AMA: I'm Courtney Youngblutt, Xplan Design Consultant and efficiency expert, Ask Me Anything!

Hi Mat, you’re so right! Like Lisa Smith said above, it is hard to ask the right questions when you don’t know what is possible!

Some quick and easy efficiency wins that spring to mind are:

• Set up your password security reset questions so you are not waiting on someone else to help you log in, in the case of a forgotten password! We still see far too many people ask for a password reset, which is not only inefficient but a security risk as well. Iress is on a mission to make remembering passwords across our ecosystem easier, so keep an eye out for IressID as well. (See more in the 2024 Q4 Xplan product roadmap webinar )

• If you are still duplicating data entry, stop, and ask if there is a better way. Much of the data you enter into Client Focus as part of fact finding will automatically populate into our other tools if entered in the right place, in the right way. An easy efficiency win is to ensure you are using standard, rather than custom fields, for data collection and taking the time to link your data entry to the corresponding products in WealthSolver, Risk Researcher or Portfolio. An extra four or five seconds at the data entry stage can produce significant time savings down the line for paraplanners and advisers when it comes to comparing products and making product recommendations.

• Streamlining workflow, as outlined above in the post to Jaclyn, is a big one as well. Workflow should make the work easier, not add to it. Consider where you can eliminate tasks and make use of the automation.

• A Client Portal strategy is also becoming more and more critical to eliminate sharing personal information via email. A Client Portal can help you streamline and automate many of your routine activities. Share important documents by simply uploading as a note in Xplan, flagging it to be visible in Client Portal and have the system auto notify the client. Have the client upload documents on their end to share with you, you’ll be notified and they will be auto added as a file note. Ask the client to complete parts of the fact find prior to meeting.

• Finally, I’m going to say data integrity is really the be all and end all when it comes to automation. You have to have robust processes in place to ensure data is captured in the right way, overlaid with exception reporting to call out any areas that need to be addressed. Once you have confidence that your data is correct, choosing to completely automate parts of your process is a no-brainer. Let the system take care of the routine tasks so you and your team can concentrate on the areas that add value to the end client.