Expert: Eric Tyree, Head of Research and A.I. at Blue Prism. Facilitator: Niall Buggy, Sionic
Headlines:
- Due to disruptive technology start-ups and the pandemic-induced shift to hybrid advice, the role of the wealth manager has been redefined - and so have the needs and expectations of your clients. Curating an enhanced client experience is paramount to retain relevance in this brave new world.
- There were mixed responses to how “digital” or automated firms’ client journeys are, with the majority somewhere between “PDFs on a website” and beginning to look at a multi-channel, automated/AI-supported offering.
- Legacy systems, poor custodial offerings and even physical paperwork requirements seem to be the biggest blockers to full automation of client journeys, especially on-boarding.
- Whilst there are a small number of firms who have embraced “digital-first” processes, this seems to be in its infancy and most firms are shifting their focus to deeper automation in the near-term.
- There seems to be a mixed range of knowledge in the industry about the use of intelligent automation as a flexible and scalable solution to many of the current issues with technology in the industry.
- The use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or digital workers is a growing trend across the Wealth industry to augment human capabilities where repetitive and rule-based tasks are common, such as transaction processing, dual keying, data cleansing, and KYC.
Context:
At the beginning if the pandemic there was a rush to utilise technology to solve tactical issues and deliver business continuity. But as we emerge into the new normal, a more strategic approach is required to ensure you are delivering a better client experience powered by technology.
Clients expect successful outcomes, and want flexibility and visibility across any channel they decide. Ensuring your whole business is set-up to best serve both new and traditional clients is crucial to foster customer loyalty and prevent attrition.
Available solutions are there to help your advisers and other staff spend their time focusing on the customer and allow the business to scale without employing more personnel.
Blue Prism showed several examples of how seamless the human-digital workforce operated together across several tasks, including an email exchange between human and digital colleagues. The digital worker was able to take on the bulk of the receptive tasks allowing the human to focus on the client interaction.
Furthermore, the digital workers can learn multiple tasks providing the flexibility and scale. New digital capabilities are available through marketplaces such as Blue Prism Digital Exchange.
Having automation as the foundation of the business will enable firms to launch new services, lower OPEX, ensure that all the systems (internal and external) are connected and ensure your business can improve customer outcomes in a digital world.
There are many business cases to show how to achieve lower OPEX and improved client services. Several case studies presented by Blue Prism included:
- Rekeying across multiple systems in Wealth firms: Asset Transfer, On-boarding, Offboarding, KYC / AML, Reporting and Trade Processing. This resulted in 10-20% savings across admin staff time
- Product launches such as ESG. Being able to use automation to join up separate service provisions, systems and teams accelerated the launch of new products and services
- NHS & Covid – Blue Prism digital workers were deployed in 10 days to support the tracking of vaccinations through the National Immunisation Vaccine System (NIVS) freeing up front line staff to patient care.
Key takeaways:
- Automation in client journeys is still a developing area in Wealth Management
- Wealth Managers see value in automation as the next wave of change, however legacy systems and poor interfacing with custodians remain an issue
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a growing trend across the wealth industry to augment human capabilities
- Ability to manage the rekeying across multiple systems, and manage interactions between humans and robots is driving down OPEX and significantly improving the client journey for businesses that implement RPA
