The world is changing fast. Every industry is feeling it, and the mortgage world is no exception. Whether you’re a solo broker or part of a growing firm, the message is clear: evolve with the times or risk becoming irrelevant. How clients interact, research, and make decisions has shifted dramatically in just a few years. For mortgage professionals, keeping up isn’t just optional, it’s essential.
Post-COVID: The Industry’s Digital Turning Point
COVID didn’t invent the need for digital transformation, but it accelerated it. Before the pandemic, face-to-face meetings were still the norm. Now, most clients prefer the convenience of phone calls, video chats, or even online journeys. They’re faster, more flexible, and often better suited to clients’ busy lives.
This shift opened the door to a wave of tech adoption, from simple automation to sophisticated AI-powered systems. Brokers who embraced these tools now find they’ve saved time and significantly improved the client experience.
Cutting the Admin, Not the Quality
Let’s face it: The job of a mortgage broker is still largely administrative. Chasing documents, scheduling appointments, checking affordability calculators, updating CRMs, and emailing confirmations can take up a considerable chunk of your day. But this is where tech quietly shines.
Client portals now allow documents to be securely requested, uploaded, and stored. They can automatically remind clients of missing papers, freeing brokers from follow-up fatigue. That means no more digging through email chains or playing phone tag.
Similarly, conditional logic fact-finds are becoming more common. These intelligent online forms adapt based on the client’s answers, asking only what’s relevant and skipping unnecessary questions. When a broker gets on the phone, they already have a clear, pre-qualified picture of the client’s situation, making calls sharper, faster, and more productive.
Automation Is Your New Assistant
The beauty of automation is that it works in the background, making your business look and feel more professional while saving you hours.
Tools like Calendly allow clients to book appointments directly into your diary, based on availability. Appointment reminders can be automated too, significantly reducing no-shows.
Email platforms like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, or HubSpot help manage email journeys from welcome emails and follow-ups to complete lead-nurturing sequences. New lead fills in a form? They automatically get a thank you email, a short intro to your services, and maybe even a fact-find link. You haven’t lifted a finger.
These systems also make it easier to segment your audience into first-time buyers, remortgagers, investors, and send tailored content that meets their needs.
AI-Powered Content and Marketing
Most brokers know they should do more marketing, but finding the time (and the words) is another story. That’s where AI has opened new doors.
Tools like ChatGPT are now being used to write blogs, social captions, website content, and even compliance-friendly email templates. It can help brainstorm campaign ideas, rewrite jargon-heavy content into client-friendly language, or create outlines for video scripts. Some brokers even use it to prep for client calls, generate answers to tricky questions, or help explain complex concepts in simple terms.
Canva, Lumen5, and similar tools make creating branded graphics and videos, from educational Reels to polished YouTube intros, easier than ever. You no longer need to outsource to a designer or video editor to have professional-looking content.
Combined with some SEO guidance (also powered by AI tools), brokers are now boosting their online visibility, climbing Google rankings, and attracting more local traffic, all without a dedicated marketing department.
Your Second Brain for Business
Many brokers are starting to use AI tools for content, strategy, and business development. Think of ChatGPT or similar AI as your brainstorming buddy—available 24/7. Whether you’re planning out your new client onboarding sequence, rewriting your mortgage process email, or drafting social proof testimonials, AI can take your rough ideas and polish them fast.
You can even feed in your website content and ask it to suggest improvements, boost readability, or align better with your tone. Or use it to plan a month’s worth of social media posts in minutes. It’s a massive productivity booster and a creativity unlocker.
All-in-One Systems That Work
Some of the most significant time savings come from platforms that integrate everything under one roof. Acre leads the way by combining fact finds, sourcing, AIPs, and CRM tools into a single system. That means no more entering the exact client details across five different platforms—no more hunting for case notes or wondering which document version is the latest.
A streamlined system also makes it easier to grow. Whether you’re a one-person operation or planning to scale, integrated platforms give you consistency, save time, and reduce errors while improving client communication at every step.
Leaders in the Tech-First Mortgage World
Forward-thinking brokerages like Strive Mortgages, The Mortgage Pod, Habito, and Mojo Mortgages already show what’s possible when technology is fully embraced. They’re using tech to save time and enhance the client journey, offering slick apps, real-time updates, online document hubs, and instant appointment booking.
Some networks are also making strides with their tech stacks, although there’s still a lot of variation. Some firms have top-level tools but haven’t yet adopted them fully, often because of time, training, or comfort with the old way of doing things.
The Tools Aren’t Perfect, But They’re Progress
Let’s be clear: not all tech is perfect. Some automations take time to set up. Some platforms don’t always play nicely together. And yes, sometimes AI gets it wrong.
But the tech is improving fast, and the brokers who experiment, test, and learn build resilience for the future. You don’t have to use everything, but using something is no longer optional.
Other Smart Uses of Tech in Broking
Looking for more ideas on how tech is being used in the industry?
- Digital ID verification: Clients can complete ID checks and AML via apps or secure links quickly and compliantly, and no printing is required.
- E-signatures: Documents can be signed and returned in minutes using platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign.
- CRM tagging and workflows: Segment clients based on journey stage, property type, or funding method, and automate communications around that.
- Referral tracking: Use affiliate codes or trackable links to measure the success of introducers or partnerships.
- Client retention tools: Automatically flag when a client’s fixed rate ends, and send reminders or re-engagement campaigns.
Final Thoughts: The Future Is Here
Technology and AI aren’t threats to brokers but tools to enhance what you do best. The human touch will always matter in mortgage advice. But by offloading admin, streamlining workflows, and improving communication, tech gives you more time to focus on building relationships, solving problems, and growing your business.
The brokers who embrace this shift will not only survive but thrive. In a world that’s moving this fast, standing still isn’t an option.
