Technology in action
from another. This is especially true of the fi ercely competitive world of mortgages. With borrowers becoming ever-more demanding, the challenge is in equipping consultants with the tools they need to complete a ‘sale’ in the most timely and effi cient manner, whilst not overburdening them with technology.
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For the answer, HML – a fi nancial outsourcing company that handles around £46 billion worth of mortgage assets on behalf of UK lenders – turned to its credit management department, as Gordon Soutar, HML’s Chief Operating Offi cer, explains: “Our in-house developers took just three months to create a new piece of software, which we are calling Generic Console. It allows non-technical staff to change and adapt processes by simple confi guration rather than by involving the IT department to change actual code.
“The technology originated in our credit management department,” he continues. “Our credit managers had identifi ed that the consultants needed faster access to certain data required to manage process and accounts, and segment clients in order to deliver more informed management strategies. The solution they devised proved so successful, that it was soon recognised that the benefi ts it delivered to that department could also be realised across the wider company.”
It was this recognition that has resulted in the technology now being genericised and rolled out across the rest of the HML business: “It is agile enough to cope with greater variability in the demands placed on it by different clients, different teams and different locations,” Soutar continues, “and to be able to fl ex and respond to what is required of it without incurring extra overheads or the need for specialist intervention from the IT department.”
The new Generic Console is a customisable screen in Windows format, which allows HML’s consultants to cope with a much wider variation in possible tasks, all from one screen. Where previously the consultant would need to enter codes to go to different parts of the system, depending on the customer’s query, now they have on-screen menus and work-fl ow to guide them. For example,
Empowering the credit profession
USTOMER service has long been a battleground on which one company can differentiate its service
In the second in the series, Alex Simmons looks at how a piece of technology derived from its credit management department is helping outsourcing company HML face the challenge of servicing thousands of mortgage accounts in an increasingly demanding market.
Keeping pace with customer demands
Gordon Soutar, HML's chief operating officer
should a consultant be tasked with redeeming and closing a customer’s mortgage account, Generic Console contains a process fl ow – much like a familiar Wizard – that guides them through the necessary steps. “The system enforces correct discipline and accuracy,” Soutar continues, “and supports our lean management philosophy as it eliminates unnecessary steps. The system knows when questions are not relevant, and bypasses them.” Soutar says that Generic Console has made it much easier for his operational staff to service accounts more accurately and quickly. Its fl exibility means improved response times and most importantly a better customer experience without any extra cost to our clients.
“Its ease of use is certainly another advantage, as it means we can bring
new team members up to speed on our systems and processes with fewer requirements for in-depth technical training,” he adds. It is a powerful enabler.”
The original version of the console is still in daily use in HML’s credit management department. An evolved version featuring workfl ows that guide users through credit management processes will be implemented in the second half of 2010 as Soutar concludes:
“The next step we foresee for this new product will be as a powerful feedback tool. It has the capability to report back to us on how long each process and variation of process takes, how much it costs, and therefore effi ciencies and quality. We will therefore be able to share best practice with clients based on an accurately informed standpoint.”
www.
icm.org.uk July 2010
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