Front Puts the Focus on Customer Communications — With Bridge Bank on Its Team
Bridge Bank’s technical experience and general understanding of the SaaS industry was a differentiator — understanding, for example, that it takes time to invest in our customers, and payback comes over time.
Front is a customer communication hub for building strong relationships. By centralizing all of a team’s customer communication activities into a hub that looks and feels like a traditional email inbox, Front helps businesses of all sizes offer exceptional customer support. The company now serves more than 8,000 organizations worldwide, including Airbnb, Lyft and Shopify.
Front pinpoints an essential need, says CFO Jenny Decker. “Email is underpowered. It was designed for one-person use, whereas we’ve moved to a team-based world. And in the customer support software space, the traditional vendors and solutions are actually designed to deflect customer conversations through chatbots or creating tickets,” she explains. “But businesses that rely on relationships don’t want to turn their customers into tickets.”
Its innovative approach is not the only thing that sets Front apart. As one of only 11 female founders and current CEOs of a unicorn, Mathilde Collin stands out in the broader tech sector — and so does her team. “80% of our executive team is female, and 50% of our management team is female,” notes Decker. “It’s really rewarding to help shift those trends and pave the path for other female leaders in the industry.”
As Front grew, it sought a bank that could match the company’s ambitious pace. The company considered a number of banks, but Bridge Bank, with its deep tech sector expertise and the strong backing of Western Alliance Bank, fit the bill. “Bridge Bank’s technical experience and general understanding of the SaaS industry was a differentiator — understanding, for example, that it takes time to invest in our customers, and payback comes over time.”
One thing that impressed Decker: The trademark Bridge Bank approach of coming forward with solutions and ideas. “It was very clear from our conversations that Bridge Bank took the time to understand us, the relationship and our business. They came back with constructive suggestions,” she explains. “With each passing call, it became more apparent that Bridge Bank was a trusted adviser we wanted to work with. They are always making sure that they create the right solution that fits our needs.”
Ultimately, the combination of industry expertise and company culture made Bridge Bank and Front a good match.
“They were the right fit from the very beginning,” Decker recalls. “Relationships are at the forefront of our business, so our values are closely aligned. We love that Bridge Bank cares about things beyond the bottom line because we do, too.”
Bridge Bank delivers relationship banking that puts clients at the center of everything, with specialized expertise in technology and innovation companies at every stage in their life cycle. To see how Bridge Bank meets the financial needs of companies from pre-seed to IPO and beyond, all backed by the superior personalized service we’re known for, learn more about our Technology & Innovation Banking Solutions.