The Complete Tech Checklist for Brokers

Originally published 20/06/2022

Keeping your tech stack current doesn't mean chasing every new tool that launches. It's easy to feel like you're falling behind every time a new platform gets talked about at a conference or on a broker forum, but the brokerages that stay ahead usually aren't the ones with the most tools. They're the ones with the right basics properly in place, reviewed often enough that they don't quietly go stale. Here's where to start.

Your website is still your shop window, and increasingly an AI one too

Most first impressions happen online before a client ever picks up the phone, so the basics still matter. Is your site mobile friendly? Is it easy to navigate? Is it clear who you help and how to get in touch? These aren't new questions, but they're easy to let slip once a website's been live for a while.

What's changed is where some of those first impressions now start. Clients don't only search for a broker, increasingly they ask an AI tool a question first, and whether your site gets surfaced in that answer depends on how clearly your content is written and structured. It's worth reviewing whether your site actually answers the questions clients ask you directly, on calls, in emails, in your CRM notes, rather than only the questions you assume they're searching for.

For more on this, read What is AEO and why it matters for mortgage brokers.

Getting the fundamentals right in your CRM

A CRM earns its keep on the boring, everyday tasks rather than anything flashy. Holding accurate, up to date client data means you're not relying on memory or scattered notes, and it means that information can actually be put to work, whether that's helping pre-populate a Decision in Principle instead of starting from scratch, or simply giving your team one place to check rather than several.

Some systems are also starting to offer AI assisted call notes or summaries, worth a look if manual logging is your bottleneck, though it's the basics that matter most. For more on how AI and CRM are changing day to day broker work, listen to Mortgage Mentors: AI, HubSpot and the Modern Mortgage Firm.

Keeping track of your pipeline

Even a simple lead tracker or task manager earns its place, especially if you're relying on memory or scattered notes to know what needs following up. The goal isn't a complicated system, it's a clear picture of what's happening across your pipeline and what needs your attention next. If a spreadsheet gets the job done, that's a perfectly reasonable place to start. It doesn't need to be more sophisticated than the problem it's solving.

Meeting clients on their terms

Not every client wants a face to face meeting, and not every meeting needs to be one. Offering video calls alongside in person appointments, and using instant messaging or a quick call where it suits the client better, widens who you can serve without adding hours to your week. Some communication tools now offer AI generated call summaries too, handy for keeping records consistent, but it's flexibility that clients notice most, not the tool behind it.

Where automation earns its place

Not every process in your brokerage needs automating, and trying to automate everything at once tends to create more admin, not less. The processes worth automating first are usually the repetitive, low judgement ones: onboarding emails, application updates, post-offer check-ins, chasing documents, or letting a client know where their case has got to. Some of these tools now use AI to help draft or route routine messages, which can save real time, but it's worth keeping a human check in place before anything goes to a client.

Getting the basics right here frees up time for the conversations that actually need a person, not a workflow. AI Agents for Brokers goes into more detail on where agents can help and where a human still needs to stay in the loop.

Before you add anything new

It's worth running any new tool through the same few questions before you commit to it. Will it actually save you time within the first month, or does it need weeks of setup before you see any benefit? Is it easy enough to use that you'll actually stick with it, since a powerful tool nobody uses isn't much use at all? And will it still work for you as your client base grows, or will you outgrow it quickly? A few honest answers here save a lot of wasted subscriptions later.

Start with the weakest link, not all five at once

You don't need to overhaul your website, CRM, pipeline tracking, communications and automation in the same week. Have an honest look at the areas above and be clear with yourself about which one's furthest behind. Fixing that one first tends to make the next change easier, because you'll already be able to see the difference it's made. And if you want the bigger picture on why technology matters for brokers right now, Future Proofing Your Business in the Digital Age covers that in more depth.