INVESTMENTS
I couldn ’ t sit in front of people and quiz them over their existing plans and so on . Now , I send them a link and they can input that information at their own leisure – when the kids are in bed or on a Sunday afternoon . And I know that they ’ re doing this because it all feeds through and tells me that they ’ ve been on and updated the system .
What are the benefits for your firm and your clients ? It ’ s about my original goals and encouraging my clients to put their information on there . Any documentation I need they can instantly upload . Now , we can use Glia to share screens , share documents and I ’ m instantly available to them at the touch of a button . They don ’ t need to feel like they ’ re on their own – technology isn ’ t a barrier between my clients and me . It ’ s giving them more support , more access to me , which I think is imperative in these challenging times .
How has technology helped you to develop your business processes ? Even when I can go back to face-to-face advice , I won ’ t be jumping straight back in my car and driving all around the country . I think I ’ m helping to save the planet a little bit more now by not doing that . I don ’ t have to worry about the weather forecast or traffic problems , so these processes are very much here to stay . I ’ m not printing paper galore because of how easy and secure it is to share documents now . All of that has to be a positive . I think , if anything has come out of the pandemic in relation to working processes , then this is it , and it ’ s a massive plus for me . Being able to engage with my clients regularly and efficiently , especially those I would class as long distance , and equally , for those clients to not feel like they ’ re potentially hundreds of miles away , is great . They can still ask me questions , they can still engage with me and have face time with me , even if it ’ s now on screen . That is a real fundamental change for me , but even at my age , I think it ’ s one to be embraced . And , I have a plan going forwards to bring my son into the business , as I won ’ t be around doing this forever and a day . And I ’ d like to think the work I ’ m doing now will benefit him and what the business looks like then when he ’ s ready to take over .
Have you had to change the way you engage with your clients ? Yes . I want this to be straightforward for my clients and for them to be comfortable . In addition , I ’ m very aware of clients who may be vulnerable , so I want to make this as easy as possible for them too . For example , I ’ m working with a new client currently who I ’ d class as vulnerable . So , what that looks like for me is using Glia , sharing my screen , walking them through and helping them fully complete and understand the fact find or the ‘ Your Profile ’ section . I accept that not everybody can just jump on their computer and complete all of this themselves . I ’ m conscious that some clients do need more support than others initially – but that ’ s why we ’ re here . And if we do a good job and our fees are fair then we ’ ll get more business from it and keep our existing customer base happy .
Have you been given the gift of time ? I think you can always fill time with something else , but for me , I ’ m definitely spending a lot more time in my office . That means I ’ m travelling a lot less and I ’ m much closer to home . So , I ’ m not in the car for hours on end , stuck in traffic and I get home at a sensible time . And then I ’ m back , bright and early the next day , ready to get going again . I think clients appreciate that as well , as it ’ s less of an intrusion on their time . And , at some stage , I will roll it out to all my client bank , but as I ’ ve said , I don ’ t think you can just introduce it cold . It needs to be in the right way for it to have the most impact . I also have the support of an admin assistant who uses the system to do reconciliations , and so that ’ s taking her less time than before . This gives her time to concentrate on other areas and take over other tasks from me . But – I ’ m not ready to retire by any means . Just don ’ t tell my wife that .
You can find more information about Centra and intelliflo office on the Member or Client website .
Or , if you ’ d like to discuss what Centra and intelliflo office can do for your business , please speak to the Adviser Services team on 0808 124 0000 or email adviserservices-tech @ simplybiz . co . uk .
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