The research involved interviewing customers who, having attended a Skipton Building Society branch to apply for a mortgage, participated in a new telephone-based mortgage application process introduced by the society.
Their reaction to the experience proved positive and suggested that they would welcome use of other technologies to further simplify the process.
Richard Hennah, commercial director at HML, said: “The research clearly shows that traditional Skipton Building Society branch customers were positive about their telephone-based experience.
“Our experience is that centralising the mortgage origination process - including through outsourcing - improves customer service quality, with consistently high standards, longer and more convenient operating times and the ability to speak to people in the comfort of their own homes at a time of their choosing.
“This, in turn, means banks and building societies can stay in closer touch with their customers, with communication a central part of the lender-borrower trust relationship.
“In addition to the improved customer experience, centralisation through a specialist call centre dramatically reduces the distribution costs while easing the compliance and management challenge.”
The research also revealed that customers have an appetite for increased use of technology in general, for greater convenience and efficiency.
Options such as screen-sharing technology were seen as particularly useful, especially for joint applications where individuals in different locations need to see the same information.
Hennah said: “In short, this research shows that smart use of new technologies can provide an alternative means of delivering great customer service, combined with significantly enhanced control and reduced costs.”
