As margin pressure bites into profitability, some brokerages are turning to technology instead of headcount for more output, clearer oversight and healthier margins.
When things get busier, the instinct is usually to add more people. Another loan writer or more admin support, someone else to help keep the files moving. It's a natural response and often the first one that comes to mind, even though automation has quietly been picking up some of the work for a while now.
Some brokerages are asking a different question first. Not just "who do we need to hire?" but "what does our team need to focus on and what could technology take care of instead?" For a few, that shift in thinking has changed how they build and structure their teams for good. This isn’t about doing less but making sure that growth doesn't immediately mean adding headcount.
Worth asking: when did you last review your processes?
It's an easy thing to put off. Staff numbers tend to grow quietly, one hire at a time, in response to whatever's under pressure at that time. Rarely does anyone stop to ask whether the work being added really needs a person: chasing documents, manual data entry, compliance checks, status updates to clients. A good amount of that work can now be automated, freeing the team up to focus on the judgement calls and relationship-building that actually grow the business.
It's also worth keeping an eye on revenue per file. If you grow your team without scaling your systems alongside it, costs can creep up faster than output and revenue per file is what will show you that. Get the automation right early, and your business can grow without the workload piling up.
Automation that supports you, without taking the wheel
The hesitation some brokers feel about automation isn't the idea itself, it's the worry of losing oversight of the file, the client relationship and the judgement calls that come with every deal. That's why AFG's BrokerEngine Plus was built to help brokers running growing businesses:
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Workflows — automate email sends and task assignment with out-of-the-box workflows and then customise them even further when you're ready, so repetitive admin doesn't need to sit with a person.
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Deal-specific checklists — every deal is automatically matched with a customisable checklist, reducing errors and shortening processing times as volume grows.
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Auto-prioritised tasks — a smart task queue gives the team a real-time to-do list that manages priorities and keeps output high, even as deal numbers climb.
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Deal tracking dashboards — see all your deals in one place, so at-risk files are flagged early instead of discovered late.
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Staff permissions management — as your team grows or changes shape, control who sees and does what, so scaling up doesn't mean scaling back on oversight.
Together, this means the business can chase missing payslips, flag expired documents and keep clients updated automatically while every decision that matters still sits with the broker. What changes isn't the level of oversight, if anything you gain more. It's how much of the day is freed up for the work that grows the business.
One example: ARC Lending Network
South Australian brokerage ARC Lending Network shows what this looks like in practice. Founded by Andrew Kantarias, Matthew Kantarias and Jacob Borg after stepping away from a franchise model in late 2024, the trio built their business around technology that could scale with them.
"We love AFG's technology, BrokerEngine Plus and the automation it provides," Matthew Kantarias says. "It was one of our main drivers to join AFG. We've been able to streamline our staffing lines and processes where previously we had a team of 20, we're now operating with half of that."
For ARC Lending Network, a more efficient team hasn't meant a smaller business. It's more output, clearer oversight, and far more time for the work that grows the business with the systems in place to keep scaling as they do.
Where to from here
Read the full story of how Andrew, Matthew and Jacob built ARC Lending Network from the ground up. For brokers thinking about how to grow without the growing pains, BrokerEngine Plus is one part of the technology and support AFG brings to its members.
Want to see how technology can help your business grow? Download AFG's information pack >
Thinking about making a move? Talk to the team that's ready to back you >
