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Wealth, Captured: SJP’s Seamless Digital Shift

A customer case study for St James’s Place

St James Place App Vidatec
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When it comes to wealth management, first impressions matter. As one of the UK’s leading wealth management organisations, St. James’s Place (SJP) has built its reputation on trusted, highly personal relationships with more than 836,000 clients worldwide. But in an era defined by digital convenience and rising client expectations, traditional face-to-face processes were no longer enough.

Onboarding new clients involved lengthy paperwork, time-consuming compliance checks, and in-person meetings that slowed down what should be an empowering first step toward financial security. To stay ahead, SJP needed a solution that preserved its hallmark personal touch while streamlining the experience for both Partners and clients.

Enter the Capture App — a bespoke digital solution developed in close partnership with Vidatec. Designed to transform how SJP Partners engage with clients, the app digitises and simplifies onboarding, delivering a faster, more secure, and fully compliant process without sacrificing the personal connection that sets SJP apart.

The Challenge

St. James’s Place (SJP), one of the UK’s leading wealth management organisations, traditionally relied on face-to-face, paper-based onboarding — a process that was slow, complex, and prone to errors. Partners had to gather documents in person, manually verify them, and meet strict compliance requirements, creating delays and administrative burden.

As client expectations shifted toward seamless, digital-first experiences — especially during the pandemic — SJP needed a modern solution to streamline onboarding, maintain compliance, and empower Partners to work more efficiently.

St James Place by Vidatec

The Solution

Vidatec partnered closely with SJP to co-create the “Capture App,” a bespoke iOS solution designed specifically for SJP Partners. The app transforms the traditional onboarding process into a streamlined, fully digital experience. 

Key features of the solution include: 

  • Digital ID capture and verification: Partners can now securely scan a prospective client’s driving licence or passport using an OCR library, eliminating the need for multiple paper forms. 
  • Real-time compliance checks: Through integrations with services like Passfort and Experian, the app automatically validates identities and conducts essential compliance checks, including anti-money laundering (AML). 
  • Bespoke content toolkit: The Capture App supports client meetings with a range of documents, videos, apps, and tools, all accessible within a user-friendly interface. 
  • Storyboard feature: Partners can tailor and store content for specific meetings, creating personalised experiences for each client. 
  • Always up-to-date: A synched document catalogue ensures Partners always have the latest approved content at their fingertips. 
  • Robust support and monitoring: The app is monitored 24/7 to enable rapid resolution of any issues and maintain an outstanding service standard. 
  • Flexible integrations: Designed to integrate content from various source systems, future-proofing the solution as SJP’s needs evolve. 

The Final Result

The Capture App became SJP’s most successful digital product launch to date. Rolled out at the end of 2020 — just before the pandemic fundamentally shifted client expectations — the app played a vital role in helping SJP onboard new clients remotely and securely, accelerating business growth during a critical time. 

The results speak for themselves: faster onboarding, enhanced compliance, and a significant increase in funds under management throughout 2021. 

The success of this project deepened the trusted partnership between SJP and Vidatec, now in its eighth year. Our collaboration has since expanded to include the development of wealth management calculators and further digital innovations designed to support SJP Partners and their clients. 

Vidatec have helped us get beyond the technology, providing innovative solutions architecture as well as the essential business logic. We now rely on the Capture App to deliver exceptional performance, which means our Partners can continue to deliver value and service our 750,000 investors remotely. We truly value the trusted partnership we have built with Vidatec over the years — we continue to collaborate and deliver as one team.

Matt Hall

Divisional Director of Digital Experience and Design

St Jame's Place

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