Designing for Faster Collections in Autonomous Collections with AI
Redesigned the core collections workflow so AR analysts could act faster, combining AI insights, in-app calling, automated summaries, and a structured follow-up system.
Team Composition
TL;DR
Problem
AR analysts manage hundreds of accounts per cycle, but the workflow was fragmented across tools, leading to manual work, errors, and missed follow-ups that impacted DSO.
What I did
Redesigned the end-to-end collections workflow by integrating AI-assisted insights, in-app calling, automated summaries, and a post-call follow-up system.
Impact
Fewer missed follow-ups, less manual effort, faster DSO.
Challenge
Discovery
Outcomes need structure. If they aren't captured in a consistent format, they get lost. An empathy map built from the discoveries showed analysts switching between tools constantly, losing context between prep, the call itself, and the follow-up.
Strategy
Decision 1: Unify the workflow in one place
ShippedWhy: Fragmentation created context switching and missed follow-ups.
- Core dashboard now supports prep → call → log → next steps in one continuous flow
Result: Reduced manual effort and friction, both qualitatively and in time spent per account.
Decision 2: Bring calling inside the product
ShippedWhy: Calls are central, but the work after calls was the real bottleneck.
- In-app calling with call context visible during the interaction
Result: Analysts no longer lost context switching between a separate dialer and the workflow tool.
Decision 3: Automate summaries to remove admin work
ShippedWhy: Notes and summaries were repetitive and inconsistent across analysts.
- Automated call summaries that analysts can review and edit quickly
Result: Consistent, structured call records without the manual write-up.
Decision 4: Make follow-ups structured
ShippedWhy: Missed follow-ups directly impacted DSO, and ad-hoc reminders weren't reliable.
- A structured post-call follow-up system tied to the worklist
Result: Fewer missed follow-ups and faster days-sales-outstanding across the collections operation.
Process & Visuals
Results
Reflection
The real cost of this workflow wasn't any single broken step. It was the constant context-switching between tools that made every account take longer than it should have. Unifying prep, calling, and follow-up into one continuous flow mattered more than any individual feature inside it.