The third edition of the British Conveyancing Awards is just around the corner. Alongside a new, larger venue and a new headline sponsor in Groundsure, #BCAwards2023 is all about recognising and rewarding the herculean efforts of conveyancing superheroes who, despite hurdles aplenty, continue to go above and beyond to help clients move into their dream home.
Ahead of the splendour and celebration on the 21st March, Today’s Conveyancer will recognise those who help make the event possible through a series of “Sponsor Spotlight” pieces. Here, we speak with InfoTrack, ‘One to Watch’ Conveyancer of the Year category sponsor.
First of all, tell us who you are and what you do
InfoTrack is pioneering the digitisation of legal processes. We provide a powerful suite of solutions across client onboarding, identity verification, e-signature, and conveyancing services. Our services help to assure compliance, enhance client experience, and improve productivity within law firms. We take on the burden of paper-intensive, demanding administrative tasks within a single, award-winning platform. We empower firms to focus on delivering an exceptional client experience with every transaction.
InfoTrack has played a key role in the drive towards digital conveyancing in 2022. How do you see that role you’ve played evolving into 2023?
Working with solicitors to design and build technology that provides tangible benefits is at the heart of everything we do at InfoTrack. In 2022 we launched The Digital Conveyancing Summit, a first of its kind event that brought together the key stakeholders of driving digital transformation in one room. In addition, we published the results of the first Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index, an industry first which looked at the progress conveyancing firms were making in adopting technology and improving processes. The results provided insight into how the industry uses digital tools throughout the conveyancing process, setting a benchmark for the sector and highlighting areas of opportunity. We know many law firms want to adopt digital conveyancing but knowing how and where to start is often the first hurdle. We’re hoping the Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index will support law firms in their technology endeavours in 2023 and beyond.
How do InfoTrack view HMLR’s strategy for the move to digital conveyancing – and, looking to the long term, how do you foresee InfoTrack fitting in with that strategy?
HMLR has recognised that through technology, processes and procedures can be more streamlined, more secure, more compliant, faster, and more accurate – and we agree. With the pace of digital solutions accelerating, their decision to stop accepting AP1 submissions other than digitally is just one example of their commitment to adopting technology. InfoTrack and HMLR work strategically to continue this digital journey, starting with digital AP1s in 2016. We’re also aligned in our vision for wider adoption of electronic signatures. HMLR launched the Digital Identity Standard in March 2021, offering Safe Harbour for firms which meet the requirements. With an emphasis on risk management and supporting firms with their compliance, we continue to enhance our solutions to directly address the needs of the industry, including a range of eSignature, AML, and digital onboarding tools. HMLR has said that it will continue to invest in technology, and plans to transition from paper-based electronic processes to digital solutions in its drive towards becoming the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity, and an open approach to data, something that aligns strongly with the values of InfoTrack, and a journey that we will certainly be taking with HMLR.
Last year, InfoTrack won Technology Enabler of the Year for their eCOS solution. How has this technology evolved since then, and have InfoTrack brought any other solutions to the table that conveyancers should know about?
eCOS from InfoTrack, which offers a powerful digital onboarding solution with everything necessary to enable streamlined, paperless client onboarding from one consumer-inspired portal, continues to be one of our most highly adopted solutions. We’re continually enhancing our offering, which ensures we’re offering our clients the best possible technology solutions. Since eCOS launched, we have achieved Safe Harbour, HMLR’s Digital Identity Standard, meaning conveyancers can rest assured that HMLR would not seek recourse against them in the event that their client was not who they claimed to be. We also offer firms the ability to have a fully branded app through eCOS, designed to obtain client onboarding data faster, and achieving the highest standards of compliance. More recently, we’ve launched Contract of Sale to speed up the process between onboarding and pre-completion by enabling law firms to prepare and send a digital contract pack in two minutes, including TA forms, Land Registry Office Copies, the EPC, and Standard Conditions of Sale. Property Report is one of our most popular new solutions, designed to prepare a title report in just 15 minutes, with complete law firm branding, intelligent data analysis, and consistency across every report.
Aside from the digitisation of conveyancing, what do you see as something conveyancers should look to with excitement as we move into 2023?
There are mixed reports about the housing market for 2023. Whilst we don’t have a crystal ball to see what exactly this year holds, we do know that transactions will continue, and InfoTrack will continue to develop and invest in solutions that support conveyancers in the ever-changing world they operate in. We expect there to be a big focus on risk and compliance in 2023, so we’re firmly focused on supporting law firms to manage this with ease. So when PII renewal comes around, or when CQS or Lexcel audits are due, they’re prepared with full visibility of data, transaction history, and audit trails. We’ll be offering engaging, practical, and interactive training with tips and guidance on how best to fulfil your requirements, all supported by simple and straightforward tech solutions.
