When a debtor replies to a collection notice on WhatsApp, an AI agent reads the free-text answer and offers settlement or installment options inside limits each creditor has approved. Accepted plans become a signed agreement with scheduled card charges and reminders.
Typical results
≈80%
Plan requests settled without a collector
Under 2 min
Reply time to a debtor's WhatsApp message
3 days
Reminder lead time before each installment
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Debtors who answer a collection notice write in their own words, such as 'I can pay half now' or 'only after the 10th'. Each reply waits for a collector to call back, check the creditor's terms and negotiate by phone. Many debtors stop answering before anyone reaches them, and agreed plans are typed up by hand.
Before and after
Debtors on a payment plan, per 100 replies
+25%Collector minutes per agreed plan
−76%Missed installments
−45%The automation
An AI agent reads each WhatsApp reply and identifies the offer: a lump sum, a number of installments or a later start date. It answers with options inside the rules each creditor has approved, such as a maximum of 6 installments or a minimum first payment. Requests outside those limits go to a collector for approval. An accepted plan generates a payment-plan agreement for e-signature, schedules the card charges and sends a reminder 3 days before each due date.
How it works
- 01
Debtor replies on WhatsApp
A reply to a collection notice opens a conversation with the AI agent, linked to the debtor's file.
- 02
Free text understood
The agent reads answers such as 'I can pay half now' and turns them into an amount, a number of installments and a start date.
- 03
Options inside creditor rules
Offers stay within each creditor's limits, like 6 installments at most or a minimum first payment. Anything outside goes to a collector.
- 04
Agreement and charges
An accepted plan produces a payment-plan agreement for e-signature and schedules the card charges.
- 05
Reminders before due dates
A WhatsApp reminder goes out 3 days before each installment, and failed charges alert the collector.
Starts from
- Debtor WhatsApp replies
- Creditor plan rules
Delivers
- Signed plan agreement
- Scheduled card charges
- Due-date reminders
The impact
Around 25% more debtors end up on a structured payment plan, because they get an answer while they are still engaged. Collectors handle only the requests outside creditor rules, roughly one in five, and missed installments drop because every due date gets a reminder.
Questions about this automation
How are each creditor's limits set?
Each creditor gets a rule set in a simple table: maximum number of installments, minimum first payment, the lowest settlement percentage allowed and any fees. The agent reads those rules before every offer, so changing a limit takes effect on the next conversation without touching the automation itself.
What happens when a debtor asks for something outside the rules?
The agent tells the debtor the request needs approval and passes the conversation to a collector with a summary of the offer and the creditor's limits. The collector approves, counters or declines in one step, and the agent continues the conversation with that decision.
How are payments collected after the plan is signed?
The signed agreement triggers scheduled charges through the practice's card processor on the agreed dates. A reminder goes out 3 days before each charge. If a charge fails, the debtor gets a retry link and the collector sees the missed payment on the file the same day.