=Filing Contracts.= Some houses follow the practice of allowing the collector to carry the original contracts, and in such cases the contracts are filed according to the dates on which payments are due. It is claimed that it is necessary for the collector to have the contract, as the customer is quite liable to lose the duplicate and may ask for particulars about the items purchased.
This plan is not advocated on account of the liability of loss of contracts. If it is desirable for the collector to carry the contract, a third copy should be made for that purpose. Original contracts should be kept in a fire-proof safe, and should be filed in numerical order. The most convenient file is a document file, in which contracts can be filed folded.
=Collector's Card.= The most convenient method of handling collections is to supply the collector with cards as shown in Fig. 27. On the face of this card is a record of particulars, similar to that shown on the outside of the contract, while the reverse is ruled for a record of payments.
Since all contracts call for payments on certain days of the week or month, it is very necessary that the collection cards be brought to notice on the collection days. A simple method of providing for this is to use a card file equipped with a set of thirty-one numbered guides to represent the days of the month, or a set of guides printed with the days of the week. The cards are filed back of the guides which represent the collection days.
It is customary to divide the city into sections, assigning a collector to each section, the number depending on the size of the city and the number of accounts. It is necessary to use as many files as there are collectors, with an office file added for those who prefer to pay at the office.
Every morning each collector is given the cards on his route, on which payments are due. On his return, he turns in all cards to the cashier with the amount collected. If a back call is necessary, the card is filed ahead a day or two.
The cards in the office file are placed on the cashier's desk each morning and payments are recorded as made. Those on which no payments are recorded are kept on the desk, and after a reasonable time are given to a collector to follow up.