Charcol Online

Charcolonline, already the most successful online mortgage broker in the UK undertook a major revamp in 2002.

Charcolonline has been a leading player in the online mortgage market since November 1999, having helped more than 11,000 UK home buyers apply for their mortgage online. As part of Charcol, the UK's leading independent mortgage broker, it is a trusted name for mortgages and independent financial advice. The volume of mortgage lending that Charcol arranges every year puts it on par with a top three building society. Charcol has won numerous awards including Financial Advisor's - Online Mortgage IFA of the Year and Incisive Media's - Best Online Mortgage Provider. The Usability Company worked with Charcolonline in the redesign of their site by conducting a comprehensive usability evaluation. The process involved a series of one to one evaluations throughout the redevelopment process.

The specific aim of the redesign was to simplify the process of finding and applying for a mortgage online to ensure that customers have the same quality experience online, as they would expect to receive through a face to face experience with an adviser.

Russell Gould, Head of e-commerce at Charcolonline says "the value of the redesign was made immediately clear when call centre activity dropped by 50% literally overnight. Charcolonline plans to conduct usability evaluations for all product areas on the site and continue to refine the way in which information and services are presented".

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© The Usability Company 2007