MCI Mortgage Club has launched a digital broking tool to help members compete with robo advisers.

The chatbot, which is free to new and existing members, uses artificial intelligence to communicate with customers and supplement the work of traditional human advisers.

It uses the same interactive technology as online broker Burrow, previously known as Dwell.

The mortgage chat facility will help brokers to engage new clients and start to take them through the on-boarding process. 

It will collect personal details from the client such as employment information and the type and size of mortgage required. 

From this it will carry out product, criteria and affordability searches to  create a mortgage report for the client as well as providing the broker with more in-depth information about the customer so that they are better informed when they pick up the conversation.

Brokers will be able to use their own branding on the platform.

Head of the MCI Club head Phil Whitehouse says: “The Burrow platform is a fantastic enhancement to any UK intermediary business.  

“It supplements any broker’s usual proposition, providing them with an online presence to compete with the Habitos and Trussles of this world, that have dominated the headlines in recent years. 

“It levels the playing field for each and every intermediary business, by providing a digital broker platform that reflects and compliments each broker’s business uniquely.  

“Leads can be integrated into any back-office system and the white-labelling options ensures there is no ‘bump’ when moving from an intermediary’s website to the digital broker.

“Dealing with clients that have been through this process online will save brokers a huge amount of time as the basic data gathering and qualification will have been completed already.”

MCI’s parent company, The eKeeper Group, has developed the Burrow platform for the intermediary sector and has trialled the system for six months.

Commercial director  David Bennett says: “The Burrow platform eliminates the online challenges facing all UK mortgage brokers.  

“More and more we see online engagement dominating in terms of capturing and retaining clients.  

“By enabling intermediaries to have their own digital mortgage broker and integrate that into their existing processes and systems, every UK intermediary can have the best of both worlds.”