By Legal Futures Associate Checkboard
The UK’s ageing population means many of our older citizens will remain mobile and economically active well into later life.
And that means more transactions, more contracts, more disputes – and therefore more demand for legal representation.
Whether you’re a legal practice or working in conveyancing law, you’ll need to conduct all the usual AML checks and due diligence no matter your client’s age. Elderly people still need their IDs verified and their source of funds checked.
But digital onboarding platforms designed with younger clients in mind can often be a source of friction for older users.
As practices chase the benefits of digitalisation, they also need to remember the clients who can’t quite keep up with the pace of change.
Where the friction lies
At Checkboard, we wanted to better understand where onboarding is causing challenges for elderly people. We’ve looked at the support tickets received by our customer service team to identify the most common sources of friction among older users. We found the most frequently flagged issues to include:
- Unfamiliarity with source of funds
- How to provide proof of address
- Misgivings about linking bank accounts through open banking
Together, source of funds and linking bank accounts are perhaps the biggest pain point overall. Older users used to physical banking (and most susceptible to financial scams) are often wary about connecting their accounts online and are also less likely to understand what counts as acceptable proof of source of funds.
We’ve also encountered friction in setting (and remembering!) security pins, a lack of familiarity with biometric ID, and scenarios in which older couples share a mobile number.
These technologies may be important to us, but for many older clients they are daunting and unfamiliar. It’s our job to make them more accessible and intuitive.
Tech underpinned by support
There’s no danger of leaving older clients behind with Checkboard.
Our app is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly for clients of all ages. It’s built on simple, clear workflows that make it easy for users to upload documents and confirm their identity while giving you clarity and control over the process:
- You send a secure link to download the app
- The client uploads everything they need to their phone
- You receive a full compliance report ready to go
Nevertheless, older users will still struggle. Apps – no matter how intuitive – simply do not come instinctively to them. Many, more familiar with physical letters than digital PDFs, will struggle to upload documents; others just won’t be familiar with the terminology.
That’s why it’s so important for this technology to be underpinned by a customer support team. The Trustpilot reviews speak for themselves: Checkboard’s team is dedicated, patient, and knowledgeable. They’re able to talk users through the required steps to get the checks completed, smoothing out the kinks and removing the friction.
It’s about reputation, too
Older people are an increasingly large and active part of the UK economy. Digitalising your onboarding process while accommodating people less familiar with the technology will pay dividends, not only in terms of new business but also in terms of reputation and reviews.
That’s where platforms like Checkboard come into their own.
Find out how to serve your older clients.
