Advance Acceptance, a division of First Western Bank & Trust, announced the launch of a free online payments feature for its equipment finance customers.

"Agile Payments consulted with Advance Acceptance project management to find a solution that would reduce their PCI scope and comply with all the organization's regulatory compliance issues. Agile made the recommendation to utilize Forte Checkout for the integration," said Gene Krause, vice president of business development, Agile Payments.

Advance Acceptance selected Forte Payment Systems, of Allen, Texas, to provide the application used to implement the payment system.

Delivering an online payment tool to the end-customer empowers them to take greater control of their business finances, officials said. It also saves operational time for the Advance Acceptance customer service, accounting and collections teams because of the self-service nature of online payments.

Working with a technology agency – Ackmann & Dickenson (A&D) of Minneapolis – Advance Acceptance was able to develop a mobile-responsive solution using Forte's software application.

"Taking a data-driven approach, A&D collaborated with the team at Advance Acceptance to implement a secure and intuitive payment solution that met their business objectives," said Kevin Zinniel, vice president of business development, A&D.

Customers may access the payment application on its website, free of charge, using a desktop computer, tablet or mobile device. Advance Acceptance is committed to providing solutions that revolutionize the business finance process, including DocuSign electronic documents and online credit processing services, officials said.