Advantage Finance expands use of AI across motor finance operations

Advantage Finance has expanded its use of artificial intelligence across its motor finance operations following the introduction of AI-supported call transcription and summarisation.

The Grimsby-based non-prime motor finance lender developed the programme in-house alongside AI specialist SoundSense.

Its first phase focused on customer repayments, with calls automatically transcribed and summarised to reduce the amount of time employees spend producing call notes.

Advantage said the change has contributed to a 30% increase in daily customer contact, while call-answering times are now below 10 seconds.

AI-generated summaries continue to be independently reviewed by employees, with the lender reporting assurance scores of more than 98%. Original call recordings are also retained.

Following the initial rollout, Advantage has established an in-house software engineering division and introduced AI training across its management team. Governance measures include an AI system register, data protection impact assessments and personal data checks for individual use cases.

The lender is now looking to extend the technology into its new business operations, where an AI-supported service will assist employees with documentation checks during underwriting and payout.

“Bringing AI into the Customer Repayment Team wasn’t about replacing the human side of what we do — if anything, it’s freeing up time to create more of it.

“Our colleagues no longer lose time writing up call notes, so they can focus on the conversation with the customer, and every account now comes with a clear timeline. It’s freed up time to help more people and given us a clearer picture of every case, faster.”

Nick Greensides, Chief Technology Officer at Advantage Finance, commented, “Throughout the last 27 years, Advantage has consistently invested in technology to provide best-in-class services. AI is the latest step, and a long term one; built and owned by our in-house engineering team, backed by recruiting and upskilling our own capabilities and fostering strong partnerships with external experts, so we can keep bringing the best services to the non-prime motor finance sector and its customers.

“Innovating in AI isn’t separate from our business goals; it’s part of how we support and deliver them.”

SoundSenseAI added, “Over more than a year, SoundSenseAI and Advantage Finance have turned AI ambition into technology and skills that deliver real business value. Bringing specialist expertise, pace and hands-on delivery. The partnership has felt genuinely collaborative, with both teams focused on better outcomes for customers and colleagues.”

Advantage said its longer-term AI strategy will combine its growing internal engineering capabilities with continued work with external technology specialists.