Shift your commercial lending process into a higher gear

Mark A. Blosser, Michael Budinger
5/17/2022
Shift your commercial lending process into a higher gear

Issues and opportunities in the commercial lending process are unique from one customer to the next. But in general, financial services organizations often struggle to keep pace with evolving customer expectations and new products and services offered by fintechs.

Lenders might think they’re providing exceptional customer service and building strong relationships, but how can they make sure customers think so too? Delays, miscommunication, and burdensome manual paper trails can frustrate customers who want a straightforward and smooth lending process.

The issue is that commercial loans defy standardization due to a variety of factors and circumstances that change from customer to customer and deal to deal. But rather than treating commercial lending as a flexible, holistic service that can be optimized to improve customer experiences and grow new business, many organizations think of the commercial lending process as an assembly line churning out units of product.

Proactive communication can help your organization meet customer expectations

Proactive communication can help your organization meet customer expectations - Create a streamlined lending process

More customers are conducting business through digital channels rather than making in-person visits or sending financial documents through the mail. However, in the commercial lending industry, old habits have proven hard to break. Some organizations prefer to rely on traditional in-person or on-paper lending processes, while others find it hard to invest in new technology due to the up-front costs.

Lenders that rely on manual tools and decentralized processes often find it difficult to communicate and collaborate internally with the speed and flexibility that today’s customers expect. Relying on legacy processes means that information has to be rekeyed, which can lead to data errors and missing information that might negatively influence strategic decision-making.

Such lending process inefficiencies often trickle down to customers, who don’t want to answer the same questions over and over, get routed through several different people and departments, or deal with delays. When these issues come up, customers might even consider looking elsewhere to complete their current or future lending transactions.

Improved collaboration is the key to speeding up the commercial lending process

Improved collaboration is the key to speeding up the commercial lending process - Increase efficiency without sacrifices

Customers and employees alike expect a streamlined digital experience. Many candidates evaluate potential employers based on the available tools and technology they would be using. Commercial lending professionals no longer want to work with outdated manual tools and lending processes, and if they think they won’t have access to the tools they need to succeed, they might accept another company’s offer.

Supporting your team with the right tools is critical. Imagine if your organization had a digital collaboration platform that could deliver improved communication and a faster, more responsive lending experience. Digitally transforming your organizational processes could help your commercial lending team:

  • Record new requests. Creating more accurate pipeline forecasts can help your team quickly capture and queue up loan requests.
  • Increase loan transparency. Establishing an open line of communication throughout the commercial lending process can help foster better relationships with borrowers and employees.
  • Centralize document management. Your team can reduce errors and wasted effort when it can more effectively track data that has been requested and items that are outstanding.
  • Offer remote communication tools. Aligning key stakeholders and establishing guidelines can help streamline the loan approval process.
  • Automate systems. Automation can help your team focus on the most important elements of loans instead of hand-keying financial statements during the spreading process.

Digital transformation can help your organization address challenges during the commercial lending process

Digital transformation can help your organization address challenges during the commercial lending process - Transform your commercial lending process with Crowe

We understand that lenders want to make the commercial lending process faster without sacrificing quality or customer relationships. We can help your organization improve speed and collaboration by identifying jobs to be done that can be automated, eliminated, or made more efficient. Our team of financial services consultants uses industry-specific expertise and insights to deliver fast implementation, lending process improvements, and accurate risk identification and management.

Let’s start a conversation

Want to learn more about how Crowe can help your organization achieve a commercial lending digital transformation? Get in touch – we’d love to chat.
Mark Blosser - Large
Mark A. Blosser
Partner, Financial Services Credit Leader
Michael Budinger
Michael Budinger
Principal, Financial Services Consulting