Collection and recovery executive: how to train and review the role
Contacts customers with overdue loan or premium payments by phone and visit, agrees a payment date, records outcomes and escalates difficult cases. Works in NBFCs, microfinance, banks and insurance, reporting to the collection team leader or area recovery manager.
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Share your requirementsWho usually fills this role
Often graduates or school-leavers from telecalling, field sales or loan officer roles, and local people in microfinance and gold or vehicle loans. At hiring, test patience, tone under abuse, honesty, local knowledge, safety sense and the ability to note exactly what was agreed.
Skills ladder
Stage 1
New joiner
- Call customers using the approved script and note outcomes
- Know what words and behaviour are not allowed
- Record promises and dates in the system the same day
- Escalate a threat or complaint at once
Stage 2
Independent
- Work a list of overdue cases by phone and visit with clear priorities
- Find out why the customer has not paid and agree a realistic date
- Keep calm and respectful with angry customers
- Keep accurate records that stand up to audit
Stage 3
Senior or lead
- Handle hard and disputed cases and guide others
- Negotiate settlements within authority and record the reasons
- Spot cases that need legal or management attention
- Coach new executives on tone, records and safety
Training path
First weeks
- 1
Allowed and not allowed
The team leader and HR explain respectful behaviour, calling hours, privacy and what threats or pressure are never acceptable. The joiner signs a conduct note and repeats the rules in role-play.
- 2
Scripts and call flow
The team leader plays recorded sample calls and the joiner practises opening, listening, asking why and closing with a date. The leader gives written feedback on each call.
- 3
System and records
A senior shows how to log calls, promises and visits. The leader checks the entries daily for the first weeks and points out vague notes.
- 4
Field safety
For field staff, a senior explains how to plan visits, inform the team and leave a hostile situation. The joiner goes only with a senior at first.
First year
- 1
Understanding customer reasons
The leader teaches how to ask why payment is delayed, such as illness, job loss or dispute. The executive records the reason and proposes a response for the leader to review.
- 2
Handling anger and abuse
Role-play of abusive calls and hostile visits. The executive learns to stay calm, close the call properly and report. The leader reviews real calls with them.
- 3
Prioritising the list
The team leader shows how to rank cases by age, amount and promise history, and checks the executive's daily plan against the list.
- 4
Working with credit and sourcing
The executive meets the sourcing team to share why cases go bad, and learns the route for disputes about charges or wrong entries.
Towards senior
- 1
Difficult and disputed cases
The recovery manager gives the executive older and disputed cases, reviews each plan before action and reads the notes of the outcome afterwards.
- 2
Settlement and authority
The manager explains what the executive may agree and what needs approval. The executive presents a few settlements with reasons for review.
- 3
Coaching new staff
The senior sits with a new executive on calls and visits and gives feedback on tone and records, which the leader reviews.
- 4
Reading patterns
The senior executive reviews what kinds of cases are slipping and why, then proposes changes to follow-up timing or customer messages to the manager.
Performance review
A monthly one-to-one with the team leader using call recordings and notes, and a written half-yearly review. Include recorded calls or visit logs so conduct is reviewed along with results.
What to measure
| Measure | How it is seen |
|---|---|
| Conduct and tone | Recorded calls and visit notes checked for respectful language and absence of pressure. |
| Record accuracy | System notes compared with what was said, for date, amount and reason. |
| Promise follow-through | Whether agreed dates were tracked and followed up, from the call and promise log. |
| Customer understanding | Cases where the executive found the real reason and offered a workable route. |
| Complaints | Complaint register for conduct, wrong calls or disputes. |
| Safety and escalation | Field plans, escalations and any incident reports. |
Evidence to bring
- Sample call recordings
- Promise and follow-up log
- Visit and safety notes
- Complaint register entries
Questions to ask in the review
- Which call went worst this month, and what would you change?
- How do you decide whom to call first?
- What reasons for non-payment did you hear most?
- Have you ever felt unsafe or pressured to go beyond what is allowed?
- How do you record a promise so anyone can follow up?
- Which cases need help from a senior?
- What do customers misunderstand about their dues?
- What training would help you?
Pitfalls
- Measuring only the amount collected, which pushes aggressive behaviour and hides complaints.
- Giving no training on conduct and calling it a soft skill.
- Not listening to recorded calls, so problems come to light only through complaints.
- Ignoring the emotional strain of the role in the review.
Questions about this role
Set clear conduct rules, listen to recorded calls, review complaints and do not reward behaviour that harms customers. Confirm applicable rules and regulator guidelines with your adviser.
It can be done in small firms, but mixing roles can confuse the customer and the incentive. If you do, train for both and review each task on its own.
Give a clear escalation route, let them end abusive calls politely and have the leader check in. Repeated abuse should be reviewed and handled without blaming the executive.