The struggle for adviser capacity
These days, we see advisers doing more administration work than we saw 5 or 10 years ago. Research, plan requests and even application forms are unnecessarily taking up their time and stifling capacity. And this is not simply due to more compliance. So what's driving the hesitation to hand-over to a support role? Is it finding the right support? A lack of trust? Or something else?AMA: I'm Laura Capozzi, Xplan Design Consultant and efficiency expert, Ask Me Anything!
Do you have a burning question about Xplan Cases? Need help with how to best track ongoing service through Xplan Workflows? Join me here on Thursday 26th September from 3pm to 3:30pm. With over 15 years of experience designing solutions for advice businesses, I’m here to help with all things Xplan. Start popping in your questions below and Ask Me Anything! ❗️Update: This AMA has now ended but please continue to pop your questions in thediscussion forums and make sure you tag me at laura.capozzi
Tracking Client Progress
How do you track clients progress over time? We sometimes put together a report showing the balance, withdrawals and contributions each year. This helps to show how the clients portfolio grows over time. However we're doing this manually and it's time consuming. Is there any automated way to do with? Any reports built into Xplan? Do you have any other good ways to show clients their progress? It would be especially good if there was a way to link it to their goals.How do you stay focused on the right client?
I think the best of us get sidetracked into helping people with their challenges, especially when that's what we've had training and experience in. I'm curious about how other advisers, or even business owners "stick to their knitting"? It's so easy to say "yes" to someone especially if things are a bit quiet but what tips and tricks do you use to say "no" to stay focussed? mat.tenison3 jenny.brown deborah.kent What to do if a referral isn’t right for you | AdviselyVirtual office, what are your thoughts?
Back in 2020, we were forced to close our office due to Covid and the many lockdowns that Melbourne had. We quickly had to mobilised the team of 10 at that time to work from home, fortunately we predominately use M365 and Xplan, with any other software being 100% cloud based, hence no server issues, which made life a little easier. Later that year we made the decision to give up our office and work virtually. Many advisers said to me that it wouldn't work for them due to their client base being older, they still say it. I would like to challenge the thinking around that, we focus on pre and post retirees, who are usually the least tech savvy of any age group, but whilst they like to sometimes see us in person for coffee or lunch, the majority of the work we do is all via video, email and phone, after all they all learnt to facetime their grandkids during covid. Our business has grown in people, clients and revenue over the past 3.5 years since we have been 100% virtual, yes it's been a lot of work, trial and error, but it can work, if you want it to. I'd love to hear from others who have gone virtual and what has worked best for you, your team, your business and your clients?AMA: I'm Jess Lamb, Xplan expert and Director at Practice Dynamix, Ask Me Anything!
Advisers and paraplanners, are you providing the best possible experience during the client review? And how could you be using Xplan to be making the process even more efficiency? Join me here on Thursday 13th November from 3pm to 4pm to find out! Whether it’s about maintaining client data integrity, automating workflows and client comms, or uncovering Xplan’s hidden gems – start popping in your questions below and Ask Me Anything! 💬 This AMA is text-based so I’ll answer your pre-submitted questions in the scheduled time. 📆 Click here to save the date in your calendar. 🔔 Don’t forget to hit the bell in the top right corner to be notified.
Client reviews
G'day All There is always a lot of focus on new client engagement and SOA production. Given most practices have way more ongoing clients than new, how are you finding the process of arranging review meetings and preparing review documentation? Could this area and the report we provide clients at review time do with some focus?Client portal hacks
Insights show that advice firms that communicate more frequently (generally once a month) with their ‘a-list’ clients are more profitable than the average advice firm. Available through Xplan, Client Portal offers a better way to connect and communicate securely with your clients.How much 'say' does your client have?
When running your advice business, you've got these three main things to juggle: People, Process, and Price. You assemble a team (people), figure out your approach (process), and set your rates (price). But here's the real-world question: How much say do you give your clients in choosing or amending your model? Do you allow them to choose who they work with, how they want things done, and what they pay? What are your absolute deal-breakers, and how do you handle clients who want things done their own way?
