Santander is to beam specialist mortgage advisors over the ether to talk to customers via video screens located at 66 branches across the UK.
The extended roll out follows a successful pilot last year, which enabled customers to connect remotely from the branch with a mortage advisor to go through the initial application process and provide documentation to support loan approvals.
Miguel Sard, managing director of mortgages at Santander says: “For most people, a mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments they will make in their lifetime. We know that customers value speaking to a mortgage advisor who will explain what options are available to them and recommend a product to meet their individual needs.”
He says that the bank plans to further extend the service later this year by enabling customers to connect onscreen with a mortgage advisor from their own PC.
Video is becoming an increasingly important tool for banks looking to ensure the personal touch in the digital era. A recent survey of nearly 300 FS professionals from vendor Vidyo found that almost 20% have deployed at least one form of video banking, more than 40% are piloting one, and more than 80% are planning to offer the tech in the future.
In the UK, Nationwide, Lloyds and Yorkshire Building Society are among the banks to have adopted the technology over the past year.