Why cash-collect is a game changer for distributors: instead of chasing cash, each POS receives a payment request on their phone and settles in seconds. This guide walks through the four weeks of a typical rollout: auditing the network's payment methods, linking Mobile Money numbers to POS, a first wave on a pilot area, then full rollout with automatic reminders. With, at each step, the pitfalls met in the field and the indicators to track.

Why cash-collect changes the distributor's job

In most networks, collection still relies on the round: a sales rep drops by, picks up cash, fills in a notebook, and the manager reconciles everything at week's end. Every step adds delay, error risk and temptation. Mobile Money cash-collect reverses the logic: the distributor triggers a payment request on the point of sale's phone, when the receivable is due. The POS confirms, the money lands on the distributor's account, and the receivable is settled automatically in Kweli.

Week 1 - Make payment methods reliable

The first task is not technical, it is about data. For every point of sale you need a valid Mobile Money number, its operator, and the account holder's name. In the field, one number in ten is wrong, expired or in the name of an employee who left. Use this week to have every record checked by the area rep: it is the first cause of failed payment requests, and the easiest to eliminate.

Week 2 - One pilot area, one convinced rep

Do not launch the whole network at once. Pick an area of 30 to 50 POS, ideally the one of a rep who wants it to work. Send payment requests at the usual settlement time, explain to the POS that they no longer need to wait for the rep, and watch three indicators every evening: request acceptance rate, average time between request and payment, and the number of failures with their reason (insufficient balance, wrong number, expired request).

Weeks 3 and 4 - Roll out and automate

Once the pilot is stable, extend area by area. Turn on automatic reminders: a first one on D+1, a second on D+3, then an alert to the rep. This is when the gain becomes visible to everyone. Reps no longer carry cash and spend their round selling. The manager reads the collection rate every morning instead of reconciling statements on Friday. And the POS, who feared a control, discover they pay when they want, without waiting for anyone.

Pitfalls to avoid

Three mistakes come up often. Launching without cleaning the numbers - failures discourage everyone from day one. Sending requests at a time when the POS have not yet collected their day's takings - the balance is insufficient and the request expires. And forgetting to tell reps that their role changes: they do not lose the relationship with the POS, they gain time to develop it.