An Interview with Tim Latimer, Cashco Financial Inc CEO: ‘We Exist to Provide Relief Today and Hope for Tomorrow’

“To operate in a rapidly moving environment with digital tools and economic adjustments, we must have faith and trust in our employees to get the job done as per the goals and objectives set forth by the company.”

With a one-size-fits-all strategy and countless fees in the banking and loan products industry, we are thrilled to present Cashco Financial Inc as a healthy alternative dedicated to ending financial exclusion. Cashco provides a suite of products available to everyone seeking financial wellness today. The company was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Edmonton, AB.

Proud Moment

In 2020, Cashco Financial Inc was certified by “Great Place to Work” through a rigorous work culture assessment process.​

Tim Latimer, Cashco Financial CEO, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

What are the latest technologies leveraged by you to provide exceptional financial services?

At Cashco, our commitment to constant and never-ending improvement is captured within our core value of ‘Embrace Can I’ as in can I do one percent better in my tasks each day? Therefore, our teams are continuously looking for world-class technologies to provide exceptional services. Currently, we are leading the industry by embracing a few different technologies including Repay, Twilio, and QLess.

Our marketing team can extend and amplify lead generation activities and brand awareness efforts by embracing Twilio solutions. The Twilio platform comes pre-integrated with channels like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Voice, Email, and more so we can reach our users on the channels they prefer without burning engineering hours. We can better understand each step of the client journey through technology and trace interactions across platforms.

The QLess system provides the ability to wait in line without physically waiting in line: you can login and add your name to the queue before you head to your preferred branch. If you don’t need an in-person visit, you can jump into the virtual line-up for a request to call-back from your branch. The system is working hard to shift high traffic busy times to less busy, thereby providing the safest space for our clients to conduct their business inside the branch should they prefer to do so.

Finally, the Repay function allows our client to make a payment using their Visa Debit card. Clients can access their online account with the click of a button from the comfort of their home and use this function to make a payment. It is as easy as 1-2-3.

Q. The FinTech industry is one that is growing quickly, with an increasing number of companies offering an even greater number of online and mobile platforms. How do you distinguish your services from others?

We distinguish our services by keeping a sharp eye on the client journey, both in-person and online. Our best-in-class ground team, which operates from our physical spaces, is confident, comfortable, and safe due to our COVID-19 response plan. This allows our network to maintain operations in-person with confident conversations as delivered by our Trusted Advisors.

Furthermore, by being as agile as possible, we can swiftly move to digital operations with the same tactical vision. Our client-first digital experience can strongly match our in-person relationship-first based experience. By keeping a keen eye on this journey, we will serve our clients by balancing the best of both worlds.

Q. How do you balance the customer service aspect with the security aspects?

By continually scanning the marketplace for leading technologies, we believe our desire to stay on top of industry standards leads our organization to successfully balance service with security. We use the best resources to gather client data with authorized access; this enables us to fully understand our clients to meet their financial needs. With leading technologies, we know that we will stand out from our competition by meeting goals safely and securely to fulfill consumer needs surrounding our financial wellness framework.

Q. ‘When people are having fun, they work together better, and they produce better work.’ How do you interpret this saying?

When we nourish happy humans, we create healthier connections, enhanced concentration, and greater focus for longer periods. Naturally, these pieces should lead to an overall lift in our employee performance and productivity. At Cashco, we believe that trust within the company and trust within our peer groups will drive a fiercely strong and passionate workforce. Therefore, we are continuously shifting our mindset to be hard on the numbers and not hard on the people.

We fully believe that employee engagement produces a higher level of productivity. It is proven that if a workplace gives its employees a safe, positive working environment, where their professional, as well as personal aspirational goals, are equally apart of the business initiatives.

Q. Growing the company based on employees’ passions must be a priority. Do you ask your employees what they are interested in doing and how they would like to see their career unfold?

At Cashco, we strongly believe in the proverbial of ‘grow the people, grow the business’. Our network is set-up to provide frequent and regular one-on-one conversations with managers to help guide this process. If we can better understand each employee and provide an opportunity within the company to support their vision, we will put the pieces into place for execution.

Q. Trust is a difficult attribute to measure and a delicate dynamic to maintain. How do you maintain this with your employees?

Each team is responsible to execute daily and monthly priorities. We feel confident the right support mechanisms are in place to ensure both accountability and responsibility. For example, our daily cascade offers each department head a frequent and consistent check-in with their team. This format has been particularly beneficial since the onset of COVID-19 and our new hybrid workplaces. We have staff working from their home offices, our head office space, and our network of branches. To operate in a rapidly moving environment with digital tools and economic adjustments, we must have faith and trust in our employees to get the job done as per the goals and objectives set forth by the company.

Q. What does the future hold for Cashco and its employees? Are exciting things on the way?

At Cashco, we feel our company is ever-changing and remains fluid for client needs. On any given day, a small amount of money, cash up-front, or flex loan approval, can alter the path of a client in need; because life happens at any time, any hour of the day, and despite our best intentions. We know that life situations can happen daily and frequently for our clients; most will see lasting repercussions while wreaking havoc on longer-term financial wellness. Therefore, our network dedicated to our clients and staff is fully committed to being agile.

To give you a preview of what is in store for Cashco and our staff; exciting things are brewing up in ‘The Village’ by Cashco. Our village product is currently in test offering up features and benefits that work together to provide relief today and hope for tomorrow. Our list of village support items grows each day and we are excited to launch across Canada once we’ve got a comprehensive list finalized with high impact items delivering maximum value, which will be defined by what speaks best to our clients.

“With leading technologies, we know that we will stand out from our competition by meeting goals safely and securely to fulfill consumer needs surrounding our financial wellness framework.”