Provides key data, drives engagement with brokers
In a world of smartphones, everyone wants instant access to services and information.
We do everything on our mobiles – banking, paying bills, booking travel, restaurants and tradespeople, as well as using them like modern day encyclopaedias for whatever we need to know.
In a nation obsessed with buying and selling homes, it’s no surprise that people want property data at their fingertips.
Aussie Home Loans, part of the Lendi Group, has now launched an Aussie mobile app that allows customers to keep track of equity, their credit score, the value of their home, properties they are considering, as well as their loan finances.
Lendi Group chief product officer Travis Tyler (pictured above left) explains to MPA the features and benefits of the Aussie mobile app for customers and brokers, the smart technology behind it, what brokers think of the app and what future enhancements are planned.
What drove the project
Tyler says Aussie realised there was no simple way for Australians to visualise the value of their home or investments.
“We know that over 95% of Australians use a smartphone, and we could see high visitation to our website and usage of our platform from mobile traffic,” says Tyler.
“This tells us that there was an opportunity to meet our customers where they are with an aesthetic, functional, mobile-optimised experience. So we set out to create a tool that allows first-time buyers, homeowners and tycoons alike to unlock their property potential.”
Tyler says Aussie is excited to be facilitating a new wave of digital engagement for brokers and customers, and putting property ownership within reach of more Australians.
He says previously there was no single experience that allowed homeowners and buyers to monitor the value of their property, or properties they’re interested in purchasing, or visualising the equity they’ve built.
“The Aussie mobile app allows customers to gain insights into the property landscape and effortlessly manage their home value, equity and loan finances in one place.
“The app helps users to better understand their financial position, and then seamlessly connects them with their local Aussie broker to act on it.”
Benefits for customers
There’s a range of advantages that the app provides, says Tyler.
“New buyers can use the app to gain instant access to nearly 11 million properties, build a wish list and keep tabs on crucial property data during their search, including value estimates, rental yields and purchase history, which provides leverage for offers and price negotiations.”
Investors can also track fluctuating property prices, which provides insights on the rental market and the financial health of and return on investments.
Tyler says property owners can discover the worth of all their properties in real time and enlist their broker to help unlock available equity to fund their next purchase or renovation.
Savvy customers can even take control of the home loan application process. The app also facilitates ease of broker-customer engagement “like never before”.
“Customers can now access home loan calculators, check the status of their loan application, track their credit score, and book an appointment directly into a broker’s diary with a choice of how they meet – phone, video call, or in-person,” says Tyler.
The app empowers customers to make smart financial decisions in a secure and convenient way. Featuring a clean interface and simplified mortgage terminology, the app is easy to use and navigate, Tyler says.
“Customers can also be assured that their personal information is safe, with secure two-factor authentication and face ID login.
Benefits for Aussie brokers
“With the Aussie mobile app, our brokers businesses are now in the palms of their customers,” says Tyler. “The app presents our brokers with a new way to introduce customers into their world and build relationships in the digital age.”
Lendi Group’s multi-channel distribution model gives customers choice in how they engage their broker, and with the app “we’re expanding the breadth of choice and paving the way for even stronger, easier connection”.
Tyler says allowing customers to visualise their equity position opens additional business opportunities for brokers.
Features such as e-consent, document upload, and application tracking also minimise administration and follow-up, streamlining the appointment preparation and loan application processes.
“Reducing communication barriers and manual handling will add capacity into our brokers’ businesses so they can direct their attention to creating exceptional service experiences and driving revenue,” Tyler says.
Broker, customer feedback
Tyler says following a soft launch in February, early signs point to the Aussie app being a winner for all involved.
“Our brokers have embraced the app with enthusiasm, embedding it into their sales processes, while strong review scores across Apple and Android indicate our customers are very receptive to the new value we’re delivering.”
One customer review says: “I have been keeping track of my property portfolio via a spreadsheet for the longest time, so I’m glad to find a tool to do this for me.”
Nathan Misell (pictured above right), franchisee at Aussie Blackwood, Mount Barker and Palmerston in the Adelaide Hills, says having direct broker input as the app evolved ensured the app would remain relevant.
“The app is going to provide our customers with a huge amount of benefit and allow us as brokers to ensure that our clients are in the best financial position that they can be in, not only now but into the future,” Misell says.
“I’m excited to see further enhancements and features that the app can provide to our current and future customers.”
Senior Aussie Mobile broker Samantha Harvey (pictured above centre) says she can see the app supporting her business “by delivering knowledge to my clients, keeping my services front of mind, facilitating more meaningful conversations, and saving me time by having more informed customers”.
“The exciting part is that this is just the beginning,” Harvey says. “As it is, the app offers so many benefits, but with Aussie’s vision of continuous improvement and innovation, it’s going to be a game changer for brokers and customers.”
Tech design
The core product development team for the app consisted of two engineers, one designer and one product manager, says Tyler.
“This small, tight-knit team allowed us to move with great agility, hypothesising, testing, and learning at lightning speed.”
Many other parts of the Lendi Group also supported the app’s development, including distribution, operations, risk and compliance, and legal teams.
Tyler says brokers, who are well attuned to customers’ needs, also played a core role in the development phase.
Top-performing brokers from the Signature Program were key consultation partners during the design and build.
“The app was piloted with 72 brokers across the country over a three-month period, where their valuable user insights supported us in optimising the product for launch,” says Tyler.
“The product discovery phase ran for six months, as we built, deployed, and validated our first concepts with brokers and prospective users.”
The first beta-app version was delivered in September 2023.
“Since then, we’ve continued to refine and iterate, evolving the Aussie mobile app into a customer-ready digital experience which went live on the Apple and Google Play app stores in February 2024.”
Future enhancements
Tyler says there are plans to enhance the app, based on broker and customer feedback.
“We’ve already got exciting updates in development, including push notifications that will serve relevant updates at crucial touchpoints in the customer and homeownership life cycle, allowing brokers to connect with customers in a new way.
“In the future, we plan to add open banking for real-time loan balances and interest rates.”
