Mobile Technology for Wealth Management Advisors

Transcription

1 An Oracle White Paper Jan 2010 Mobile Technology for Wealth Management Advisors

2 Disclaimer The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.

3 Introduction Financial advisors face difficult times. The volatile market conditions force advisors to work much harder to retain their client s business, while clients demand better service levels from their financial services firms. Many clients are much better informed these days and have access to real-time information wherever they are. Mobile phones, especially in their latest incarnations, have changed the way many consumers interact with one other. Receiving and sending s from a mobile phone is common practice, and many consumers use their mobile phones for getting directions, searching for restaurants, or shopping on websites like Amazon.com. In November 2008, TD Ameritrade started offering its clients mobile trading applications for their Apple iphone and ipod touch. These, and similar applications that are offered to retail clients, also increase the pressure on financial advisors to keep up with their clients. Unfortunately, the technology used by financial advisors often lags far behind what is technically possible and what is available to consumers. Having the most up-to-date information available when the client inquiry reaches the advisor can make an important difference in a client relationship, especially in difficult times like these. This article looks at the current use of mobile applications among financial advisors and their desire for this type of technology. In July 2008, Aite Group surveyed 201 financial advisors on their preferences for mobile support. The survey population consisted of an equal mix of independents, registered investment advisors (RIAs), and captive brokers. The Importance of Technology for Advisors Advisors clearly understand the critical role that technology plays in their daily work life; 72% of advisors consider technology either very important or essential to their decision to work for a particular firm. 2

4 Figure 1: Importance of Technology for Advisors Beyond general technology, advisors have very definite opinions concerning which technology plays an important role in their ability to conduct business. Nearly half of advisors (46%) rank financial planning tools as their most important application. Another 17% of advisors ranked customer relationship management (CRM) their top application. Figure 2: Importance of Technology for Advisors 3

5 Requirements of Advisor for Mobile Support Today s life has become increasingly more mobile. Well over one-third of advisors state that they spend more than 25% of their work time outside the office, and only 14% of advisors conduct all their business in the office. Figure 3: Time Spent Outside the Office Through the rise of mobile and smartphone devices, clients and advisors alike have become used to staying in touch and being reachable when on the road. The widespread availability of mobile devices is demonstrated in the following chart. Only 3% of advisors do not carry any mobile device, while more than half have devices with capabilities that go beyond a standard mobile phone. 4

6 Figure 4: Type of Mobile Device Owned By Advisors Almost two-third of advisors have a data plan in place with their mobile provider that allows them not only to make calls from their mobile device, but also to transmit data and access the Internet. Figure 5: Type of contract with mobile carrier Q: What type of contract do you have with your mobile provider? Voice plan only 38% Voice and data plan 62% 5

7 While mobile devices carried by advisors offer a great deal of capabilities, financial services firms have only slowly started turning these capabilities into increased advisor efficiency. Only 22% of advisors currently use their mobile devices for business tasks other than sending s and managing contacts and calendars, compared to 53% of advisors who carry a mobile device that could also be used for other tasks. This suggests that advisors are underutilizing the capabilities of their mobile devices. Figure 6: Current use of mobile device for business The advisor s desire for increased mobile capabilities becomes clear when asking them if they would find access to business applications via their mobile device useful. Only 26% of advisors say they would not find any value in accessing business applications via their mobile device, while 62% of advisors would find it useful. 6

8 Figure 6: Desired Use of Mobile Device For Business Q: Do you think it would be useful to have access to business applications you use in the office via a mobile device? Yes 62% No 26% Don't know 11% Asked what business application advisors would most like to access via their mobile device, respondents cited CRM by far the most often. Trade order management, financial planning, and research systems delivering market data are follow some distance behind. Advisor interest in accessing business applications clearly revolves around staying up-to-date when it comes to their clients and the market. The access to trading and order management from a mobile device would allow advisors to take emergency trades should market or client events require these actions. 7

9 Figure 8: desired access to business applications Conclusion Mobile devices have allowed our society to enter a mobile era. The computing and networking capabilities delivered through these devices were available only from desk computers not long ago. These types of capabilities have not only transformed the way consumers interact, but have also raised the expectations consumers have about interacting with their financial advisor. The financial services industry, however, has lagged behind in making use of mobile capabilities. Aite Group believes this might change in the near future. Aside from expected client service levels, advisor productivity has become a key measure and a top priority for wealth management firms addressing mass-affluent and high-net-worth client segments. The current market conditions have increased the number of client inquiries advisors are facing on a daily basis. Being able to respond to these inquires in the most efficient manner and in the shortest period of time, regardless of desk presence, will give advisors a competitive advantage. This is particularly important since investment performance for many clients has been less than stellar in the last couple of months. Making use of mobile capabilities will allow financial advisors to increase efficiency and provide a better service to their clients. It should come as no surprise that 62% of advisors are asking for these types of capabilities. 8

10 Mobile Technology for Wealth Management Advisors Jan 2010 Oracle Corporation World Headquarters 500 Oracle Parkway Redwood Shores, CA U.S.A. Worldwide Inquiries: Phone: Fax: oracle.com Copyright 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. 0110