What it takes to be a Mortgage Specialist?

Flexible working hours, not being desk-bound and receiving awesome remuneration – these are some of the perks of working as a Mortgage Specialist at OCBC. Giving customers the best home ownership experience possible was Kelly Ng’s goal when she opted for an internal career switch. Here’s a glimpse into the life of a mortgage specialist.

Learn from the best and work with the best

Coming into OCBC originally as a Personal Financial Consultant (PFC), Kelly underwent a six-week training programme, learning about OCBC products and obtaining the required certifications. In time, she developed a keen interest in the housing and mortgage scene. The knowledge she attained as a PFC was transferable, and she decided to apply to the Mortgage department through the OCBC Internal Job Posting (IJP) programme in end 2017. Kelly was able to skip the mortgage training programme, moving into this new department and adjusting with relative ease.

The Mortgage department adopted a case-study and job-shadowing approach, with Senior Mortgage Specialists as dedicated one-on-one mentors to bring new-joiners up to speed. Very quickly, Kelly picked up the necessary skills: how to give advice regarding loan to value ratio, how to secure loans via pledged or unpledged options, calculation of stamp duty dutiable, the list is endless. There was plenty of peer-learning and interaction within the department, with friendly competition across the five Mortgage teams and two Premier teams. As a family-oriented department, the business organised quarterly townhalls and monthly bonding activities to keep up the spirit across teams.

To the customer, you are the company

As the saying goes, ‘The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten’. In a single month, Kelly could be flooded with up to thirty cases, and the challenge comes from providing the best personalised home ownership experience for each customer. Looking to build long-term relationships with OCBC’s valued customers, especially with the premier clientele who require specialised services for bigger ticket size items, Kelly strives to provide the best pre, during and post-sale service possible. This directly reflected in her promotion to Premier Mortgage Specialist in 2019.

When asked what is key to success in this role, Kelly said, “The customer does not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Your sincerity comes through in many and often simple ways. For example, responding to customer queries literally as soon as possible. In cases where you are unable to answer immediately, make sure to follow up and get back to them once you have the right information. My personal record was closing a case within 48 hours.”

Reflecting on her experiences, Kelly shared, “Home purchase or sale is an extremely time sensitive matter as purchase options can expire. This means you will likely be working often when your customers are not, like evenings and weekends. In this line of business, getting recurring customers is a priority and word-of-mouth plays a huge role. Customers trust you when you provide personalised service and demonstrate speed and expertise in tackling cases.”

Enjoying her fruits of labour

Big wide smiles, thank you notes and pictures of home move-ins. Knowing she has made her clients satisfied with her excellent service is what keeps her going. Her hard work does not go unnoticed by the bank. Every quarter, OCBC rewards top performers and Kelly has been the recipient for the past two years! That’s not all. In March next year, you might find her posting photos of herself among the cherry blossoms, for she will be on her well-deserved incentive trip, celebrating spring in Japan.