How to take a credit application over text
Ask for the details one at a time in the conversation the customer is already in. bkd.ai collects credit application answers over text, keeps the file up to date as they come in, and moves the deal to the right stage once the application is complete.
Why do subprime leads stop at the credit application?
Because the application is the first thing that feels like a commitment. A customer who will happily text back about a truck will not open a long finance form on their phone at nine at night. The lead is real. The form is the wall.
Subprime buyers are also the most likely to have been turned down somewhere before, which makes a formal application feel like an invitation to be told no again.
Meanwhile the rep has a lead sitting in the pipeline with almost nothing on it, and no obvious next step except to send the same link again.
How does a dealership collect credit details by text instead?
By asking for the pieces one at a time inside the conversation. bkd.ai asks for what is missing, records each answer on the customer's file as it arrives, and never asks twice for something the customer already gave. It also recognizes when a customer sends a photo of their licence.
This works because a text is a conversation, not a form. Two questions tonight, two more tomorrow, and the file fills in without anybody being asked to sit down and do paperwork.
The rep sees the file build in real time on the customer's screen in bkd.ai, so they know exactly what is still outstanding before they pick up the phone.
There is a boundary worth keeping. Text is for the conversation and the basics. Anything that genuinely belongs in a secure portal stays in the portal, and bkd.ai says so rather than asking for it over SMS.
What happens once the application is complete?
The deal moves on its own. When the file has what it needs, bkd.ai advances the deal stage so the finance manager sees it in the right place without a rep remembering to drag a card. The timeline shows what came in and when.
Stage accuracy is what makes a subprime pipeline usable. A pipeline where half the deals sit in the wrong column is a pipeline nobody trusts.
It also gives the manager something honest to look at first thing in the morning: which files are actually complete, and which ones are still waiting on one photo.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to collect credit information over text?
bkd.ai collects the conversational basics over text and keeps anything that belongs in a secure application inside the secure application. The AI is explicit about that boundary with the customer rather than asking for sensitive details in a message thread.
What if the customer only answers half the questions?
The file keeps what it has. bkd.ai records each answer as it arrives, never re-asks for something already given, and picks up where it left off whenever the customer replies. The rep can see exactly what is still missing.
Does the deal stage update on its own?
Yes. Once the credit application has what it needs, bkd.ai moves the deal to the received stage and logs it on the customer's timeline, so the finance manager sees a complete file without a rep manually moving anything.