What Can You Do to Be More Accessible to Clients?

For consumer-facing mortgage professionals, delivering a highest-quality client experience should be a top priority. That’s how you build your reputation and brand, and how you get people talking about you. One of the best ways to improve your client experience is by making yourself accessible. It should be easy for your clients to reach you when they need to, and it’s not difficult or burdensome to increase accessibility if you know what to focus on. Here are a few ideas to help you be more accessible to your clients:

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Offer Extended Hours

I write sometimes about the importance of maintaining healthy work/life boundaries, and I stand by that fully. However, many borrowers don’t have the ability to communicate during office hours, and if you’re not available outside of that, you’re going to create some frustration. Even staying available until 7pm shows your clients that they’re a priority, while allowing you to have a large portion of your evenings to yourself. If you’re not currently doing it, consider offering extended hours on the weekdays and maybe a couple hours on the weekends. If your clients know in advance when you will and won’t be available, it will work wonders in managing expectations and decreasing any frustration.

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Provide Multiple Communication Options

Just about everyone these days has a preferred method of communication. Younger borrowers generally prefer text and in-app messages through social media. Providing multiple options allows your clients to utilize the medium they like best and makes the process more convenient for them. Let your clients know what your communication options are outside of phone and email, and if you see a pattern emerge where multiple clients ask to communicate on ‘X’ app that you’re not currently using, consider including that in your toolbox.

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Respond Promptly (in some way)

It’s impossible for busy professionals to answer every call or reply to every email right away, but there are some things you can incorporate to show you’re aware of the message and intend to reply in full at your first opportunity. From voice mail announcements to email and text autoreplies, you can easily acknowledge receipt of the message and ensure your clients that you intend to respond soon. A prompt response (of some sort) goes a long way in making your clients feel supported.

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Manage Expectations

I touched on this earlier but wanted to elaborate — establishing your accessibility parameters from the very beginning helps you manage expectations and combat any frustration. Let your clients know which options you have available for communicating and underscore your commitment to being available when they need you. When you communicate your options from the start, you make sure that both you and your clients are on the same page throughout the entire process.

Offering increased accessibility to your clients is an easy upgrade to make, and one that can have a big impact on the client experience you offer.

If you’d like to talk more about any of these ideas, or if I can be of assistance in another way, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m always happy to block off some time to connect.