Key, the UK’s leading equity release advice firm, has partnered the marketing technology platform – Contact State.
This will see all leads, generated for Key through a number of partners, become independently certified by Contact State.
The platform will also provide real time feedback and individual performance reports, giving Key unrivalled oversight into the lead generation process.
Thomas Brett, head of mortgages and lending at Contact State, said: “While lead generation is vital to financial services markets such as equity release, forward thinking organisations such as Key are focused on how they source the highest quality leads while offering the best possible customer journey and protections.
“Utilising the tools and technologies provided by Contact State will allow them to not only gain a full and reliable picture of these key indicators but also ensure that they can fully verify and trust the leads generated by partners.
“We are therefore delighted to be working with Key Group as they work hard to stay at the forefront of the market by improving the customer journey, bringing down their acquisition costs and helping more clients.”
As part of its preparation for the FCA’s Consumer Duty, Key Group was keen to review its lead generation processes and undertake further work, which focuses on ensuring clear customer consent for all leads.
Working with Contact State, Key is reviewing its marketing partnerships to ensure customers have a genuine interest in the products and services it has to offer and that customers receive a well informed and compliant customer journey before they sit down with an adviser.
As part of the deal, Contact State is also working with Key Group to develop lead enrichment tools to help them guide consumers through the process, which alongside the certification of leads and performance data analysis will bring much greater surety and transparency into the lead generation process.
Contact State recently demonstrated its support for the standards, guidance and rules that are fundamental to the equity release market by becoming a member of the Equity Release Council.
And as part of its ongoing commitment to improving the way the equity release industry markets to its customers, the partnership will also see Contact State play a key role in supporting Key Group’s advice division’s ability to vet, recruit and grow with, new suppliers.
Chris Bibby, chief marketing officer at Key Group, said: “At Key Group, our marketing and lead generation activity is focused on helping customers to better understand their options, so that when they start the journey into exploring equity release, they are fully engaged and keen to understand more.
“Working with Contact State is a huge step forward as it provides real transparency into the customer journey and confidence around customer consent.
“This is something that we believe will become more common place under the new Consumer Duty regime, but as market leaders we want to encourage improvements in the way the lead generation firms and their clients approach this market, which will benefit the customers we all serve.”
