“Technology boosts service without sacrificing the personal approach brokers still need”, says Chris Pearson, Head of Mortgage Intermediaries, HSBC UK.
Good intermediary service traditionally meant phones answered quickly, smooth underwriting and prompt payment of proc fees.
Don’t get me wrong, that is still very much central to many intermediaries, but it goes much wider than that now, and the main catalyst for this evolution is the increased role of technology. Well-designed tech now helps lenders provide a better and more complete service, especially during periods of high demand.
Reduce the queues
Hanging on hold to a lender for an answer to a simple question can be frustrating and a waste of your precious time.
A smarter approach to delivering a great service includes helping you get the information you need without having to phone us. And that means building functional, effective technology.
Better for brokers
We want to help brokers get answers to straightforward questions without unnecessary delay. And we know brokers are a progressive community who are happy to embrace multiple methods of communication if it means quicker responses and comprehensive answers.
Smarter tech spreads the workload and therefore it frees-up the phone lines, so when you really need to speak to someone, it's easier to get through and we can dedicate more time to helping you. It also means you don’t need to be tied to the hours our phone lines are operational and a lot of your case admin can be done out of office hours, at a time that is convenient to you that fits with your work/life balance.
This should wholeheartedly be about lenders improving service by finding pressure points that can be better managed automatically. As a result, our colleagues spend more time on those queries that need a human touch. And plenty do.
At HSBC UK we’ve thoroughly reviewed and reworked our systems and processes, so brokers can get the answers they need and our underwriting process can operate more efficiently.
Here’s some of the key areas we’ve focused on:
1. All products and criteria are online and updated in real time. We’ll also contact you with product changes with as much notice as possible.
2. Online case tracking that really works, so you shouldn't need to call for updates. Our system lets you see the case move through each stage of processing, including the documents that are required, which documents have been submitted and when they have been satisfied. You can also see when the valuation has been instructed and when it has been completed.
3. We’ve also invested in Live Chat and our service is operated by experts who can give you comprehensive answers to your questions. It’s quicker than a phone call in most cases and you’ll still get all the help you need.
4. Increased the use of AVMs and Desktop valuations to ensure more valuations were completed at point of sale, reducing the number of physical valuations required. We also no longer insisted on certified copies of original documents.
