Rathbone (pictured, right) is the co-founder of IT consultancy firm Infinity Works and has worked in the tech industry for more than 20 years, while Horsfall (pictured, left) has been an adviser for more than 15 years.
The online platform Binder was created so advisers could digitally manage and organise their client’s cases. Horsfall developed this as he wanted to create an efficient way to hold confidential and personal data such as passports, bank statements and pay slips.
Horsfall said: “I was really frustrated by how inflexible the process was and how reliant we were on accessing a paper case file in the office.”
“I needed something more streamlined that would allow me to work from anywhere and access all the information needed for any of my cases at any time, in any place.”
He added: “The existing services available were overly complicated, with long set-up processes and costs that kept changing monthly; I was determined to find a simpler way to manage my cases.”
Binder will launch to market this month and both Rathbone and Horsfall are directors of the company.
A clear, transparent service
Rathbone said: “When Simon told me about Binder, I could immediately understand his frustrations and see its potential.
“It has been great to apply my technical experience and industry knowledge to create a solution that is simple and easy to use and has a real impact on users’ productivity.”
He added: “Binder works on any device; it’s tablet, desktop, laptop and mobile friendly so that it can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. The self-service nature of Binder makes it very clear and transparent, like the Netflix model; you can sign up, with one simple flat fee.
“Whilst my industry experience of knowing what ‘secure’ looks like has given Simon the confidence that his client data will be stored securely.”
Binder will have a document management feature which will allow advisers to request documentation when needed and upload them securely. It also has a live chat function to offer one source of communication.
Horsfall added: “Half the battle was collating all the information before you could even start to advise. Clients send documents in various formats and methods – WhatsApp, text, post even fax. Manually printing and collating the information in one place was very time-consuming.”
“One of my favourite features about Binder is that my clients can upload everything directly via the portal, and the system will tell me when everything is in and ready for me to start working on the case, saving time for both my clients and me.”
