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Cardinal Financial Develops Amazon Alexa Skill to Bridge Knowledge Gap

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Cardinal Financial Develops Amazon Alexa Skill to Bridge Knowledge Gap
Cardinal Financial - August 19, 2019

Despite the increased exposure to content and online resources, consumer understanding of what it actually takes to qualify for a mortgage is not improving. This provides an important opportunity for lenders, including us, to make efforts to bridge that knowledge gap. In order to help provide consumers with such knowledge, we sought a more effective way to utilize modern technology.

“Alexa, ask Cardinal Financial what an adjustable-rate mortgage is.” This is one of many questions we’ve built into Amazon’s Alexa that you can ask right from the comfort of your home. The Cardinal Financial Skill lets users ask mortgage-related questions, hands free. Users can say things like, “Alexa, ask Cardinal Financial what escrow means,” and “Alexa, ask Cardinal Financial how the interest rate affects your mortgage.” This gives both consumers and our customers the ability to ask questions relevant to their home financing journey.

“We were excited to launch the Cardinal Financial Skill as a way to contribute to solving a real issue that we see in today’s market: mortgage education. It’s inevitable that first-time home buyers are hesitant to purchase their first home, but they are showing more hesitancy than ever before,” Marketing Director Erica Lee said. “This is not price or product driven, as rates have been favorable and product options and flexibility are abundant. It’s insecurity about the process.”

We’ve joined the ranks of financial services companies that have integrated with Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, but it’s not all about keeping up with the times. Developing the Cardinal Financial Skill wasn’t just a move to stay relevant to technology. The idea started with the discovery that there’s a huge lack of knowledge among consumers when it comes to mortgages. That’s a problem. We believe it’s our job to inform our customers about the mortgage process and educate them on mortgage terminology in ways that are more convenient for them.

“Our research shows that those who are new to the market—and new to the process—lean on their family members, put trust in their loan originators, and are looking for more guidance and help in understanding the process and its requirements,” Lee said. “We call this ‘building their mortgage confidence.’ In a day where knowledge is so overly accessible—and voice search delivers instantaneous results—this Skill was our way to help close the knowledge gap for those that might be a little less informed on mortgage 101 and it’s our goal to help drive some of those answers directly to them.”

An educated borrower is a happy borrower, and at Cardinal Financial, we want to be the most trusted source for borrowers in the industry. It’s our mission to deliver the best end-to-end mortgage experience possible and building the Cardinal Financial Skill will not only build brand affinity, it will serve as another way we’re improving the customer experience and delivering on our mission.

Try it out for yourself!

About Cardinal Financial

We started Cardinal Financial with a passion for developing a better mortgage experience. Our proprietary loan origination software, Octane®, is a sure advantage, but we soon found out that revolutionary technology only goes so far without revolutionary people. We place a premium on hiring talented, forward-thinking, entrepreneurial spirits who are committed, not only to reimagining the possibilities of mortgage lending, but to delivering a personal experience to every borrower every time. We take a tremendous amount of pride in our people because they’re what sets us apart from the rest. Our culture is strengthened by self-starters who look forward to coming to work every day and are willing to go the extra mile for their colleagues and their clients. Cardinal Financial is where your career meets your calling. Join us and be a part of something more than mortgage lending. For more information about Cardinal Financial, visit cardinalfinancial.com or follow us on social media: facebook.com/cardinalfinancial and @CardinalFinancial on Instagram.