The Online Advisor: How I'm keeping in touch with clients

The front end is the public access area and is nearly complete. I still have to create a company presentation for those who may be interested in learning more about my business. This is more of an electronic brochure.

The back end is the part of the site where you’ll need a password to enter. Clients and certain other individuals will be able to visit this area.

Included in the back end will be a section dedicated to each client where they can view their account information; upload their important documents such as account statements, tax returns, wills, trusts, etc.; and eventually view most, if not all, of their other accounts and debts held at other institutions.

There will also be a lot of process management functions in the back end. For example, after I create a financial plan, and there are tasks to be completed, it will provide an easy way to track the progress. As these tasks are completed, the person responsible for the task will be able to “check off” the item.

Whenever they do, an e-mail will automatically be generated and sent to the other party, notifying them of this action. There will be a great deal of automation included in the back end of the site. I will also be able to see who went where and how long they stayed, so I will know which areas are getting the most interest. Very state-of-the-art!

The third phase involves the integration with a new CMS system, Salesforce.com. I will write more about this in a future blog.

All of this development is being done by a company called Manage-Trak. They have been extremely helpful with this entire process and their fee is very reasonable.

The last item I’d like to discuss is my monthly newsletter. I have been getting a great response from clients, prospective clients, and other advisors. I plan to make this available soon to those advisors who would like to offer it to their clients, centers of influence, and so forth. It is a four-page PDF document which is e-mailed on a monthly basis. The first three pages will be the standard newsletter with the fourth page being dedicated solely to the advisor and his or her business.

I’ll write more about this in future blogs. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your comments.