GoUpscale, a Singapore-based sales technology business, today announces the launch of its Smartcards - digital business cards that banish paper, start conversations, and drive more engagement for wealth and asset managers.

Smartcards are repeat-use, bespoke branded plastic or metal cards, that can be tapped against the recipient's mobile phone, facilitating an offline-to-online connection.

Upon tapping the card against a user’s device, the screen automatically navigates to a tailored landing page providing a summary of the owner and a variety of instant actions, from adding to the address book and starting a message, to connecting on social media and showing presentation material. It’s a one-stop instant engagement solution.

The need for more efficient and successful engagement, let alone more environmentally conscious, are key drivers of why Smartcards rule over their paper predecessors. Smartcards look great, with tailored designs for the company and individual, available in a stunning variety of looks and finishes. They are an important conversation starter and frame-setter at the point of meeting, ensuring a memorable first interaction, and driving a much higher propensity to develop a relationship from that point. Read more about Smartcards here.

GoUpscale tracked the use of business cards in the wealth and asset management industry over the past 12 months and uncovered shocking figures about the ineffectiveness of traditional cards. Across 4 industry events with approx. 300 people, only 1 in 23 paper business cards handed were input into a CRM.  The rest tragically end up in the rubbish bin or buried in the bottom desk drawer - an environmental waste trap, as well as an ineffective engagement tool.

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Ben Backx says “Finding a way to ensure paper business cards are quickly uploaded to an address book or CRM has long been the desired outcome for salespeople. As sales engagement specialists, we are constantly exploring new ways to improve interactions between the company and the client. We have been able to take advantage of the recent developments in Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to build a powerful digital business card solution on top of our existing sales software capabilities.  Smartcards drive far higher engagement and give wealth and asset managers an immediate, cost-effective way to deploy powerful sales personalization without the need for expensive transformation projects.”

Over 25 organizations have partnered with GoUpscale on Smartcards since the product launched in June 2022 and GoUpscale is now making Smartcards available across Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Europe and North America.  The software behind the application is part of the GoUpscale sales engagement suite, in which users can access innovative engagement tools and build a digital catalogue of their products and content, all included as part of the Smartcard pricing package.  Data privacy has been a priority from the outset with important regulatory considerations needing to be taken into account. Smartcards uphold stringent best practices for ensuring data privacy and security. That makes the card a perfect companion for the particularly regulatory-sensitive wealth and asset management industries.

“The timing to bring Smartcards to market is perfect,” highlights CEO and Co-founder Dominic Gamble. “Not only are we seeing the return of face-to-face meetings and events, but there is renewed pressure on sales targets driving the need for more sales interaction. At the same time, businesses are increasingly focused on environmental sustainability combined with driving efficiencies from going digital. Smartcards are an easy-to-deploy solution with trackable ROI but most importantly, one that’s going to differentiate a wealth or asset manager and stand them above the crowd - something that is so crucial for competitive success in these times.”