Omar is an independent mortgage broker. He meets clients, researches lenders, submits applications, chases documents and keeps estate agents and solicitors updated. New enquiries arrive through his website at all hours, especially evenings.
This is a typical week before and after capturing leads online.
Before: Monday
Omar has nine new website enquiries from the weekend. Most say little more than "looking for a mortgage". He calls each one. Some do not answer. Some are just curious. Two had an offer accepted on Saturday and needed an agreement in principle urgently; one of those has already gone to another broker.
Before: Tuesday
An estate agent emails asking whether a buyer she referred has been in touch. Omar searches his inbox and finds the buyer's message from Sunday, unread.
Before: Wednesday
Omar spends the evening replying to questions about fees, documents and how long things take.
Before: Friday
A self-employed buyer asks what documents they need. Omar sends a list by email, then answers follow-up questions over several days.
Counting the cost
Hours spent on first contact and routine questions. Urgent buyers lost. An estate agent relationship strained.
After: Monday
Omar adds a website assistant. SpideyChat for mortgage brokers answers questions about fees, process and documents from his own pages, captures each buyer's situation, whether they have an offer accepted, whether an agent referred them and their contact details, and flags urgent enquiries. It does not give mortgage advice.
On Monday, Omar starts with the two urgent buyers, both flagged, and calls them first.
After: Tuesday
The estate agent's referral was flagged on Sunday. Omar called the buyer on Monday morning and updates the agent.
After: Wednesday
Fee and document questions were answered on the website. Omar's evening is his own.
After: Friday
The self-employed buyer found the documents list on the website and arrived at the first call with two years of tax calculations and three months of bank statements ready. The call took half the usual time.
What does not change
Omar still gives every piece of advice, still researches every case and still builds relationships with agents and clients. The boundary is covered in what a mortgage website must never tell a buyer. Salon owners experience a similar shift, as described in a salon owner's week before and after online answers.
After: the following month
A month later, Omar looks back. More of his calls are with buyers who are ready to proceed. Fewer are with people who were just browsing. Estate agents mention that his replies are faster than other brokers they work with. The work itself has not changed, but the week feels calmer and more productive.
What the agents noticed
Estate agents noticed first. Referred buyers were being called the next morning, not days later, and several agents began recommending Omar more often as a result.
Mobile buyers
Most buyers enquire from their phones, often straight after a viewing, as described in mortgage enquiries that arrive after a house viewing. Mobile behaviour is covered in mobile visitors and enquiries.
Time back for advice
The hours saved went where they matter most: researching lenders and talking clients through their options.
A first week of capture
Make sure your fees, process and documents pages are clear, then let leads be captured and flagged at any hour. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.