As lockdown was announced, overnight we transitioned 170 client-facing colleagues to work remotely, for what we all thought would be a short-term period.

Four months in, it has become clear that how we deliver advice is likely to change forever and technology will form a massive part of this.

There are a lot of presumptions about older demographics not being tech savvy but our clients and advisers have proved that age is not a boundary to how you choose to receive information.

Due to the huge volume of enquiries that we receive online at Age Partnership, we have always known that a vast number of our clients are geared up to receiving information through online channels.

We all know from our own experiences of lockdown that a massive percentage of us moved to communicating with our loved ones through video chat. You only have to look at the growth of Zoom to highlight this. According to Ofcom Zoom grew by almost 2,000% between January and April.

Creating more flexibility

I believe that it is not just about having access to technology, but it’s how tech is used that is key to making sure that it’s fit for purpose. Some communication channels are more suited to different situations and particular client’s requirements, and also preferences.

For us, that means video appointments providing us with the ability to email recommendation packs and then have a real-time discussion with multiple parties in locations across the UK, and further afield – this would never have been possible with a standard face-to-face appointment.

Feedback from our advisers is that clients have been overwhelmingly positive about having the option of video advice.

One of our advisers, David Howarth, who has been carrying out video based appointments since April has had several instances where the video tech has allowed family members from different areas of the country to discuss the suitability of equity release for their loved ones.

Even a client who had a daughter in Namibia and a son in another area of the UK, were able to have a four way discussion with David.

Less pressure

Other feedback from clients is that they like the human interaction of seeing an advisers face but without the commitment of having an appointment in their own home. One client even said it was great not having to tidy the house before the appointment!

Whilst others have spoken of feeling more relaxed about the appointment because an adviser hadn’t driven for miles to come and see them.

Advisers have said that the only downsides to the video based appointments is where there have been internet issues, which I’m sure is something that we can all relate to at some point whilst we’ve been working from home.

Training

All of our advisers have now been trained to deliver video based advice, and while video advice will never totally take the place of a face-to-face appointment for some clients, it is certainly an area of growth.

Our compliance team has ensured that all advisers received additional guidance and training to look for the verbal and non-verbal cues to recognise vulnerable customers in this new way of working; and we continue to record all client interactions to ensure that we protect our customers and give the same Gold Standard advice that we were doing previously.

Looking to the future…

What about life post lockdown? Well I can see a blended approach to advice that incorporates different forms of communication for each stage of a client’s journey in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.

Overall, I think there have been positive takeouts that have come from the changing working situations that we were all forced to adapt to.

In my opinion, video based advice is one of these positives, and it is here to stay.

Justin Wysocki is chief revenue officer at Age Partnership