Creating an optimal customer experience has become increasingly critical for mortgage servicers as each customer’s business becomes harder to earn and retain. Most servicers outsource the complex process of homeowner insurance tracking and must ensure their insurance tracking and lender-placed insurance provider (“provider”) represents them well. Servicers can evaluate how effective a provider will be invdelivering a positive customer experience by confirming that the provider’s offerings contain certain key attributes.
In today’s fast-paced environment, customers expect immediate, accurate responses and access to a variety of technology-based options. They expect the ability to snap a picture of a document, communicate via email and text, receive proactive alerts and use voice-activated tools. To meet this demand, providers should deploy mobile-friendly technology that enables insurance documents to be uploaded via smartphone or tablet to quickly provide required evidence of insurance.
Providers have the most direct contact with customers through phone calls, and this is where a provider must excel in their service delivery. Providers with servicing system interfaces that deliver a real-time, single-system solution are best equipped to supply the most current information to customers and keep the servicer’s system of record in sync. Their toll-free phone numbers should utilize effective Interactive Voice Response (IVR) tools, supported by the real-time data, so customers can access information 24/7.
A true focus on first-call resolution by the provider will provide substantial servicer benefits. Proactive calls to the customer’s carrier or agent should be made to verify insurance coverage information while the customer is on the line. This avoids repeat calls by the customer and their agent, leading to a direct lift in customer satisfaction.
Finally, the true measure of a provider’s call center program is to benchmark it against others through external, third-party audits. One leading certification program is BenchmarkPortal’s “Center of Excellence Award.” This certification represents one of the most prestigious awards in the service and support industry, as it analyzes several thousand call centers against the world’s largest database of call center metrics.
About the Writer
Art Castner is the President of National General Lender Services, a full-service insurance tracking and lender-placed insurance provider. National General is a certified Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, one of only five companies nationally to achieve this certification for 12 consecutive years. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeneral.com/lenderservices or call 800.225.8178.
