- Sub-metric · What's measured
Total number of screens
How many times the user clicks to the next screen
- Score
1 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- 8 screens total — past the 5+ screen floor: account setup, password, product selection, business information and registration, owners and control persons, a mobile ID capture, financial profile and certifications, and a closing document upload. A 5 is a single screen.
RESEARCH · CONSUMER BANKING
Brex's Conversion Scorecard
Brex scored a 67.8 / 100 for customer conversion on its business bank account application.
Why SOLO Scores
SOLO works with 100s of fintech programs to optimize the unit economics and customer conversion of their data collection processes on behalf of their sponsor banks. This research provides a baseline for the impacts of data reusability through the SOLO network.
Where Brex Ranked
See where Brex landed in the review and rankings of the Conversion Scorecard for Brex Business Accounts.
What’s behind the score.
Brex runs one of the fastest applications we have scored — about five minutes start to finish, light pre-fill throughout, no account connections, information remembered across every screen, and a session that resumes cleanly across devices. But 44 fields across 8 screens, an EIN letter requested after the form appeared complete, a 36-hour wait with no proactive updates, and no visibility into how applicant data is assessed or used ongoing left points on the table.
00 total fields across 8 screens, including 2 document uploads
User Effort
00 /50~
00 :0000 start to finish, with no follow-up tasks required
Application time
00 /1000 hrsto a decision, with no proactive updates along the way
Decision speed
00 /1000 visibility into how applicant data is assessed or used ongoing
Outcome transparency
00 /15
Methodology
SOLO reviewed the application across four primary categories: User Effort, Application Time, Decision Speed, and Outcome Transparency. Each sub-metric is scored 1–5 against a fixed rubric.
Full Scorecard
17 SUB-METRICS- Sub-metric · What's measured
Total number of fields
Total fields / data points supplied
- Score
1 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- 44 data points — well past the ≥25 floor band, most of them re-keyed entity and identity data the customer has already furnished elsewhere. Best-in-class is ≤7 fields. The field-by-field breakdown below shows 29 of the 44 could arrive pre-filled.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Manual data entry
Information the user must type in manually, excluding uploads and account connections
- Score
3 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- The legal business name and business description arrived pre-filled, with light pre-fill and dropdowns throughout — but the registration details, EIN, and the full control-person identity block were typed by hand. A 4 requires most data pulled automatically, with the user mainly confirming.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Document / file uploads
Level of document collection required
- Score
3 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- Two document uploads — a driver's license captured on mobile and an IRS EIN letter — both reasonably available from the devices on hand, with clear requirements. A 4 requires an in-application upload or integration option; a 5 requires no documents at all.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Account connections
Level of account connections required or optional, and how they improve the experience
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- No account connections were required or attempted, so nothing was broken or blocking — the best-in-class case. Already at the ceiling.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Repeated actions
Number of times a user completes redundant work
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- Information was remembered throughout the application — nothing supplied once was asked for again, and inputs were reused automatically across steps.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Sensitivity of information required
How much trust is required of the user, and whether it is merited
- Score
4 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- Rationale was provided whenever sensitive information was asked for, and requests were kept to a minimum. A 5 requires strong, visible controls and privacy protections throughout, not just at the point of collection.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
User self-sufficiency
Can the user complete the application on their own
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- Fully self-sufficient — the application was completed end to end with no human help, no back-and-forth, and no offline steps.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Total number of follow-up actions required
All tasks completed within the same application flow — zero follow-ups.
- Score
4 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- One task: the form appeared complete, then the applicant was required to upload an IRS EIN letter before the application was actually done. A 5 means submission is complete and decisionable on its own.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Error recovery & resilience
The text with the application link made resuming very quick and easy.
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- Cross-device resume worked well — the desktop-to-mobile handoff for ID capture held the session, with autosave and clean recovery throughout.
| Sub-metric · What's measured | Score | Why this score — And not more |
|---|---|---|
Total number of screens How many times the user clicks to the next screen | 1 / 5 | 8 screens total — past the 5+ screen floor: account setup, password, product selection, business information and registration, owners and control persons, a mobile ID capture, financial profile and certifications, and a closing document upload. A 5 is a single screen. |
Total number of fields Total fields / data points supplied | 1 / 5 | 44 data points — well past the ≥25 floor band, most of them re-keyed entity and identity data the customer has already furnished elsewhere. Best-in-class is ≤7 fields. The field-by-field breakdown below shows 29 of the 44 could arrive pre-filled. |
Manual data entry Information the user must type in manually, excluding uploads and account connections | 3 / 5 | The legal business name and business description arrived pre-filled, with light pre-fill and dropdowns throughout — but the registration details, EIN, and the full control-person identity block were typed by hand. A 4 requires most data pulled automatically, with the user mainly confirming. |
Document / file uploads Level of document collection required | 3 / 5 | Two document uploads — a driver's license captured on mobile and an IRS EIN letter — both reasonably available from the devices on hand, with clear requirements. A 4 requires an in-application upload or integration option; a 5 requires no documents at all. |
Account connections Level of account connections required or optional, and how they improve the experience | 5 / 5 · ceiling | No account connections were required or attempted, so nothing was broken or blocking — the best-in-class case. Already at the ceiling. |
Repeated actions Number of times a user completes redundant work | 5 / 5 · ceiling | Information was remembered throughout the application — nothing supplied once was asked for again, and inputs were reused automatically across steps. |
Sensitivity of information required How much trust is required of the user, and whether it is merited | 4 / 5 | Rationale was provided whenever sensitive information was asked for, and requests were kept to a minimum. A 5 requires strong, visible controls and privacy protections throughout, not just at the point of collection. |
User self-sufficiency Can the user complete the application on their own | 5 / 5 · ceiling | Fully self-sufficient — the application was completed end to end with no human help, no back-and-forth, and no offline steps. |
Total number of follow-up actions required All tasks completed within the same application flow — zero follow-ups. | 4 / 5 | One task: the form appeared complete, then the applicant was required to upload an IRS EIN letter before the application was actually done. A 5 means submission is complete and decisionable on its own. |
Error recovery & resilience The text with the application link made resuming very quick and easy. | 5 / 5 · ceiling | Cross-device resume worked well — the desktop-to-mobile handoff for ID capture held the session, with autosave and clean recovery throughout. |
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Time from first screen to completion screen
Stopwatch “start” → “complete”
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- About 5 minutes from start to finish — inside the ≤7 minute ceiling band, and the fastest application in this series.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Time to complete follow-up requests
Time it takes the user to complete assigned follow-up tasks
- Score
5 / 5 · ceiling
- Why this score — And not more
- No post-application tasks were required — the ceiling case.
| Sub-metric · What's measured | Score | Why this score — And not more |
|---|---|---|
Time from first screen to completion screen Stopwatch “start” → “complete” | 5 / 5 · ceiling | About 5 minutes from start to finish — inside the ≤7 minute ceiling band, and the fastest application in this series. |
Time to complete follow-up requests Time it takes the user to complete assigned follow-up tasks | 5 / 5 · ceiling | No post-application tasks were required — the ceiling case. |
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Time to final decision, from application start
Stopwatch “start” → account open / decision made
- Score
3 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- The decision arrived in 36 hours — inside the 1–3 day band, but not the <24 hours a 4 requires. A 5 is an instant or near-instant decision with immediate next steps.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Time between communications
Responsiveness for additional tasks needed to move the application forward
- Score
3 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- A confirmation arrived within 24 hours, but no proactive updates followed during the review. A 4–5 requires clear status tracking and proactive next steps at every handoff.
| Sub-metric · What's measured | Score | Why this score — And not more |
|---|---|---|
Time to final decision, from application start Stopwatch “start” → account open / decision made | 3 / 5 | The decision arrived in 36 hours — inside the 1–3 day band, but not the <24 hours a 4 requires. A 5 is an instant or near-instant decision with immediate next steps. |
Time between communications Responsiveness for additional tasks needed to move the application forward | 3 / 5 | A confirmation arrived within 24 hours, but no proactive updates followed during the review. A 4–5 requires clear status tracking and proactive next steps at every handoff. |
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Clarity of approval
Is a “why” stated for the outcome
- Score
2 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- Throughout the 36-hour wait, the applicant received no updates on how their information was being assessed — though clearly some assessment was in progress. The outcome arrived without reasoning. A 3 requires a basic explanation and standard next steps.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Ongoing data usage understanding
Do I know how my data is used on an ongoing basis
- Score
1 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- No clear picture of how applicant data is used after applying — no ongoing visibility or disclosures beyond legal text. A 3 requires a clear, accessible explanation of ongoing data use and its key purposes.
- Sub-metric · What's measured
Data privacy controls
Can I control permissions over who sees what
- Score
1 / 5
- Why this score — And not more
- No clear reasoning or access visibility ongoing — no meaningful controls over who can see what. A 3 requires basic permission controls and revocation for major data sources.
| Sub-metric · What's measured | Score | Why this score — And not more |
|---|---|---|
Clarity of approval Is a “why” stated for the outcome | 2 / 5 | Throughout the 36-hour wait, the applicant received no updates on how their information was being assessed — though clearly some assessment was in progress. The outcome arrived without reasoning. A 3 requires a basic explanation and standard next steps. |
Ongoing data usage understanding Do I know how my data is used on an ongoing basis | 1 / 5 | No clear picture of how applicant data is used after applying — no ongoing visibility or disclosures beyond legal text. A 3 requires a clear, accessible explanation of ongoing data use and its key purposes. |
Data privacy controls Can I control permissions over who sees what | 1 / 5 | No clear reasoning or access visibility ongoing — no meaningful controls over who can see what. A 3 requires basic permission controls and revocation for major data sources. |
Opportunity
Highlights
Wins, losses, and what the network would fix.
- Category
User effort
- Wins
- —
- Losses
- —
- Opportunities
- —
- Category
Application time
- Wins
- —
- Losses
- —
- Opportunities
- —
- Category
Decision speed
- Wins
- —
- Losses
- —
- Opportunities
- —
- Category
Outcome transparency
- Wins
- —
- Losses
- —
- Opportunities
- —
| Category | Wins | Losses | Opportunities |
|---|---|---|---|
User effort | — | — | — |
Application time | — | — | — |
Decision speed | — | — | — |
Outcome transparency | — | — | — |