CBA launches broker training hub

The hub has been built in CommBroker and aims to “equip brokers with the knowledge and support to be able to provide an even better experience for customers”, with content tailored off the back of broker feedback.

Speaking to The Adviser about the new Third-Party Banking Training Hub, CBA’s general manager, third party banking, Adam Croucher, said the hub had been launched to help house all the relevant information a broker may need and keep track of relevant policy changes but at their own pace.

“In such a changing environment, for a broker to navigate through 30-40 panel lenders (and all of the changes that each lenders have), can be hard. It was just really important for us to make it simple and easy to navigate those changes,” he explained.

“We have a raft of ways that we communicate our changes via other content, but a broker can't always read all of the communications from every single lender and it might not be relevant at that time. It's when they get a [relevant] customer in front of them that they want that specific information, or if they want to do a bit of research in their own time. This gives them access to it 24/7.”

He continued: “We have a real responsibility to make it easier and simpler for our brokers and our customers. How they get that information is really about accessibility and I think this just gives us another layer of accessibility that might not always be achievable by every broker.”

CBA’s general manager, third party banking, added that the bank had hired two dedicated managers of home buying training and support (Dylan Taylor and Jane Starr) to deliver the hub. 

The duo have reportedly been working on building content for the past five months and will continue to update it with new initiatives and policy changes as they happen, with brokers also able to request specific topics/modules for inclusion.

“We'll be really guided by what our brokers are wanting,” Mr Croucher said. 

He concluded: “As the industry continues with COVID, I think it's really put it on us to just make things simpler, faster, quicker, more consistent … For us, it's about doubling down on what we've got at the moment and making sure that we are interacting with brokers to the best of our ability.

“Forty-nine per cent of [the group’s] new business is written by the broker channel, up 4 per cent from June 21 – and 42 per cent [of CBA’s new business] comes from the broker channel, which is up from 38 per cent from June 21. So we need to make sure that we can sustain those levels with that much growth in the channel.

“We see a lot of green shoots, and a lot of opportunities that will continue to make sure that we're investing and committed as always, to be extremely relevant.”

[Related: CBA revamps third-party strategy]