Accord Mortgages says that intermediaries are opting to use its web chat service for one out of every five enquiries.

The lender launched its live web chat to expand its service to brokers, offering direct online lending guidance to complement the existing telephone service and support from its national team of business development managers (BDMs). In its first year, the web chat service has received nearly 20,000 visits and handles a fifth of all Accord’s broker queries.

There is an average of nine interactions during a single web chat conversation between Accord and a broker, with queries mostly relating to policy, income and documentation requirements. The highest volumes of web chat conversations tend to occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Accord found that the web chat service is the most popular amongst brokers who work remotely or in small offices, regardless of the size of the business, which means the service is used by a broad spectrum of intermediary businesses, from large corporate firms to independent brokers.

The popularity of the service is increasing, and 97% of brokers who have used the service said they would use it again.

David Robinson, Accord’s national intermediary sales manager, said: “We launched our web chat a year ago to expand the service we offer brokers, and I’m pleased that they’re benefitting from the service. Some brokers commented the web chat is a great alternative to contacting us via phone in certain circumstances, and our overall sales provision works cross-functionally to suit each individual broker’s needs.

“As a lender which is always striving to offer brokers the best possible service, we always welcome feedback – and the web chat service is proving very popular, with many brokers telling us it is a convenient communication tool which compliments their way of working, and that they benefit from receiving instantaneous responses.

“We recognise that brokers use different channels for different needs. We are dedicated to helping brokers to grow their business successfully, and believe that by providing a choice of communication options we can support intermediaries to work flexibility and efficiently.”