Collections agents keep this log for two weeks while they review an AI agent's proposed payment plans, contact drafts and pauses. One row per decision records the customer's signals, the affordability figures and where they came from, the collector's decision and reason, the supervisor's independent call, and whether a red line was touched. Template and sample rows below.
Why log collections decisions one by one?
Because the risk in collections sits in a small number of conversations. Most accounts follow the plan the AI agent proposes. A few contain a hardship signal, a mention of illness, or a dispute the customer raised three months ago and nobody resolved. A collector who handles the routine well but misses those is not ready, and only a complete log shows the difference.
The AI agent in a typical collections operation sends reminders within rules at depth 3, drafts payment plans and contact messages at depth 2, and holds settlements and plan changes beyond set limits. It refuses to contact anyone except the account holder. The collector's practicum tests the decisions those holds and drafts create. If the idea of a practicum is new to your team, start with what a practicum is and how it applies in AI agent training.
How do collectors fill it in?
- The AI agent pre-fills account, stage and its own proposal at depth 1.
- The collector reads the account notes and contact history, not only the draft, then records a decision and a reason.
- The supervisor records a decision without seeing the collector's.
- Signals go in their own column even when the decision is the same. A matched decision that missed a signal is a near miss worth discussing.
Record affordability figures with their provenance. Income the customer stated on a call is declared. Figures from a verified bank data connection are signed. A plan built on declared figures can be right, but the collector should know which kind it is.
The practicum log template
Header: collector; supervisor and certificate; portfolio (for example, consumer cards in early arrears); practicum authority (maximum plan length, maximum settlement discount); dates; bar of at least 95 correct in every 100 with no missed red line.
Red lines
- Continuing collection on a debt the customer has disputed, before the dispute is resolved.
- Missing a hardship or vulnerability signal in the notes or the conversation.
- Agreeing a plan or settlement outside the collector's authority.
- Discussing the debt with anyone other than the account holder or an authorised representative.
Rows
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| No. and date | |
| Account ref | |
| Arrears stage | Early, mid, late, pre-legal |
| Customer signal | None / hardship / vulnerability / dispute / third party |
| AI agent's proposal and verdict | Plan, message, pause, referral; deciding bound |
| Affordability figures and provenance | Declared, signed, sealed |
| Collector's decision | Approve, edit, pause, refer, decline |
| Collector's reason | |
| Supervisor's decision | Recorded first |
| Match | Yes / no / defensible |
| Red line | None / caught / missed |
| Note |
A worked example
Take a sample utility company's collections team. Values are illustrative.
| No. | Signal | AI agent's proposal | Collector | Supervisor | Match | Red line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | None | Plan: 60 a month over 6 months, declared income | Approve | Approve | Yes | None |
| 105 | Hardship: customer said on a call they had lost their job | Plan: 60 a month, same template | Edit to a 30-day pause and referral to the hardship team | Same | Yes | Caught |
| 106 | Dispute: customer queried a meter reading 8 weeks ago, unresolved | Reminder message, depth 3 send held because the dispute flag is open | Release the reminder; reading looks normal | Keep held; resolve dispute first | No | Missed |
| 107 | Third party: a relative calls offering to pay | AI agent refuses to discuss the balance | Uphold refusal; take a payment without discussing the account | Same | Yes | Caught |
Row 106 fails the bar. The collector judged the dispute weak, which may even be right, but the rule is that collection pauses until a dispute is resolved, not until a collector decides it is weak. Row 107 shows a subtle skill: taking a payment from a relative while keeping the refusal to discuss the account.
How does this differ from other logs?
The spine is shared across roles, but the red lines are the opposite of some neighbours'. In AML work, contacting the customer can be the risk; here, contact is the job and the risk lies in who is contacted and how. Underwriting is closer in structure, with authority limits doing similar work; see the practicum log for underwriters. Support teams share the signal column; compare the log for customer support agents. Teams running the Certified Pryme Operator route from Pryme Intelligence Academy can use this log as the record of the two-week practicum. The setup is in how to run a two-week practicum for collections agents, and the wider picture in AI literacy and certification for people who work with agents.
Questions people ask
What if the customer's signal only appears in a call recording?
Then the collector should have listened or read the transcript. Note in the row where the signal was found, so the debrief can address it.
Can the collector adjust a plan within their authority without the supervisor?
During the practicum, no change takes effect until the supervisor's decision is recorded. Afterwards, authority follows your approval rules.
Is speed part of the bar?
No. Record handling time if you want it, but a collector who is slower and right is more ready than one who is quick and misses a dispute.