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Client stories

Helping A1 Comms to communicate the benefits of retail finance to their customers

A1 Comms pride themselves on providing affordable communication solutions to people around the UK. However, with technology constantly advancing, and customers wanting more and more features, the cost of keeping connected is going up and up.

Background

A1 Comms is a communications service provider, offering mobile phone packages to people across the U.K.

Established in Derbyshire in 1997, they’ve grown in the fast-moving the electronic and technology sector to become one of the UK’s leading providers of mobile phones.

They currently employ around 150 people in their Alfreton HQ, and are constantly expanding. At the last count, they had a customer base of over two million.

With over 44,000 reviews on Trustpilot, they can boast an ‘Excellent’ rating – and their customer service has earned them awards from major names in the industry, including EE, Uswitch, and O2.

Making the connection

Electrical and telecoms is a sector where consumers can really benefit from a range of payment options being offered. That’s why Barclays Partner Finance are always looking to work with clients like A1 Comms to help them make purchases more affordable.

As Alan Wilson, New Business Manager, Barclays Partner Finance, explains:

“A1 Comms was high on our list of prospect companies. They have a well-known brand within the sector and a great reach. We really felt the two companies could work well together to offer customers an alternative payment method to make that must-have mobile more affordable.”

A1 Comms went through lengthy discussions to choose the right retail finance partner. They knew they had to get the right one – a company who could help them achieve their aspirations and also match their customers’ needs.

A1 Comms choose Barclays Partner Finance as their finance lead.

Pete O’Connell, Purchasing Director of A1 Comms tells of the compelling reasons for the decision:

“There are three clear reasons why we chose Barclays Partner Finance. Barclays is a household name with strong brand awareness and credibility, you have the tech capabilities we need to drive our business forward and you already work with tech companies, so we have confidence in the expertise you have to service us and our customers.”

Launching online retail finance

Being a tech-driven company, it was a natural move for A1 Comms to launch retail finance options with their online service – with the help of Barclays Partner Finance, obviously.

This recent move means their customers can now benefit from interest-free and interest-bearing credit options starting from £200, in a matter of a few clicks.

Thanks to extensive collaboration and support from both teams, going live with this new service was as seamless as possible. 

Jamie Tomlinson, Digital Director, A1 Comms describes the process:

“We’ve had fantastic support from Barclays. The API documentation is extremely comprehensive and the regular calls between the integration teams have made the whole process really smooth.” 

Talking about the future

More of A1 Comms’ customers can now take advantage of a more affordable way to pay for the tech they really want – so A1 Comms are confident of seeing an uplift in sales over the coming months. And dependent on the results, there could be more opportunities of partnering between the two businesses in the future.

Get in touch

To discuss your business requirements and how Barclays can support you, contact us today.

CLIENT STORIES

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