Collections Executive job description
A Collections Executive in a bank or NBFC follows up overdue loan and card accounts through calls, visits and records, recovering dues while treating customers with respect and within the lender's rules.
Why the role exists
The Collections Executive works in a collections team of a bank, NBFC or microfinance lender and reports to a collections manager or area head. The role follows up customers who miss instalments, agrees payment dates and updates the system. Good collections protect cash flow and the lender's name in the community.
What the person does
- Review the daily overdue list, rank accounts by age and amount and plan calls and field visits for the day.
- Call customers politely, find the reason for non-payment and agree a firm date and mode of payment.
- Visit customers at home or business in the assigned area, as the lender permits, and record the outcome of each visit.
- Guide customers to pay through approved channels such as UPI, the lender's app or the branch, and never accept money outside process.
- Update the collections system with every contact, promise to pay and result, so that other team members see the full history.
- Refer genuine hardship cases, disputes or restructuring requests to the manager with a clear note and without making promises.
- Report threats, harassment complaints or safety concerns during field work to the manager and follow the lender's conduct rules.
- Deposit collected cash and cheques at the branch on time and reconcile receipts with the manager at day end.
Skills and tools
- Courteous and firm phone and field communication in the local language, Hindi and English
- Understanding of loan and card products, instalment schedules and overdue buckets
- Skip tracing basics such as checking addresses, references and contact history within the lender's rules
- Collection system, CRM and mobile app use for recording promises to pay and visits
- Negotiation of payment dates and amounts without pressure or false promises
- Cash handling, receipt discipline and daily reconciliation
- Planning visits by route and time to cover many accounts in one area
- Handling conflict calmly and knowing when to stop and escalate
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Graduate in any stream preferred, or equivalent experience in collections, field sales or customer service.
- Experience in two-wheeler, personal, housing or microfinance collections is preferred, depending on your product.
- Rules on collection conduct and practices depend on the lender and the facts; confirm them with the employer's own adviser.
- A valid two-wheeler licence and comfort with local travel may be needed for field roles, depending on the employer.
How the work is judged
- Recovery results across the assigned portfolio over the period, against the company's targets
- Quality of contact records and promise-to-pay follow-through in the collections system
- Compliance with the lender's conduct rules, judged by complaint reviews and call audits
- Timely and accurate deposit and reconciliation of collected money
- Reports of safe, respectful field conduct and cooperation with the manager and branch
Where the role can lead
- Senior Collections Executive handling larger or older accounts
- Collections Team Leader or Area Collections Manager
- Credit monitoring, portfolio quality, legal recovery coordination or customer service roles
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- A customer says he lost his job and cannot pay this month. What do you say and record?
- How do you plan a field day with forty overdue accounts in different parts of the city?
- A customer's family member shouts at you at the door. What do you do?
- Tell us about the hardest account you recovered and what finally worked.
- A senior suggests pressure tactics to meet a month-end number. How do you respond?
- How do you handle collected cash when the branch is closed?
Hiring tips for this role
- Test tone, not only toughness. Role play a call with a customer facing hardship and listen for respect and clarity.
- Ask about conduct in earlier jobs. Hiring someone who relied on pressure tactics can lead to complaints and reputation damage.
- Check route sense and the local language of your collection area. Field work depends on knowing the neighbourhood.
- Make cash handling and receipt rules clear in the offer. Unclear cash rules cause disputes and loss for both sides.
Questions about hiring a collections executive
The person follows up overdue accounts through calls and visits, agrees payment dates, records every contact and brings money in through approved channels. Hardship cases and disputes go to the manager.
Often yes, depending on the product and the portfolio. Microfinance and vehicle loans rely on visits, while card and digital loans may use telecalling. State the split in the job description.
Rules on contact hours, tone, privacy and recovery methods depend on the lender and the facts. Ask your own adviser for the current rules and train every collector on them before joining the field.
GullyHR agrees the job description with you, finds and screens candidates for permanent hiring and supports the offer. We test communication under pressure and conduct attitude so you meet people who suit your portfolio.
Hiring a collections executive?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.