And it's only the beginning for this aggregator
AFG is in the process of revamping its entire software platform; its new fact find portal being the first in a series of exciting developments, said COO John Sanger. MPA spoke with Sanger and CIO Matthew Faries about the ways Customer360 stands out from other fact finds in the market as well what brokers can expect to see next.
Customer driven design
A focus on the customer was the driving force behind the design of Customer360. Sanger said the platform, which is more like a portal than a form, allows brokers and customers to customise the way they interact during the fact-finding part of a deal.
“There are a lot of other fact finds around in the market - we’ve just tried to do it better,” he said. “A broker can actually enter all the information into the CRM and just ask the customer to check it and upload the documents, or they could enter almost no information and ask the customer to fill in as much information as they want to.”
“Different brokers operate in different ways and there’s no real one user journey to get from start to finish,” added Faries. “Some brokers might want the customer to give them a lot of information before they see them, versus those that want to meet face to face and then send them some follow up questions to answer.
“Once they’ve done that, they’re able to invite the customer from within the CRM using a secure link which they can put into an email or an SMS and wrap their own branding or words around it. Then the customer will click on that link to take them to a broker-branded portal. The customer can either input information from scratch or check the information that the broker has already input for them.”
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The portal is dynamic in that it allows the user, whether broker or customer, to go in and out of different sections rather than enter information in a linear fashion. It also works out what documents are required based on the data inputted and creates a request for the customer to upload them.
Data security and compliance
Data security was paramount in the development of the portal, said Sanger, as was being compliant by design. He said these considerations are both central to AFG’s overall platform refresh which will make its broker technology suite more intuitive and create better efficiencies for broker partners.
“Our goal is to develop a solution for customers (brokers) to offer a secure way to collect and manage customer data and documents,” he said.
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When asked what was next in AFG’s digital refresh, Faries confirmed the aggregator was nearing completion of its new broker CRM platform, which Customer360 will be integrated into.
“Beyond that, there’s a roadmap of things and opportunities that we want to continue to bring to our brokers and our members,” he said.
