Based in Switzerland, Assentis Technologies is a leading provider of Customer Communication Management solutions for the financial industry that benefit both the company’s clients and their customers by offering added value. “We provide software solutions and services that enhance information exchange and interaction between companies and their customers,” explains CEO Martin Krähenbühl. “Our solutions enable our clients to create relevant, individual customer communication, just as required and when required, and thus to gain a sustainable differentiation advantage.”
Assentis Technologies was founded by Andreas Ludwig and Urs Tanner in 2002. “From the very start, the founders have been focused on three crucial success factors which have determined our philosophy and are still valid today,” says Mr. Krähenbühl. “The use of next-generation technology, 100% equity financing and a strong focus on customer communication solutions for the financial services sector.”
Since its foundation 13 years ago, Assentis Technologies has developed from a small start-up into one of the leading providers of Customer Communication Management solutions for the banking and insurance industries. Especially since 2008, the company has expanded with amazing speed. “We could grow in a period when the financial sector was in distress,” states Mr. Krähenbühl.
Martin Krähenbühl
- CEO since 2013
- joined Assentis Technologies in 2008 as CFO and Head of Legal Matters and Human Resources, later also as COO
- various senior positions in banks and insurance companies (Swiss Re and Julius Bär) and industrial enterprises (SES Astra and Boehringer Mannheim) before joining Assentis Technologies
- Master’s degree in Business Administration & Law from the University of Bern, Switzerland
At this time, Assentis Technologies started developing the international market and set up subsidiary companies in Austria, Germany and the USA and later also in Singapore. “Our annual growth rate is between 20% and 40%,” explains Mr. Krähenbühl. “Besides Germany, Singapore is among the fastest-evolving markets for us.”
Above-average growth, however, also means recruiting enough personnel. “Finding qualified people is very difficult,” says Mr. Krähenbühl. “That is why we have our own apprenticeship and training programmes.” Currently, Assentis Technologies has 100 employees, including 50 at the company’s head office in Switzerland, and serves over 100 major clients from the financial services sector around the world with state-of-the- art customer communication solutions.
The Customer Communication Management solutions developed by Assentis Technologies are used by banks and insurance companies to manage the generation, saving, retrieval and exchange of all customer documents. These can include anything from notifications and contracts to client reports and investment proposals. The company’s software solutions manage all the transaction data of a bank or insurance customer. This way, the customer can access all relevant information from every place and at any time.
“During the financial crisis in 2008, the banking sector’s reputation suffered,” explains Mr. Krähenbühl. “By using our software solutions, banks and insurance companies are enabled to enhance transparency for the customer and thus to improve their image again.” The software solution provided by Assentis Technologies is very complex in the back end, but easy to use in the front end, which is also one of the company’s competitive strengths.
“Everything that used to be printed for documentation purposes is processed and saved today by means of a single, complete Customer Communication Management system,” states Mr. Krähenbühl. “We are going through a process of digitization – that is substituting manual processes with digital means. Our solutions are specially developed and customized to effectively support this transformation for the benefit of both the financial services industry and its customers.”