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Lender says...

Will Fraser, national sales manager, for Standard Life Bank, said: "Standard Life's online offering has been revamped to further streamline the mortgage application into a quick and paperless process.

"The online demo has been developed to support the changes and give advisers more confidence to make the transition from telephone to online applications for their clients. We understand the process for online applications can vary slightly from lender to lender.

"The demonstration has been designed to encourage more advisers to place business online, leaving them more time to focus on building their business and strengthening client relationships. It takes advisers through the stages of the online application step-by-step including obtaining a quote, a no obligation penny-accurate key facts illustration and finally the full application, which can be completed in as little as 15 minutes."

We say...

Plus points... The website is very easy to follow with screen shots, diagrams and small demonstrations directing the user exactly where to click on the page. It is possible to go at your own pace with the option of either skipping forward to the next stage or going back to the previous one. It is like watching a presentation with bullet point instructions slowly appearing in bold text one after the other on the screen. It takes the user by the hand and gently guides them through the application process. It will help to ease the mind of even the worst technophobe.

Could do better... Despite the plus points, the demo could be seen as a bit pointless as the application process itself appears to be quite straightforward.

Adviser says...

Deep Dosanjh, principal of Middlesex-based intermediary Oracle Financial Solutions, said: "Whereas with other systems you have to sit there and go through the whole process in real time and remember to take notes and hope to pick it up pretty quickly, the good thing with the Standard Life Bank one is you can play around with it and use it offline so to speak without actually entering cases.

"This way people who are unfamiliar with the system can get experience and practice before using it for real cases. It is a very good idea because a case does not have to be submitted to see how the system works and it reduces the likelihood of making any mistakes when it is used for real."

Rating: 4/5stars