Today, getting a mortgage can feel like a digital-first experience, full of chatbots, automated decision making, and more. These tools offer convenience, but can leave customers craving more personal interaction, particularly when making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
Click to engage: How we're prioritising the human touch for our mortgage customers
As part of National Customer Service Week 2025, Head of Direct Sales, Emma Evans, explains why we're proud of our approach, where every mortgage application or product switch is managed by a real person, prioritising personal service.
“When customers come to us, they’re often looking for reassurance and understanding,” says Emma. “Buying a home can be hugely stressful, which is one of the reasons our approach is rooted in support and trust.”
“We're not the biggest lender in the market, but that gives us the ability to be much more flexible, with different teams able to partner to share insights, review processes, and come up with individual, tailored solutions that meet customer needs when a standardised approach doesn’t work.”
Our approach to underwriting is a good example. There’s no credit scoring, instead our underwriters take the time to understand each customer’s circumstances individually, working alongside sales and service teams to pool expertise and deliver thoughtful outcomes.
The rise of automation
Whilst AI in customer service is becoming increasingly common, research shows human connection is still important. Take this survey from TrustPilot, which discovered that:
- 51% of respondents would rather speak to person than a chatbot, and,
- 26% want more personalised experiences in the future.
Notably, another study revealed that half of businesses previously planning to reduce service roles through AI are now rethinking.
The message? Technology is essential to support service, but it can’t yet replace it entirely. Take the Society's Mortgage Advisers, available face-to-face and virtually, depending on what prospective borrowers prefer. Collectively, they have 100 years' experience working here - that kind of insight is hard to replicate with automated tools.
“We offer live chat, online appointment booking, online account access and a mobile app, but it’s all about choice,” Evans explains. “Digital tools are there to provide options to customers and enhance the service our people provide, not replace it.”
"I've always found the staff to be very helpful, but more importantly you communicate with people rather than bots or automated systems. There are no frustrations of dealing with machines who don't understand your problem and give unhelpful nonsense responses or simply terminate the 'conversation'."
Customer review via Smart Money People, April 2025
Meeting customers where they are
ONS data shows 85% of UK adults feel cost of living is their top concern, so it's no surprise that affordability is still front of mind for both lenders and borrowers.
Rather than waiting for customers to get in touch or allowing them to default onto Standard Variable Rate when their mortgage deal ends, our Product Switch Team reach out across multiple offline and online channels, working to find the best outcome for the customer.
“We feel a strong responsibility to support our borrowers. We don’t want our customers to move onto Standard Variable Rate without guidance, so we reach out proactively to help them make informed decisions.”
This sort of commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. This year, we took home the ‘Trusted Quality Provider Award’ at the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards, as well as ‘Best Building Society’ and ‘Best Building Society Savings Provider’ at Smart Money People’s British Bank Awards.
It’s true that technology can streamline processes, save time, and give customers the information they need quickly and efficiently, but great customer service is about more than speed. It’s about understanding individual circumstances, showing empathy, and building trust over time.
That kind of relationship can’t be automated. Not yet anyway!
Emma has worked for the Society since 2012 in a variety of roles, including in branch and the Intermediary Sales Team.