Your role
Credit officer
You give customers credit and get it back. You set their limits, write instalment agreements within your limit, and work the list of who owes what.
Steps differ for agrovets.
Kila describes the role as “Originates and services credit agreements.” Whatever the business sells on credit, on a customer’s account or on an instalment agreement, you decide who gets it and see that it comes back.
When you sign in
Link to this section: When you sign inKila opens your home page with what is owed: Receivables and credit shows the total and what is overdue. At an agrovet such as Mkulima Agrovet, Farmer credit due at harvest (1) splits it by season and by group. Your menu has Customers and Credit (2).
Your day
Link to this section: Your day- Work the list. Credit › Collections shows “Who to call today: money owed on accounts and agreements, by how late it is, with promises, holds and the next step.” Start on the Worklist (1): each customer owing (2), how late, the next step and the last contact. See Follow up an overdue account.
- Record what comes in: Record a payment on account.
- Send statements: Print a customer statement.
- Give credit, within reason: Set a credit limit and payment terms.
- Write and watch agreements. Credit › Agreements has “Every instalment agreement with its balance, arrears and next payment.” Debt ageing shows “What customers owe, by how late it is.”
Not available yet
SMS reminders are in test mode: “SMS reminders are kept in the message log but do not reach phones yet. Email is sent for real; the customer portal shows reminders to customers who use it.” (3)
For agrovets
Seasonal credit at an agrovet. Farmers, advice and seasonal credit is where farmers’ credit is followed: “Credit sold at planting falls due at the harvest. Co-operatives and dairies pay for their members by check-off.” Record one with Record a check-off. At the till, “Choose the season on a credit sale at the till to make it fall due at the harvest.”
What you can do
Link to this section: What you can do- Add and edit customers, their credit limits and terms.
- Create agreements, approve them within your limit, record repayments, and restructure, waive or write off.
- Run identity and credit bureau checks, with the customer’s consent. Until a provider is connected they run in test mode: “Test mode - not a real check”. See Credit.
- Keep the cheque register, see payments, and run reports: Run a report.
Everything the role is allowed to do
- General
- View dashboard
- Catalog
- View products and services
- Stock
- View stock
- Customers
- View customers; Create and edit customers
- Credit
- View credit and agreements; Create agreements; Approve agreements; Record repayments; Restructure, waive and write off; Record consent and run identity and credit bureau checks; See credit check results and open full credit reports (every view is logged); Keep the cheque register: record, bank, clear and bounce customers’ cheques
- Finance
- View payments
- Reports
- View reports
- Distribution
- Receive and inspect market returns, credit outlets and dispose of damaged goods
What needs a manager
Link to this section: What needs a managerYour approval limit for credit agreements. Above it, someone with a higher limit, such as the general manager or the owner, approves the agreement:
| Approval limit | Up to |
|---|---|
| Credit agreements | KES 250,000.00 |
Needs a manager
- Reminders for account invoices. “Nothing is sent to customers about unpaid account invoices until the owner switches it on in Collections, Settings.”
- Hire purchase. Offering it is the owner’s choice, and so is its licence: “Record it in Settings under compliance to start new hire-purchase agreements.” While it is off, Kila says:
Common questions
Link to this section: Common questionsDo my SMS reminders reach the customer? Not yet: SMS is in test mode, and reminders stay in the message log. Email reminders are sent for real.
Why can I not start a hire purchase agreement? The business has hire purchase off for new sales. Agreements already running carry on, and customers can still pay.
Who approves an agreement above my limit? Someone whose limit for credit agreements covers it, such as the general manager or the owner. It waits in their Approvals.
- Sell on credit: what the cashier does at the till.
- Find a customer and see their history.
- Accountant: the books behind what customers owe.