Feature Enhancements in Version 22.1 Major Release

A new live chat feature has been added to the loan application and borrower portal. This feature allows borrowers to quickly and easily communicate with the loan officer through a chat window.

The borrower can initiate a chat conversation with the loan officer in the loan application by clicking the new floating chat icon on the lower right side of the screen, and from the borrower portal by clicking a message alert on a task card.

When the Live Chat window opens, the borrower is immediately connected with the loan officer. If the borrower selected a loan officer in the loan application, they will be chatting with that loan officer. Otherwise, the borrower will be chatting with the default loan application recipient assigned to the workflow.

The loan officer responds through the new Communications panel in the web version of Encompass. The new Communications panel is available with the 22.1 release of Encompass (web version). Details about the Communications panel are provided in the Encompass (web version) release notes.

Enabling Live Chat on Your Consumer Connect Site

Live Chat is not enabled by default in Encompass Consumer Connect. Lender administrators and loan officers with persona access can enable Live Chat in Consumer Connect Admin. A new Live Chat Settings section has been added to the Borrower Loan Portal tab where Live Chat can be enabled or disabled and disclaimer text can be updated.

Live Chat Window Details

The Live Chat window displays the date and time the chat was initiated, as well as the entire chat history between the borrower and loan officer.

When chatting with a loan officer, a character counter is displayed below the text box.

• The counter displays 0/250 by default, and then increments by one with every character typed.

• When the character counter reaches 250/250, no more characters can be typed.

• Editing or backspacing that deletes characters decrements the counter and enables more typing if less than 250 characters have already been typed.

• Sending the message resets the character counter to 0/250.

Changes have been made to the authentication process for borrowers accessing the loan for the first time. With these changes, Encompass Consumer Connect will authenticate the borrower and co-borrower by sending a one-time passcode (OTP) via SMS, text message, or voice call to their phones. Business partners will continue to use authorization codes when accessing the loan for the first time; however, the authorization code will be automatically generated by Encompass instead of manually entered by the lender.

These enhancements will be generally available in a future release; however, lenders can opt-in to start taking advantage of them starting with this release. To request access to this enhancement, please complete the opt-in form by April 1. Lenders will be notified via email when the opt-in window opens.

For details about these changes, see the Borrower Account Authentication and Loan Linking Guide. This document describes the changes that are being made to borrower account authentication and loan linking, and describes the new workflows for lenders, borrowers, and business partners. It includes frequently asked questions, usage notes, known issues, and materials for lenders to share with business partners and borrowers. This guide along with quick reference guides for borrowers and business partners are available here: Resources for Borrower Account Authentication and Loan Linking (Opt-In Feature).

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