Al Baraka Bank South Africa serves communities across the country with an ethical, customer-centric approach designed for the digital age.
But when general manager of digitalization Hamzah Asmali and senior developer Zaahirah Sheik Ismail of the digitalization team set out to modernize how the bank collects information from customers, they hit a roadblock.
Their existing online form solution for internal use couldn’t scan customer documents before they were uploaded to the bank’s secure environment. It also didn’t handle manual work like emailing customers to request documents, checking responses for missing data, and managing deadlines across multiple systems.
A Microsoft Power Platform partner recommended Jotform Enterprise as a secure, flexible solution for customer data collection.
“The breadth of features available with Jotform Enterprise is really impressive,” says Asmali, “and they’re not just a scrapbook of random features. You can see how they all tie together to give you a coherent, end-to-end solution.”
Enabling secure, scalable customer data collection
Jotform Enterprise offered several key advantages for the bank:
- Secure external file uploads: Customer documents are stored in Jotform first for virus scanning before moving to another secure environment.
- Tight integration with existing tech stack: Using integrations with Power Automate and OneDrive, the team could securely automate the flow of data.
- Robust features that deliver speed and simplicity: From QR codes to approval flows to AI agents, the no-code environment makes building solutions fast and easy.
“Having Jotform Enterprise, with its really quick and easy-to-use interface, has unblocked us as a small team,” says Asmali. “We are able to rapidly respond to our business’s changing requirements.”
Automating enhanced due diligence (EDD) renewals
In South Africa, banks must perform enhanced due diligence (EDD) annually for higher-risk customers as part of know your customer (KYC) regulations. The regulation requires these customers to submit documentation to confirm their identity.
Al Baraka Bank built a fully automated renewal workflow using Jotform Enterprise and Microsoft Power Automate to allow customers to renew their EDD-approved status.
Jotform Enterprise makes building solutions really quick and really easy — that’s a win.
Zaahirah Sheik Ismail, Senior Developer, Al Baraka Bank South Africa
Customers receive automated reminders to update their information and upload documentation via a Jotform on the bank’s website. The information is automatically linked to the appropriate customer record, and the individual assigned to the customer and the anti–money-laundering division also receive notifications for each new submission. Once reviews are approved, the EDD status is reset for a year.
“From manually tracking and missing items to a fully automated system, the change has been huge,” says Ismail.
“Just two weeks ago, we created a new form for a project going live,” she says. “Yesterday morning, I built a new process for our compliance division. Jotform Enterprise makes building solutions really quick and really easy — that’s a win.”
Enhancing customer experiences with fast, secure online applications
Ismail notes that she can stand up an entire process in just a few hours. The head of the bank’s insurance team was particularly pleased with a “mini CRM” Zara built entirely on Jotform Enterprise. The system empowers them to manage leads, applications, documentation, and status updates — and didn’t require a long software development cycle to set up.
Customers complete a Jotform-based application with the required attachments. Integrations then route submissions to the insurance division via OneDrive and Power Automate for processing.
“When I realized I didn’t have to generate form QR codes, that Jotform automatically creates them, that was a wow moment,” says Asmali.
Reducing tech spend and complexity with Jotform’s AI Agents
The team also uses Jotform Enterprise AI Agents to support both internal and external workflows, including three internal HR agents and one customer-facing agent that guides website visitors through the bank’s insurance product application process.
Jotform’s AI Agents have everything we need and more.
Hamzah Asmali, General Manager of Digitalization, Al Baraka Bank South Africa
These robust, built-in AI tools enabled the team to discontinue a standalone AI provider and consolidate capabilities, giving the bank a distinct competitive advantage.
“We were able to stop licensing the other tool we were using for AI. Jotform’s AI Agents have everything we need and more.”
Impact: Increased agility for a small team
For Al Baraka Bank’s digitalization team, Jotform Enterprise delivers speed, agility, and confidence. Asmali describes a recent brainstorm session for an approval workflow:
“I knew we’d find a solution inside of Jotform, and we did,” says Asmali. “In half an hour, we built a solution,” says Asmali. “The way all the features were just available to us in that building journey was really impressive.”
Ismail adds that Jotform’s intuitive interface empowers others to manage automations independently. “Other staffers understand what they need to do when and if changes need to be made,” she says. “They can handle it on their own.”
Jotform Enterprise is a critical part of Al Baraka Bank South Africa’s digitalization strategy, helping the organization connect with customers securely, streamline complex processes, and keep pace in a rapidly evolving industry.
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