The Complete Tech Checklist for Brokers

As the world adapts to advances in technology and people’s needs and priorities change, brokers must evolve accordingly.

So if you feel overwhelmed by the idea of embracing new tech, or simply believe you don’t need to make any changes, we’d like to show you what’s out there and how it can help you succeed in an increasingly digital landscape.

Website

With consumers increasingly turning to the internet to find service providers, your website is a hugely important tool for attracting new clients and building brand awareness.

However, simply having a website that looks pretty isn’t enough. It’s got to contain useful information, answer questions visitors may have and showcase your brand values. At the same time, your website should be optimised for different devices, such as tablets and mobile phones, and offer a good user experience.

For example, is the site straightforward to navigate? Is it easy to find key pieces of information? Is it simple to find vital information such as your contact details?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can delight your online audience and significantly increase the chances of them getting in touch with you.

CRM (Customer Relationship Manager)

CRM systems are a useful way of gathering and storing important data, so businesses can make strategic decisions based on real data and respond to leads in a much more timely way.

They can also help you manage interactions with existing clients, as they pull together important information such as people’s personal preferences regarding communications and a record of when you last emailed or phoned them.

By organising this data in a single tool, you can use it effectively to create better marketing, communications and customer retention strategies, thus streamlining your processes and making your team more effective.

Read more: How to make winning decisions using data

Video calling

While video calling technology has been gaining popularity for some time, the pandemic sent the use of tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams through the stratosphere. This looks set to be a lasting legacy of the pandemic, with all sorts of organisations, from GPs to solicitors, now offering remote meetings alongside face-to-face meetings.

Brokers should be doing the same, so they can make it as convenient as possible for clients to get in touch and speak with them.

Automation

In the face of ever-increasing client demands, changing lending criteria and new regulations, brokers are getting busier and busier.

Automating processes where possible can therefore make a huge difference, reducing stress for brokers, cutting the amount of human error, improving efficiency and ensuring a better service for clients.

Read more: Automating business processes - a beginner’s guide

APIs (and integrations)

Brokers are gathering and handling more data than ever before, so it’s essential to have a means of accessing it from a single location. Your firm will then be in a stronger position to keep your data integrity high and make effective use of the information you have stored.

Lenders embracing tech innovations

Many lenders are updating their platforms and processes, using technology to make straightforward tasks such as sending documents smoother and more efficient.

If lenders you work with are taking advantage of these innovations, it makes sense for you, as a broker, to do the same, so you can work with them as effectively as possible.

That, in turn, means you can get more done, freeing up time and resources to use on other priorities and business objectives.

Technology never stands still, so you can’t afford to do the same, particularly as your clients and other stakeholders in the industry will be embracing the changes that come along and adapting how they work.

So it’s vital that you keep an eye on technological advances, ensuring you’re in the best position to grow, attract clients and deliver the best possible service.

For more insights on technology for brokers, listen to our podcast:

Listen here: Podcast #68 - Tech for Brokers (Part One).