Three use cases for cloud fax in financial services

Fax is so secure that faxed documents and signatures are recognized in the courts as being legally binding. It stands to reason, then, that fax would be the bedrock of financial…

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July 12, 20235 minutes read

Fax is so secure that faxed documents and signatures are recognized in the courts as being legally binding. It stands to reason, then, that fax would be the bedrock of financial communications, but are there ways to make it even better? What about incorporating other business drivers such as improved business efficiency or enhanced customer experience? 

The paper problem

Financial services workflows have always been heavily paper-based. For example, in the loan process, a firm has to track and manage multiple documents, often rekeying information into several different systems. This long, inefficient, and error-prone process costs time, money, and customer patience.

That last item – keeping customers happy – is key. The financial services industry — including banks, insurance, investment and diversified companies — is significantly more aggressive with CX transformation initiatives compared to all industries combined. More than 70% of financial services companies are transforming: according to a Metrigy study, 39.7% have completed a project or have one in progress and 30.9% are planning for a project by the end of 2022. A survey by Gartner notes that banking and investment services are more focused on digitization than any other sector.  

The cloud solution 

Cloud fax has become key to enabling the digital transformation that CIOs are looking for. Leading solutions go beyond the replacement of traditional fax capabilities to largely eliminate paper and deliver tools like data capture, conversion, management, auditing, and integrationsSince they are hosted in the cloud, organizations are freed from maintaining fax hardware or software themselves, and typically benefit from essential features like High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR). 

Let’s explore some of the ways cloud fax is delivering major benefits in the financial industry. 

Cloud fax for banking 

Cloud fax delivers benefits in a wide number of business areas for banking organizations, including new account acquisition, account management, and application processing. By automating a great deal of data capture, management, and distribution, it makes processes fast and efficient and leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction. 

Let’s take the example of a loan application. To automate processing, the lender can integrate capture technology into its cloud fax solution. When the customer faxes their application, the capture technology extracts the content from the digital fax image, thus converting the content into actionable data and inputs it automatically into the lending system. 

An automotive business financing company I worked with used cloud fax to onboard dealerships in hours rather than the six to nine months it had taken previously. Once they were online, a loan application could be processed in seven minutes and payments made the same day. Cloud fax enabled the company to retain almost $9.5 million in business customer contracts.   

Cloud fax for capital markets 

The fast processing of trades, in combination with the ability to demonstrate compliance with all regulations, is essential for capital markets. Companies exchange trade confirmations, rate change notices, wire transfer directives, and more. Many of these can be incredibly time-sensitive, with even seconds wasted possibly leading to monetary losses. 

Fax transfer has always been essential communication in capital markets, but traditional fax was increasingly seen as slow and inefficient. Digital alternatives  such as email  lack the security and auditability necessary to meet compliance requirements for laws like PCI DSS and SOX. Cloud fax enables organizations to continue to use familiar fax-based communications while benefiting from the speed, reliability, and security upgrades delivered by cloud fax. 

Cloud fax for the insurance industry 

The insurance industry is subject to strict regulations governing security, privacy, and business transparency. This is especially true of organizations handling health insurance. In addition, it relies on multiple paper-dependent processes that need to be streamlined to enhance the customer experience. Digitizing paper-based processes allows insurers to drive revenue through new policy acquisition and existing customer management while better adhering to their compliance obligations. 

Integrated with cloud fax, electronic tools capture data directly from incoming claim forms, input it directly to the claims processing system, and ensure that all relevant documentation is filed together. The system can then automatically request further information, send status updates and proof of coverage, and finally, notify the customer of claim approval or denial.  

Take fax needs and make them fax advantages with the cloud 

Companies are discovering the ability of cloud fax to streamline document-driven processes to improve corporate performance while maintaining essential lines of communication. Migrating your fax to the cloud is no longer about gaining an edge, it’s about not being left behind. IDC found that 90% of companies they surveyed have already or are in the process of integrating fax with their enterprise applications.  

OpenText cloud fax products (OpenText™ Fax2Mail™OpenTextRightFax and OpenText™ XM Fax™) deliver the security, reliability, and efficiency demanded by the world’s largest organizations. They can integrate into enterprise systems such as ERP, CRM, or content management to further streamline workflows. Reach out to learn what they can do for you. 

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OpenText, The Information Company, enables organizations to gain insight through market-leading information management solutions, powered by OpenText Cloud Editions.

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