A recent YouGov poll of 2,088 consumers for Paymentshield found that half of people prefer to speak in person when approaching a financial adviser to arrange a mortgage.

However, when it comes to contacting businesses in general, just one in 10 favour a face-to-face chat. In these instances, email is the most popular way to get in touch, with 42% of people choosing this.

In contrast, when contacting a financial adviser, only one in five people would prefer to email, while just 4% would choose other digital channels, such as instant messaging or social media.

The results of the poll come as Paymentshield celebrates the return of National Conversation Week (19-25 March), its initiative to encourage people to overcome their reliance on modern technology for communication and embrace conversation.

James Watson, sales director at Paymentshield, said: “Technology has no doubt improved business in many ways, but a side-effect has been that many industries have become somewhat faceless and cold. When it comes to offering advice on a mortgage – probably the biggest investment anyone will make in their life – this simply isn’t an option. You really can’t beat a good old-fashioned chat in these circumstances, and the results of our survey prove this.

“Consumers have become over-reliant on comparison websites to find mortgages and related insurance. Unfortunately, this often leaves them under-protected due to them choosing the cheapest deal and not having an experienced adviser there to explain the small print.

“With National Conversation Week, we want to champion the benefits of traditional contact and encourage mortgage advisers to speak about general insurance every time they process an application to make sure their clients have the protection they need.”