Toyota Financial Services Portugal: SOFT4Leasing has reduced our operational costs and scaled with our business growth

Interview with António Fonseca, IT & Security Manager at Toyota Financial Services Portugal. TOYOTA KREDITBANK GMBH Sucursal em Portugal

Tell our readers more about your business – what are you trying to achieve, your target customers, and how your business does good to the world?

We look at the varied movement requirements of diverse customers and make our products and services accessible in whatever channel best meets their needs. Our global vision is to create value by enabling freedom of movement. Toyota Financial Services Portugal (https://www.toyota.pt/financiamento) is embracing TFS’s global vision, which aims to enable customers to use any means of mobility services.

We are focused on helping our customers achieve their mobility goals and committed to supporting Toyota’s Beyond Zero strategy, which emphasizes sustainability and environmental responsibility. Our services aim to contribute to a greener future by making eco-friendly transportation options accessible to a broader audience, ultimately doing good for the world.

What financial products do you manage in SOFT4Leasing (fin.lease, op.lease, loans, inventory finance, other)?

Financial Lease and Loans, in the near future – Full-Service Lease.

What caused you to think about and search for new leasing software?

We had an outsourced agreement for the purpose of retail activities management for IT systems and operational processes. We needed new scalable software to improve the speed of execution, capability, and flexibility to launch new products, services, and features in our path to embrace Toyota’s digital journey.

What criteria impacted your decision to go with SOFT4Leasing (specific features, SOFT4 team’s attitude, the professionalism of the consultants, etc.)? Please provide more details.

• SOFT4Leasing functionality and specifications, to be based on a robust platform Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central) for continuous support and upgrades
• Good insight from our Ireland branch for their FSL implementation.
• Possibility of evolution and to create interfaces with other systems.
• Time-to-market implementation was also crucial due to our very tight schedule.

What about SOFT4Leasing do you like best? What business goals have it helped you to achieve?

We appreciate SOFT4Leasing for its ability to streamline leasing and asset management processes. It has centralized our data, improved operational efficiency, and helped us provide better customer service. Additionally, it ensures compliance and offers robust reporting capabilities. Overall, it has reduced our operational costs and scaled seamlessly with our business growth.

What about SOFT4Leasing do you like least? What improvements could be made to help your business?

While SOFT4Leasing offers valuable features, we’ve encountered some challenges. One issue is that upgrades occasionally reintroduce past problems, disrupting our operations. Additionally, user profiling and permissions setup can be cumbersome and sometimes inadequate. To enhance our experience, we’d appreciate more reliable upgrades and a simplified, more intuitive user management system.

Do you have anything to say about your project and support teams?

The project team has been highly professional and consistently available throughout our engagement. They’ve demonstrated expertise and dedication, and it’s worth noting that this project was executed during atypical times amid the challenges of the pandemic. Despite the distance and remote working conditions, they successfully maintained project timelines and delivered results as promised.

Regarding the support team, they have been generally prompt in addressing our inquiries and issues, ensuring minimal disruptions to our operations.

What would be your wish for the SOFT4Leasing team on our product’s 20^th anniversary?

On the 20th anniversary of SOFT4Leasing, our wish for the SOFT4Leasing team is continued success and innovation. May your product continue to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing needs of your customers and the industry. I hope that you remain committed to providing good support and value to your users, enabling them to streamline their leasing activities efficiently.