Collections · 28 Sept 2026 · 6 min read
How to run respectful EMI reminder calls at scale
Reminders work when they are early, polite and easy to act on. Here is how to set up an AI collections agent that borrowers don’t dread.
Most borrowers who miss an EMI intend to pay. They forgot, their salary came late, or something unexpected happened that month. The job of a reminder call is to make paying easy and to find out quickly who needs a different conversation.
Call before the due date, not only after
A short pre-due call three to five days before the date prevents many misses entirely. Keep it to one sentence about the amount and date, and offer to send the payment link.
Stay inside the calling window
RBI guidance for recovery calls restricts them to between 8 AM and 7 PM. Set this once as your calling window so campaigns, retries and follow-ups can never dial outside it. Check the exact rules that apply to you with your compliance team.
Ask, then listen
“Is everything all right this month?” opens the conversation better than repeating the overdue amount. When a borrower explains a difficulty, the agent should acknowledge it and ask which date would work, then record that as a promise to pay.
Make paying the next step
Send a UPI or payment-gateway link on WhatsApp while the borrower is still on the line, and confirm it arrived. Every extra step between the call and the payment loses people.
Know when to hand over
Job loss, illness, disputes about the amount and requests for restructuring belong with a person. Set these as hand-over triggers so the agent transfers the call or raises a task with the full context.
Write everything back
Each call should end with a disposition: paid, promise to pay with amount and date, call back, wrong number or refused. That record is what lets your team focus on the accounts that need them.
See it on your own calls
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