“Automation” is no longer just a trendy word—it’s a necessity for merchant cash advance funders who want to turn big profits and scale their businesses.
If you’re still using paper-based workflows and repeating tasks to manage your SME funding like it’s 2010, you’re leaving money on the table and putting the future of your business in jeopardy.
Indeed, if any one of the many steps in your funding process is creating a bottleneck, you could be wasting countless hours, missing out on growth opportunities, and losing deals.
In this article, we explain why automation is no longer optional for MCA funders and pinpoint which parts of your workflow you should be automating now.
Why Automation Matters in MCA Funding
First, let’s start with the basics: What exactly is automation?
Put simply, automation is about using technology—whether software, systems, or tools—to complete work with little to no help from humans. As a result, automation has the ability to make all kinds of tasks faster, more efficient, and far less hands-on.
Done manually, MCA funders know just how time-consuming and overwhelming the funding process can be. From having to chase down documents across disconnected systems to correcting errors caused by repetitive data entry, every small inefficiency can add up.
Thankfully, automation eliminates these obstacles entirely, delivering three key benefits for MCA funders:
- Significantly reduces errors and risk.
- Allows for an increase in volume to scale your operations.
- Saves substantial costs.
Below, we look at how automation addresses five specific challenges for SME funders specializing in merchant cash advances—from origination to the customer experience, and everything in between.
1. Origination
The MCA application and onboarding process alone requires dealing with a pile of daunting paperwork.
But there is good news. Automating certain origination tasks can make a huge difference in time savings for funders and SMEs alike.
Using automated funding tools, SME owners can enjoy an application process that takes minutes as opposed to weeks. Moreover, once data is submitted, it flows directly into the funder’s origination system, eliminating the need for time-consuming and error-prone manual data entry.
Ultimately, automation helps funders improve the origination process by:
- Streamlining the application experience: By using a configurable digital funding application, funders can empower SME owners to conveniently and quickly complete forms online, from any device. Everything is digital, dynamic, and personalized, helping to boost client satisfaction from the very beginning.
- Keeping customer data consistent and organized: Automated workflows ensure that all financial records and documents are captured, synced, and stored securely, with nothing falling through the cracks.
- Enabling faster, more timely responses: With automated alerts and workflows, clients are frequently notified in real-time about their application status, approvals, and next steps—keeping them informed without overwhelming your team.
From streamlining applications to improving data accuracy and communications, automation can enhance many origination tasks, with dual benefits: Funder efficiency and a smooth merchant experience.
2. Credit Evaluations and Risk Assessment
When applicant data exists in multiple formats and systems, financial spreading can be a tedious, time-intensive, and error-prone practice for funders.
That’s because underwriters must manually piece together information from various sources, while trying to apply consistent evaluation rules. This leaves room for mistakes and exposes funders to unnecessary risk.
Conversely, automation takes much of the heavy lifting out of credit evaluations and risk assessments, enabling MCA funders to move more quickly, stay consistent, and protect their portfolios by:
- Standardizing and aggregating data automatically: Rather than manually hunting down and formatting documents, automated funding platforms pull in data from various sources and organize it into a consistent format—giving funders a clear, consolidated view of applicants’ financial health.
- Eliminating manual credit scoring: Similarly, automation enables funders to tailor the credit scoring system to fit their own unique underwriting rules and risk tolerance, leading to faster decision-making and more accurate risk assessments.
- Identifying red flags earlier: Advanced analytics and pattern recognition tools can spot anomalies, fraud risks, or signs of distress long before a human would, enabling MCA funders to take a proactive, more forward-looking approach to risk management.
Meanwhile, let’s not forget about signatures. Applications often involve sensitive documents that require multiple signatures throughout the process, which can become a seriously frustrating bottleneck for merchants and funders alike.
But with automation, e-signature functionality can streamline workflows, keep deals ever-moving behind the scenes, and shorten decision timelines across the board.
3. Portfolio Risk Management
As a merchant’s financial situation changes over time, funders must keep a close watch on how those shifts impact overall risk exposure, and be able to adapt at a moment’s notice.
Done manually, staying alert and acting on this evolving picture can quickly become overwhelming (and practically impossible).
However, automated tools like advanced reporting technology are incredibly helpful for:
- Monitoring in-the-moment merchant behavior: Automation helps funders track payment patterns, cash flow fluctuations, and other financial indicators to detect early signs of distress or potential defaults well before issues become larger complications.
- Proactively assessing portfolio health: By using automation to aggregate and analyze data across entire portfolios in real-time, funders can more easily evaluate overall risk exposure and identify opportunities for smarter risk diversification.
- Staying audit-ready: Automated tools help ensure reporting aligns with evolving regulations, while at the same time delivering tailored insights.
Ultimately, automation transforms risk management from a reactive into a proactive strategy, helping MCA funders stay ahead of potential challenges and maintain a strong portfolio.
4. Operational Costs and Human Capital
Generally, for a business to make a higher profit, it must increase its human capital.
But for MCA funders, making a profit isn’t contingent on hiring more people. Rather, automation can empower funders to increase volume using their current employee base, and drive growth while keeping operational costs low.
As just one example, automation offers funders a smarter and more efficient way to handle collections, which is an area in which costs can quickly add up. Automated tools help by:
- Segmenting high-priority cases: Rather than chasing every overdue account the same way, automation helps identify high-priority cases so funders can focus on the accounts that really matter.
- Predicting future risk: Tap into historical data to spot patterns and predict future risk. This enables MCA funders to plan more strategically and act earlier, helping them avoid costly manual reviews.
- Adhering to compliance standards: Because automated systems follow rules to the letter, every interaction adheres to compliance standards, reducing the chance of human error and helping avoid potentially costly legal headaches.
In other words, automation helps MCA funding teams achieve more with the staff they already have.
5. Customer Experience
In MCA funding, the customer experience (CX) isn’t about one single interaction. It’s about creating a transparent, personalized, and flexible journey for SME owners throughout the entire funding process.
This is where automation can be the game-changer, improving the way funders service customers across the duration of their financing:
- Reaching SMEs on their terms: Whether email, SMS, or mobile, automation lets funders reach SME owners through their preferred channels, which can boost engagement. In fact, a McKinsey report shows payment rates jumping to as high as 92% when funders switched to more interactive channels like email and mobile apps.
- Digitizing statements and payment reminders: Automation ensures customers get consistent, timely updates about their funding status. This gives SMEs the option to check their information at any time, offering more flexibility and potentially improving overall satisfaction.
- Dynamically adjusting terms and schedules: Financial situations can change quickly, especially for smaller enterprises. Using automation, funders can adapt in real-time by adjusting loan terms or repayment schedules.
By automating nearly every stage of the funding process, your business can provide a superior customer experience and realize new levels of profitability.
The Future of Automated MCA Funding Starts With Onyx IQ
If your MCA funding operation is still using manual workflows, you’re not just creating unnecessary inefficiencies—you’re handing a massive business edge to your competitors.
From origination to portfolio risk management and beyond, automation is no longer a luxury. Rather, it’s the backbone of a faster, smarter, and more scalable funding business.
Onyx IQ is here to help you make that leap. Built by MCA funders for MCA funders, our all-in-one digital funding platform streamlines the entire merchant cash advance funding lifecycle. We help automate what slows you down, reduce risk, cut costs, and empower your team to focus on growth.The future of MCA funding belongs to those who move with speed and precision. Discover how Onyx IQ can help you achieve both. Request a demo today.
