Specialist SME asset finance lender Simply has launched a new digital brand, dubbed Simply Connect, designed to speed up decision making and simplify lending processes. Simply Connect is an end-to-end digital journey that allows customers to use online tools to manage their funding, from application through to the final payment.
It includes:
- portals for submission of application
- integrated credit data sources
- integrated asset data sources
- open banking
- automated customer onboarding checks and customer ID verification
- electronic documentation
- e-signature
- automated payment of funds
- electronic welcome pack
- an app for customers with built in customer service functionality
- an app for broker partners with built in customer service functionality
- asset value analytics to help customers optimise funding
- online market for asset sales
The lender said Simply Connect removes barriers for customers so they are given quicker decisions on transactions, increased transparency, and enhanced data quality. The system automates steps in the process that used to take days or even weeks, meaning decisions can be made in hours or in some cases, even minutes.
The decision to streamline lending processes is part of Simply’s moves to streamline lending and free up time for SMEs, who account for 99% of all businesses, over 50% of private sector turnover and employ 16.6m people, recognising their role in leading innovation and building the future economy..
Simply COO, Ylva Oertengren said: “Since the start, we have removed barriers to SME borrowing. Piece by piece, we have automated processes and removed the need for paperwork. Why burden the customer with requests for information, when we can get it ourselves with the right integrations? In parallel, we have rolled out an app, giving the customer the choice of when and how to manage their funding.”
Oertengren highlighted the need for lenders to be responsive to the wide variation in SME business operations and requirements. “SMEs come in many different shapes. Some have large offices with high tech administration capabilities, others deal with paperwork at home in the evening after the dayshift. Some have years of trading data to show, others have a patchier story to tell. Some are family businesses that have been passed down through generations, others are new entrepreneurs looking to build a new venture. Our mission is to fund British business and help them to thrive, and Simply Connect allows us to serve our customers better,” she stated.
Founded in April 2017 by a team of asset finance specialists, Simply now has a staff of over 100 and attracted more than 3,800 customers across various sectors including manufacturing, construction, transport, and recycling. The company has become the fastest-growing asset finance provider in the UK, ranking at number 35 in the AF50, the UK’s most influential survey of business and equipment lessors.
Simply managing director, John Wiles said: “The most important thing is that Simply Connect complements our award-winning personal service. We are always available to talk over the phone and we will go and visit our customers to discuss their business objectives, growth, and funding opportunities. At Simply, we know trusted relationships cannot be replaced by technology. But technology is a tool that helps us serving them.”
“We call this technology with a handshake.”
