Tech Watch: CRMs must be adaptable – Mortgage Strategy
There’s no shortage of debate about what artificial intelligence (AI) means for the future of mortgage technology, with the content relationship management (CRM) system increasingly coming under scrutiny.
If we’re talking about a system that simply stores client information, records notes and acts as little more than a digital filing cabinet, the question is certainly justified.
Brokers should be asking and expecting far more from their technology, and a CRM system that has been standing still will struggle to meet those expectations.
But that doesn’t mean the CRM itself has had its day — as long as it has the capability to evolve into a platform that connects different parts of the mortgage process, makes better use of existing data and brings specialist technology to the broker/client community.
Firms need to look beyond current functionality. Is the provider continuing to invest, does it understand mortgages and can it work with specialist third parties as new solutions emerge?
Having spent most of my working life in this industry, I’ve seen plenty of technology arrive accompanied by predictions about how fundamentally it will change mortgages. Some readers may remember the One Minute Mortgage and its memorable advertising featuring a postbox nailed shut. Then came robo-advice and debate about whether automation might eventually reduce the need for brokers.
The market certainly looks different today, but change has generally happened through technology improving specific parts of the process rather than suddenly replacing everything that came before it. Digital factfinds, sourcing, APIs and document processing have steadily changed how firms operate, while the broker has remained central to advice and the client relationship.
AI could accelerate that progress, but its value will ultimately be determined by what it enables brokers to do better, particularly where information can be processed more efficiently or routine administration reduced and automated.
AI needs to earn its place
We’ve seen this through a number of integrations with specialist providers, but the wider point is more important.
Brokers do not necessarily need a separate system every time a new capability emerges; often, it makes more sense for useful technology to become part of the processes they already use.
Brokers should be asking and expecting far more from their technology
After all, another login, another place to enter information or another system requiring training can quickly undermine the time saving it was supposed to create.
As AI becomes more capable, the test should be practical. Does it remove repetitive work, make better use of existing information or help progress a case more efficiently? If it simply adds another layer for brokers to manage, its value becomes much harder to see.
Progress without disruption
Intermediary firms may have spent years building processes around their CRM, which can contain thousands of client records, documents, compliance histories and communications. Teams understand how it works, so wholesale change can create considerable disruption of its own (especially if it also involves a network update).
That should not become an excuse for sticking with outdated technology, but nor should firms have to repeatedly start again to benefit from something better.
Is this a business you are confident will still be developing the technology you rely on in two or three years?
If AI can help complete a factfind, analyse supporting documents, identify missing information or handle routine case administration, the opportunity is clear. Ideally, those capabilities should be incorporated into an established working environment as they become useful.
Reliable providers
Rather than focus solely on what a CRM can do today, advisers should also consider how readily it can adapt to what they may need tomorrow.
That places greater emphasis on the provider behind the technology. AI is developing quickly and we are likely to see more propositions entering the mortgage market, not all of which will necessarily establish themselves for the long term.
Brokers do not necessarily need a separate system every time a new capability emerges
Firms therefore need to look beyond current functionality. Is the provider continuing to invest, does it understand mortgages and can it work with specialist third parties as new solutions emerge? Just as importantly, is this a business you are confident will still be developing the technology you rely on in two or three years?
So, has the traditional mortgage CRM had its day? If we’re talking about a static system focused mainly on storing information, it’s a resounding yes. However, the market has already moved far beyond that model.
Dale Jannels is CEO at One Mortgage System
This article featured in the October 2026 edition of Mortgage Strategy.
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