New American Funding and Experience.com: A Customer Success Story
In search of a new approach to managing their online reputation and driving more local business for their loan officers, Rick and Patty Arvielo, the founders of New American Funding (NAF), turned to Experience.com, and the results have been remarkable.
NAF, a mortgage lender headquartered in California with over 180 locations nationwide, recognized the critical role their loan officers played as the primary point of contact for customers pursuing the American Dream of homeownership. Building relationships with real estate agents, CPAs, and attorneys while establishing a strong presence in local markets was essential for originating new business.
While NAF had already developed an in-house system for collecting customer reviews and leveraging online reputation tools, Rick and Patty Arvielo decided to embark on a pilot project with Experience.com to explore new possibilities. “Patty and I understood the power of reviews in attracting new business, so we were open to running a pilot to discover what more Experience.com could do for NAF,” Rick Arvielo explained. “We had our own data, and we were curious to see how the results of Experience.com’s pilot would compare to our existing system. It quickly became evident that Experience.com had the potential to help our loan officers deliver exceptional customer experiences and acquire new local business.”
NAF experienced significant milestones after implementing Experience.com’s experience management platform. In just 18 months, they generated an impressive 35,000 customer reviews. Previously, their 1,000+ loan officers had amassed fewer than 4,000 reviews across platforms like Zillow, Google, and BBB, with fewer than 500 Google reviews. By January 2020, NAF had accumulated nearly 95,000 reviews, including over 7,167 on Zillow, along with 3,504 on Google My Business and Credit Karma. These reviews contributed to an average score of 4.88 stars across all platforms, with a Net Promoter Score of 89. Additionally, NAF achieved an unprecedented survey completion rate of 60%.
NAF’s management compared their outstanding results with those of two competitors who used narrower and less automated platforms. The comparison clearly demonstrated the value of Experience.com. “Experience.com empowers our loan officers across our 189 branches to capture the voice of the customer through surveys and reviews, and then automatically shares it an average of 8 times online,” said Rick Arvielo. “The surveys are sent out as if they are coming directly from the loan officer after closing, humanizing and personalizing the experience, resulting in increased engagement from both NAF employees and customers.”
Scott Harris, CEO of Experience.com, highlighted NAF’s proactive approach to their online reputation: “NAF took charge of their online reputation. They were already creating WOW-worthy customer experiences. They just needed to activate their customers with an automated CX program.”
The success of NAF’s partnership with Experience.com is evident in their ability to amplify their customer experiences and establish a strong online presence. By leveraging the power of reviews and automating the process, NAF has elevated its reputation and empowered its loan officers to deliver outstanding service.
To learn more about NAF’s remarkable customer success story with Experience.com, please read the full article here.
Interview with Rick Arvielo:
Rick Arvielo, a self-taught entrepreneur with a passion for marketing, founded New American Funding in 2003. His unique approach of combining marketing strategies with proprietary technology has led to the ongoing success of the company.
