Sponsor Spotlight: Captira Bail Bonds Software

• September 21, 2013
• by Kimberly Faber
• Business Tools
• Technology

Editor’s Note: The following article highlights one of the sponsors of the Bail Report. The opinions expressed in this article are of the company and individuals providing testimonials and do not represent the views of AboutBail. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please send an email to [email protected].

There are a number of products and services that aim to help bail agents more effectively run their businesses, and with elements like defendant check-ins, reports, office management, and more, it’s never been more important for bail agents to take advantage of available technology and software. We recently sat down with The Bail Report and Collateral Magazine sponsor Captira for an inside look at the products and services the company provides to bail agents.

CTO Matt Phillips was able to provide information on Captira’s background and current services, notes from bail agents and loyal users of the company’s products and services, and what we can expect from Captira in the future.

What is Captira?

Phillips: Captira is the premier provider of bail software that is designed to save time, save money and enhance decision making. This is done by simplifying and automating common tasks and providing background information to enhance underwriting decisions. Captira was formed by several bond agents in collaboration with a software developer in 2005. Over the last 8 years, Captira has seen stratospheric growth, from a startup with only a few customers to a nationally recognized brand with thousands of bail agents and more than a half dozen surety companies. Today, Captira is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intersections, Inc (NASDAQ:INTX) and more than half of the bail written in the country is tracked on the Captira platform.

What is Captira's goal in working with bail agents?

Phillips: Long term, our goal is to provide the industry with the technology that will meet the demands of the digital world, like electronic bonding. Captira is the only company successful in fulfilling this vision. Today, Captira’s mission is to give bail bond agents the tools and information they need to make more informed decisions and increase efficiency in their operations. Captira has seen outstanding success streamlining agency operations, from the single agent on up to the large multi-state retail and general agencies. Our surety clients alone have reduced annual costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars utilizing the Captira system.

What services and products does Captira provide to bail agents?

Phillips: First and foremost, Captira provides the most comprehensive database management tool in the marketplace. This will run an entire bail office including management of defendants, co-signers, collateral, accounts receivable, check-in scheduling, calendaring and more. We have many add-on services like our Automated Defendant Interface (ADI) phone systems that can notify your defendants automatically about upcoming court dates and payments; Cell Phone Locator to find the location of your defendant’s cell phone instantly; and the Captira DataMart which can save bail agents an immense amount of time and effort. Captira’s DataMart is a one stop shop for access to powerful background reports, with information from Lexis-Nexis, TransUnion and others. The reports available through the DataMart have directly saved agents hundreds of thousands of dollars through better underwriting and skip tracing.

What new products and services are available through Captira?

Phillips: Captira’s on-site bond printing and digital bonding allow the bail agent to generate powers of attorney on demand in the office, and when the industry is ready, the ability to complete the entire bonding process digitally. Captira has also recently released Online Bonding. This product allows co-signers to complete paperwork online using electronic signature technology. Additionally, the defendant and co-signers can log in after the bond is written to view account and court date information, make credit card payments and check in.

What is Captira's most popular product and what does it do for bail agents?

Phillips: Aside from making any bail office much easier to operate via any connection to the Internet, Captira’s two most popular products are the ADI phone system and Cell Phone Locator. The ADI phone system is an incoming and outgoing phone platform. ADI allows defendants to call in to hear their upcoming court dates, get payment information, make credit card payments and do check ins (with voice message). ADI can also be configured to automatically call or text message defendants and/or indemnitors to notify of upcoming court dates, upcoming or overdue payments, and missed check ins.

How are bail agents using Captira products to better their agencies?

Florence Behavin of Flo’s Bail Bonds in Paige, Texas, writes:

“Over the last 5 years with Captira Analytical I have been able to reduce man hours and payroll due to the customized reports and ease of use. The up to date and efficient tool kit has aided me in better underwriting skills. On many occasions I have called to suggest a feature to aid in simplifying my agents duties. Captira always responds promptly to any suggestions and in one instance they had a google icon on the defendant screen prior to hanging up the phone. The great people at Captira are dedicated to the bail bond industry and listen to their clients. Captira Analytical is the best software in the industry hands down.”

What are bail agents who are using your products saying?

Tommy Weatherholtz of Tommy Weatherholtz Bail Bonds in Martinsburg, West Virginia, writes:

“I started using Captira in 2008 when I opened my own company. Prior to that, I was working for a company that either wouldn’t pay for any software or would use programs that were ineffective. I spent countless hours doing excel spreadsheets keeping track of accounts receivable, underwriter reports, agent reports, and reports to the courts. Captira can produce many reports within seconds of a click that save you time and if they do not have a template that meets your needs, they will make it for you. Captira has convenient twenty four hour customer service that anytime I have needed help, regardless of the time, I can call and they will remotely access my computer and walk me through and show how to do whatever I am trying to accomplish. They offer many services at lower rates than the competitive market such as background checks, cell phone locater, credit checks, financing, etc. Point blank, you save time, money, and manpower by using Captira. If you are not using Captira, you are losing out on the most advanced bail bonding software on the market!”

What's next for Captira?

Phillips: One very exciting product that is about to go into beta release is Captira’s Mobile App. This app will allow defendants to check-in with location and a photo from their mobile device as well as receive notifications for upcoming court dates and payments. Additionally, the bail agent will be able to request GPS location history for the phone.

For more information about Captira and the services they offer to bail agents, visit www.captira.com.