The Intermediary – October 2025 - Flipbook - Page 56
SPECIALIST FINANCE
Opinion
Redefining the
customer journey in
commercial lending
I
n today’s competitive
commercial lending
landscape, the customer
journey is more than a
transactional pathway - it’s
a reflection of how much a
business values its clients. Yet, too
oen, organisations define customer
journeys through the lens of their
own internal processes, overlooking
the reality that the journey should
be shaped by the customer’s
own experience.
The best customer journeys are
agnostic to internal structures. They
begin long before a form is filled
out and continue well beyond the
drawdown of a loan. They’re shaped
by the customer’s need for finance,
the steps they take to seek solutions,
and the interactions they have along
the way. Importantly, it doesn’t end
when the loan is approved either - it
extends throughout the lifetime of the
product. Re-engaging a customer only
at the point of maturity, aer years of
silence, is not a successful strategy - it’s
a missed opportunity.
At YBS Commercial Mortgages,
we’ve taken deliberate steps to
improve our customer journey by
focusing on clarity, consistency and
responsiveness. While having the
right product mix is essential, the
real differentiator lies in how those
products are delivered. The experience
must make sense to the customer, not
just satisfy internal metrics.
Geing this right has meant
scrutinising every step of the process.
Regulatory and credit requirements
inevitably put pressure on all
parties involved in the deal, but the
opportunity lies in designing journeys
that guide customers through those
check points in joyful ways, and following key feedback from our
broker partners - is our objective.
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The Intermediary | October 2025
Communication plays a pivotal
role here. Above all, customers need
to understand what’s happening,
why it’s necessary and what comes
next. This transparency builds trust
and confidence.
There’s no doubt that commercial
lending presents unique challenges
compared to its residential
counterpart. In residential markets,
data is readily available, and properties
change hands frequently, making
decisions more straightforward.
In contrast, commercial loans
oen involve complex ownership
structures, trading businesses and
portfolios with performance data
that isn’t immediately accessible.
This complexity means that critical
information can emerge at various
stages, potentially disrupting the
progress of the deal.
Heavy lifting
The key is to gather as many relevant
details as early as possible – without
overwhelming brokers or customers.
This enables lenders to make decisions
that are not only fast, but reliable.
Brokers play a vital role in this
process too, with their longstanding
relationships with their clients, and
manage much of the heavy liing,
guiding customers through intricate
transactions and acting as a bridge
between lender and borrower.
Technology is also transforming
customer journeys. Digital platforms
now allow lenders to access all
the relevant deal information
in one place, accelerating their
decision-making.
But we believe that technology
should enhance - not replace - the
human touch, and should be designed
to give our people more time to
engage meaningfully with brokers
and customers. Armed with this
MARK HECKELS
is regional director for YBS
Commercial Mortgages
insight, we’ve made significant strides
in this area. Our broker portal replatforming earlier this year has made
us more agile, improved efficiencies
and is making the application journey
quicker, easier and more flexible for
brokers and their clients, and there’s
more to come.
Other impactful changes have been
the recent introduction of a 24-hour
decision in principle (DIP) along with
providing offer leers within a defined
30-day service level agreement.
These steps will provide brokers
and customers with early certainty
around terms, conditions and
interest rates – subject to valuation–
making the customer journey more
predictable and less stressful. We’ve
also streamlined our customer due
diligence process, tailoring it to
perceived risk levels, and simplified
our lending standards, making it
easier for customers and colleagues
to understand what’s in scope. These
changes have enabled us to deliver
clearer, faster decisions.
And we’re not stopping there.
We’re commied to continuous
improvement, guided by broker
feedback and customer needs.
Every change we make is aimed at
enhancing our interactions - making
them smoother, more transparent
and more consistent for brokers and
customers every step of the way.
By focusing on clarity, consistency
and communication, we can create
customer journeys that not only
meet expectations but exceed them,
building trust, loyalty, and longterm value. ●
