The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 29
1981 | First Computer
Installed (le)
This marked the beginning of its
digital journey, enabling faster
processing of customer accounts
and internal operations.
1990s | Early
Online Presence
A human approach
Despite this considered move
towards all things digital, the
society is not interested in
replacing people. Boyle describes
the transformation as deliberately
phased to ensure that the “human
touch” remains central. “As more
and more transactions are able
to be done digitally, you find that
it frees up some space in the
branches for the moments that
matter,” Boyle explains. “For those
conversations where somebody
wants to look someone in the eye.”
Building on this, the physical
network is evolving rather than
shrinking. The society recently
introduced what Boyle calls digital
“side-by-side” support across all
of its branches, where customers
can open new accounts or be
guided through various options
online with help from staff. That
sense of community runs deep
at the West Brom. Boyle speaks
of the social role the branches
play, from hosting local clubs and
coffee mornings to running fraud
awareness sessions and ‘meet the
branch manager’ events.
For the intermediary market,
meanwhile, the transformation
promises a step change in speed.
“Fundamentally, it’s going to
make it quicker, easier and better,”
Boyle says. While the society’s
legacy systems have limited what
could be offered in terms of data
and responsiveness, the new
architecture is designed to change
that, and “to give our broker
community a better service with
more information at the point
of need.”
Although the society has yet
to select its new mortgage sales
and origination (MSO) platform,
Boyle is clear about the capabilities
it must deliver: “It absolutely
will have a broker interface with
much richer information, much
faster decision making, and much
greater clarity.” The vision is for
intermediaries to submit cases
at any time of day, track progress
in real time, and access answers
without the need for a phone call.
For Boyle, this is as much about
improving efficiency as it is about
strengthening relationships. “It’s
in our interest to make sure the
broker only submits business to us
that is going to be successful,” he
adds. “That’s when our customers
benefit.”
Only the beginning
With these foundations in place,
the society will be well positioned
to embrace new technologies that
were previously out of reach.
Boyles notes: “Try and put an
artificial intelligence engine, say for
fraud detection, into some of these
old systems, and you’ll be here for
years. They’re just not built to work
that way.”
The new infrastructure will
open the door to tools that can
strengthen identity verification,
improve fraud management and
enhance member experience in a
meaningful way.
While the technology itself is
crucial, Boyle insists the society’s
success will ultimately depend on
how well it blends innovation
with empathy.
He concludes: “That’s the secret
sauce. If you can get that human
touch with digital convenience you
can really grow your market share
in a way that’s relevant in the 21st
Century. That’s the essence of what
we’re trying to do – that essence
of choice.” ●
As the internet became
mainstream, the West Brom
began experimenting with basic
online information pages.
This provided members with
access to information beyond
branch visits.
2011 | Launch of WeBSave
Introduction of WeBSave, a
digital savings platform allowing
customers to open and manage
accounts online. A major step in
providing self-service banking
for members.
2019 | 170 Years of Service
While celebrating its 170th
anniversary, the society
highlighted its ongoing
investment in digital services.The
focus was on adapting to modern
customer expectations and
online engagement.
2022 | Launch of
Savings Portal
Launch of the Savings Portal,
a modernised online platform
for managing savings accounts.
Features included enhanced
security, improved user
experience, and mobilefriendly design.
2025 | Major Digital
Transformation
West Brom announced a strategic
partnership with Deloitte and 10x
Banking to deliver a cloud-native
core banking platform.
Benefits include:
1. Greater flexibility in launching
new digital products.
2. Improved customer choice in
how services are accessed.
3. Future-proofing the society’s
IT infrastructure.
