/collections/cases/{id}/close — close on cure / settlement.

Reminders

Section titled “Reminders”
  • POST /v1/collections/reminders/schedule — schedule cadence per case.
  • POST /v1/collections/reminders/send — manual / immediate.
  • GET /v1/collections/reminders/history?case={id} — sent history.

Call disposition

Section titled “Call disposition”
  • POST /v1/collections/calls — log call from dialer integration. Body: { case_id, agent_id, started_at, ended_at, disposition, recording_uri, notes }.

Field visit

Section titled “Field visit”
  • POST /v1/collections/visits — log visit from field app. Body: { case_id, agent_id, geo_tag, photos[], form_data, signature_uri, disposition }.

PTP

Section titled “PTP”
  • POST /v1/collections/ptps — capture PTP. Body: { case_id, amount, promised_date, channel }.
  • GET /v1/collections/ptps?status=broken — broken PTPs.
  • Cron: PTP reminder day-before; broken-PTP flag on miss.

Settlement and restructure offers

Section titled “Settlement and restructure offers”
  • POST /v1/collections/settlement-offers — initiate. Body: { case_id, proposed_settlement, justification }.
  • POST /v1/collections/settlement-offers/{id}/approve — credit-committee approval.
  • POST /v1/collections/restructure-offers — initiate restructure (triggers LMS workflow).

Recovery agents

Section titled “Recovery agents”
  • GET /v1/collections/agents — agent master.
  • POST /v1/collections/agents — onboard.
  • POST /v1/collections/agents/{id}/deactivate — on misconduct or attrition.
  • POST /v1/collections/agents/{id}/training — record training completion.
Section titled “Legal”
  • POST /v1/collections/legal-notices — generate legal notice.
  • POST /v1/collections/arbitration — initiate arbitration.
  • GET /v1/collections/legal-cases/{id} — track case.

Compliance

Section titled “Compliance”
  • GET /v1/collections/compliance/calls/sample — auto-sampled calls for QA.
  • POST /v1/collections/compliance/calls/{id}/review — QA review outcome.
  • POST /v1/collections/grievances — borrower grievance capture.
  • GET /v1/collections/grievances?status=open — open grievances.

Data model

Section titled “Data model”
  • collection_case, reminder, bounce_event, collection_call, field_visit, ptp, settlement_offer, restructure_offer, agent, agent_assignment, legal_notice, legal_case, compliance_review, grievance.

UI screens

Section titled “UI screens”

Agent (tele)

Section titled “Agent (tele)”
  • Queue with priority + ageing.
  • Case detail with full borrower context, recent communications, prior PTPs.
  • Click-to-call (dialer integration).
  • Disposition capture with mandatory fields.
  • PTP capture form.

Agent (field)

Section titled “Agent (field)”
  • Mobile app, offline-capable.
  • Case queue with map view + navigation.
  • Visit form with geo-tag + photo + signature.
  • Sync on connectivity return.

Supervisor

Section titled “Supervisor”
  • Agent dashboards (productivity + compliance).
  • Queue management.
  • Stuck-PTP dashboard.
  • Settlement / restructure approval queue (within delegation).

CRO / Credit head

Section titled “CRO / Credit head”
  • Bucket distribution + roll-rates.
  • Per-segment NPA flow.
  • Agent / agency performance.

Compliance officer

Section titled “Compliance officer”
  • Compliance flag queue.
  • Sampled call review.
  • Grievance queue + SLA tracking.

Borrower

Section titled “Borrower”
  • Payment link page from reminders.
  • Grievance submission form.

Backend services

Section titled “Backend services”
  • Collections orchestration — case lifecycle, reminders, assignment.
  • Dialer integration — outbound queue management, call recording capture.
  • Field-app backend — case sync, visit submission, photo storage.
  • PTP service — capture, reminder, broken-flag.
  • Settlement workflow — long-running with approvals.
  • Compliance auto-QA — sample selection, vendor review pipeline.
  • Grievance service.

External integrations

Section titled “External integrations”
  • Dialer: Exotel, Knowlarity, Ozonetel, MyOperator — with call recording.
  • SMS: Gupshup, Kaleyra, MSG91.
  • WhatsApp: Gupshup, Karix, Wati.
  • IVR: Exotel, Knowlarity.
  • NACH: NPCI via sponsor bank (re-presentation).
  • Payment links / gateway: Razorpay, Cashfree.
  • Field-app push notifications: FCM / APNS.
  • Legal vendor: for notice generation, arbitration filing.

Test cases

Section titled “Test cases”

Happy path

Section titled “Happy path”
  • Pre-due reminders sent per cadence.
  • Bounce auto-creates collection case; routes to soft queue.
  • Tele-call recorded; disposition captured; next-action scheduled.
  • PTP captured; reminder day-before; honoured.
  • Settlement workflow with approval succeeds.
  • Field visit logged offline; syncs on connectivity.

Failure / edge

Section titled “Failure / edge”
  • Borrower opts for “do not call” → channel-specific cessation; alternate channels used.
  • Borrower disputes — pause aggressive collection; route to grievance.
  • Agent calls outside hours → system blocks; alert + compliance review.
  • Multi-loan borrower delinquent on one — borrower-level view influences case priority on others.
  • Co-lent loan delinquent — single point of collection; partner sees same case status.
  • Agent fails to disclose identity per QA review → flag + retraining.
  • Borrower escalates to ombudsman — case marked; senior involvement.

Compliance

Section titled “Compliance”
  • Time-of-day enforced via system.
  • Call recording attached to every outbound call.
  • Agent training certifications current; expired agents blocked from active.
  • Recovery agent intimation sent before first contact.
  • Grievance SLA tracked + met.

Edge cases

Section titled “Edge cases”
  • Borrower on travel / out-of-country — communication adapts (WhatsApp, email; no calls).
  • Borrower demised — case routed to special handling.
  • Borrower’s primary mobile inactive — secondary contact attempted with consent.
  • Settlement offer accepted but borrower fails to pay agreed amount — settlement voided; case restarts.
  • Cohort-wide stress (e.g., GST shift, festival impact) — segment-level treatment.
  • Legal pipeline timeline crosses statute of limitations — escalation.

Acceptance criteria

Section titled “Acceptance criteria”
  • Reminder coverage 100% of due / overdue cases.
  • Agent call recording mandatory (cannot dispose without recording).
  • PTP honour rate trackable; broken-PTP escalation enforced.
  • Compliance breaches zero (target).
  • Compliance auto-QA covers 5 – 10% of calls minimum.
  • Field-agent app works offline.
  • Grievance SLA met (per board policy, e.g., <= 30 days resolution).
  • Settlement / restructure workflow with approval matrix enforced.

Compliance touchpoints

Section titled “Compliance touchpoints”
  • Fair Practices Code — every aspect of collection.
  • Recovery Agent Code of Conduct — see 2.11.2.
  • Time-of-day — 08:00 – 19:00 strictly.
  • DPDP — communication uses only consented channels.
  • Digital Lending Guidelines — recovery via single point.
  • NACH rules — re-presentation, bounce fees per 2.11.1 Penal charges.
Section titled “Related”