What we’re building, why it matters, and what’s coming next
Last updated: January 2026
Status: Living roadmap (updated regularly)
Why We’re Publishing a Roadmap
Broker Tools exists to reduce mental load, tool sprawl, and guesswork in broker businesses.
Instead of building quietly behind closed doors, we’ve chosen to share our roadmap publicly — so brokers, partners, and software providers can see:
- What we’re building
- Why we’re building it
- What’s live, what’s coming, and what’s under consideration
This roadmap reflects real broker conversations, hands-on system design work, and practical testing across mortgage, asset, and commercial broker businesses.
Importantly, the thinking behind this roadmap is grounded in hands-on collaboration with skill-based practitioners working inside broker businesses, ensuring it reflects operational reality rather than theory alone.
Our Guiding Principles
Everything on this roadmap is guided by a few simple rules:
- Brokers don’t need more tools — they need better systems
- AI should reduce work, not create new complexity
- Context matters more than features
- No pay-to-play recommendations
- Human experience > marketing claims
- Content should be usable, not performative
Phase 1: Foundation (Live ✅)
This phase focused on creating a trusted base layer.
What’s Live
- ✅ Broker Tools Directory (software, services, products)
- ✅ Editorial notes grounded in practitioner experience
- ✅ Podcast + long-form resource ecosystem
- ✅ Practical system guides (CRMs, AI, workflows, Microsoft 365, ads, automation)
Outcome:
Brokers can discover, compare, and understand tools through applied knowledge — not sales decks or generic reviews.
Phase 2: Context & Comparison (In Progress 🚧)
This phase is about decision confidence.
Currently Building
- 🚧 Side-by-side comparisons shaped by real use cases
- 🚧 “Best for…” breakdowns based on broker business models
- 🚧 Strengths and limitations — including where tools don’t fit
- 🚧 Consistent review standards informed by operators and specialists
- 🚧 Improved filtering and search logic that reflects broker workflows
Outcome:
Brokers understand why a tool fits their business — not just what it claims to do.
Phase 3: AI-Assisted Guidance (Early Build 🤖)
This phase uses AI to support thinking, not selling.
Planned
- 🧠 AI-assisted tool shortlisting with contextual guardrails
- 🧠 “If you use X, you probably need Y” system logic
- 🧠 AI summaries of complex documentation and workflows
- 🧠 Clear definitions of automation vs integration vs agents
- 🧠 Controls to prevent hallucinated or unsafe recommendations
This phase is being designed with input from system architects, compliance specialists, and operators — because broker AI failures aren’t theoretical. They’re operational.
Outcome:
AI helps narrow options without removing human judgement or increasing risk.
Phase 4: Workflows & System Design (Planned 🧩)
This phase connects tools into real broker operating systems.
Planned
- 🔗 Example tech stacks by broker size and growth stage
- 🔗 Lead → application → settlement → post-settlement workflows
- 🔗 CRM-first vs ecosystem-first design trade-offs
- 🔗 “What breaks at scale” insights from experienced operators
- 🔗 Compliance-aware system design patterns
Outcome:
Brokers move from assembling tools to intentionally designing systems.
Phase 5: Add-Ons & Advanced Tools (Future 🔮)
This phase supports brokers who want to go deeper — carefully.
Under Consideration
- 🔍 Sales and lead research tools
- 📄 Document validation and fraud detection
- 🤖 AI agents (with best practice guardrails)
- 💬 Chat and voice tools used responsibly
- 📊 Performance and optimisation insights
All future exploration is filtered through practical expertise — not hype cycles.
What We’re Not Building (On Purpose)
To remain useful and trusted, there are things we won’t do:
- ❌ Paid rankings
- ❌ “Best CRM” lists without context
- ❌ AI that replaces broker judgement
- ❌ Software Provider-controlled narratives
- ❌ Content created for clicks instead of use
How You Can Influence the Roadmap
Broker Tools is shaped by practitioners.
You can influence what we build next by:
- Joining the conversation through the podcast and resources
- Sharing what’s broken in your current setup
- Flagging tools that don’t match their claims
- Telling us where decisions feel unclear or risky
Still Not Sure Where to Start?
💬 Check out the directory or resource centre - and give us your feedback on how we can help you.