September 2019
By Paul Darwin, Consultant, Blacks Solicitors
In a competitive, challenging and increasingly price sensitive environment keeping your business sharp, flexible and relevant is no easy task. However, if you believe delivering a quality service is a real differentiator and drives tangible commercial value then taking time to listen to your customers is a good place to start.
That’s why at Blacks solicitors we recently held a “Broker Forum” here at one of our offices in Leeds entitled,”what does good conveyancing look like from a broker perspective?”
The objectives of the day were threefold and quite simple:
1. To listen feedback from brokers and their market experiences
2. To understand what contributed to poor conveyancing for brokers
3. Recognise what made for a good conveyancing experience and how the experience could be better
There were a few surprises when it came to looking at what contributed to a poor conveyancing experience especially around some conveyancing firms not being “broker friendly” and not automatically talking to brokers - when they are in fact the ones who can help speed up the transaction!
The results demonstrated that no communication, lack of ownership and not getting the basic details right were all part of poor conveyancing frustrations.
On the other hand, a good post offer journey and experience were not so much about how digital the process and case handling technology the conveyancing firm used, but rather about the importance of human interaction at various touch points along the way. A basic requirement of being able to speak to someone especially if complications arose was certainly a big plus and very important for brokers.
The real strength of the day was confirming that conveyancers and brokers were on the same side and more collaborative working in terms of managing client expectations as well as being part of the client education process would lead to better overall engagement and understanding of the post offer process.
There was also a greater realisation that business was becoming increasingly specialist and more complex, which required commensurate knowledge, advice and experience on both sides. Finding the right conveyancing firms to operate in areas such as short-term finance or portfolio BTL’s is as important as finding the right broker.
In summary, the things that really matter in good conveyancing are similar to those in other walks of life...the ability to communicate well, coupled with a pro activity to get the job done in a way that makes the client and broker feel an integral part of the process.
In other words having a customer focus & the right relationships with the right people will help any business not only stand out but thrive!
For more information on Blacks Solicitors head over to http://www.blacksconnect.co.uk/