The Insiders with James Burwood: Episode 2 - Sales Operations

From paper piles to same-day progression
Dec reflected on how far the industry has come. In the early days, applications arrived in piles of post, were manually distributed, and often took days or even weeks to progress. Fast forward to today, and the journey looks completely different. You can now complete a Decision in Principle, submit a full application, upload documents, and have everything ready for underwriter review on the same day. That speed and efficiency aren’t just operational wins, they’re critical for delivering a smooth experience for your clients. As we discussed, reducing uncertainty and getting early clarity is invaluable for everyone involved.

Engage early
If there’s one message to take away from this session, it’s simple: engage early. Dec couldn’t have been clearer on this. His team is there to support brokers at every stage of the journey, from initial affordability conversations right through to post- submission queries. Whether you’re checking affordability or product fit, working through an application or looking for updates after submission, there’s always someone in the team who can help. And it’s not just about answering questions, it’s about helping you get cases right first time, which ultimately saves time and improves outcomes for your clients.

Support that fits around you
Another key takeaway is the flexibility in how you can access support. You can pick up the phone, send an email, or jump onto live chat, whichever works best for you. And with Lending Criteria Digital Assistance available 24/7, there’s always a way to get answers, even outside of core working hours. There’s also a strong focus on response times, with calls typically answered within around 60 seconds wherever possible. For me, this highlights something important: Sales Operations isn’t there as a fallback, it’s an active partner in helping you drive cases forward.

Real expertise for complex cases
One of the strengths of the team is its experience. We’re talking about a group of people with deep industry knowledge – from those who’ve spent years at Kensington to those who’ve worked as brokers or with other lenders. That breadth of experience really comes into its own when you’re dealing with more complex or specialist cases. Whether it’s criteria nuances, policy queries, or system support, the team may have seen and solved it before. There’s even the ability to guide you live through the application process, seeing exactly what you see on the Kensington portal and helping you navigate it in real time. It’s a great example of how technology and expertise come together to remove friction from the process.

The Two Ps: Preparation and Packaging
To round things off, I asked Dec for his top tips for brokers placing business with us, and he summed it up brilliantly with what he calls the “2 Ps”: Preparation and Packaging.

Preparation is all about doing the groundwork upfront:

• Understanding your client’s credit profile
• Checking affordability
• Gathering the right information early

This ensures you get a more accurate Decision in Principle and avoids unnecessary delays later in the journey.

Packaging, on the other hand, is about how you present the case:

• Upload documents promptly
• Provide everything needed at submission
• Make it easy for underwriters to assess the case