Prominent Title, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, used Qualia Connect to increase efficiency during closings. Through the cloud-based client communication portal, Prominent Title was able to effectively practice social distancing with their clients, while providing quicker closings.

About Prominent Title

Prominent Title is a title agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that conducts operations in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida. The Prominent Title team has made it their mission to provide exceptional service to their clients.

COVID-19 has shifted the way many companies are doing business, and the title industry is no exception. With over 60% of title companies reportedly switching to remote work or needing to limit physical interactions with clients, Prominent Title has exemplified both flexibility and resiliency. It’s been important for them to maintain their high-quality level of service while protecting the health of their clients and staff.

The Prominent Title team attributes their ability to pivot during these unique times to Qualia Connect. Connect, a digital client collaboration portal, allows all stakeholders in a transaction to securely communicate, submit information and documents and sign any non-notarized documents prior to the closing date. With Connect, Prominent Title has not only been able to protect the health of their clients and staff, but they have been able to take their time “at the closing table” from 30 minutes to 5 minutes.

Why Qualia Connect Even Before COVID-19

After working with their previous software for nearly 30 years, Debbie and the Prominent Title team were ready for a shift to a cloud-based, innovative platform. The Prominent Title team knew that the Qualia Platform and Qualia Connect were the tools they needed to operate most successfully in a fast-changing market.

Their previous software was not nearly as versatile and adaptable as the Qualia Platform. With their previous on premises software, the Prominent Title team was responsible for manually updating their software, costing the team valuable time and resources. Additionally, the software was not cloud-based, resulting in limited accessibility to files and the non-existent ability for clients to sign electronically.

We made the switch about a year ago. We were looking for new software that would work for us at Prominent Title. We wanted a cloud-based program. We wanted everything that Qualia had. One of the things that was on my heart was that in the future we really need to be able to close loans digitally. This is a feature that Qualia has through Connect.

Debbie Brooks, Vice President of Prominent Title

The Need for 5 Minute Closings

COVID-19 has isolated us. We are used to being a social industry. We go to a closing with buyers, sellers, and realtors all in a room together, but now no one can be in a room with others. We decided that we needed to be innovative and come up with a way to keep folks safe.

Debbie Brooks, Vice President of Prominent Title

Traditionally, closings occur ceremoniously around the table with families, realtors, and title agents. Because of COVID-19, Debbie Brooks, VP of Prominent Title, knew that she needed to create a way to safely continue to host closings for her clients. Through a partnership with her Qualia Customer Success Manager and Qualia Connect Subject Matter Expert, Debbie orchestrated a new way of hosting closings that were made possible because of Qualia.

Safety Precautions Taken by the Prominent Title Team

One thing she specifically changed is that she started having all closing documents be e-signed through Connect, limiting the need for in-person physical contact between her staff and their clients. The clients were also able to review all their documents and ask any questions ahead of the closing itself, all within the app that came standard with Qualia Connect for them. Because clients were able to review their documents and sign non-notarized documents prior to arriving at the closing, they were able to engage in “Curbside Closings” whereby the only remaining documents to be signed were the notarized documents.

Clients were instructed to park outside of the Prominent Title office, call their closing agent, and quickly sign the remaining closing documents from their cars while the agent witnessed the signing through the window. Through this process, her team was able to complete the closing while clients remained safely inside their cars.

Debbie also made some other changes around her office:

• They sent all communications to all parties through Connect explaining the safety precautions taken and what to expect on the day of closing.

• They shared documents directly through Connect so they could be reviewed and e-signed prior to arriving at the closing.

• They mounted signs in front of parking spaces instructing clients to stay inside their cars and call the team for assistance.

• They wore masks and gloves, and used single-use pens for anything requiring a wet-ink signature.

Because of the remote communication, document sharing, and e-signing capabilities of Qualia Connect, they could host these safe closings. Not only that, their closing times were decreased from over 30 minutes to less than 5 minutes.

There’s always so much to do. Our closing agents are used to being on a time schedule that is so tight- I’m hoping that they will have more time to help other staff members with other items that need to be completed.

Debbie Brooks, Vice President of Prominent Title

Looking Forward

Because of the flexibility of the Prominent Title team and their use of Qualia Connect, closings have continued to occur more safely, efficiently and seamlessly than ever before. Debbie shared that she plans to continue to share documents with her clients and utilize the e-signing capabilities through Connect in the future because of the success that she and her team has experienced.

This is something I should have been doing for a while, but COVID-19 forced my hand to be ready. When everyone is well and we are through this, I’m most definitely going to continue doing my closings this way. My closings are 5 minutes and people have their documents right in front of them, where they can read and sign them at their leisure, and then they have immediate copies right there that are signed.

Debbie Brooks, Vice President of Prominent Title