Merrill Lynch’s 22,000 advisors and client associates are getting new workstations. The Client Workstations, or CEWs, can be used to manage multiple clients at the same time, the firm says.
The Bank of America-owned business says the platform has improved search and navigation abilities, along with other features to help remote and mobile users.
Also, the new Merrill technology includes Book 360, a dashboard with details on each advisor’s full practice of clients, metrics and priority items. The development comes about 18 months after rival Morgan Stanley introduced WealthDesk, its new advisor platform.
“In this environment, any enhancements that allow advisors to gain additional time to serve clients is extremely valuable,” according to a statement.
The CEW platform has been in the works for the past 18 months. It replaces the Wealth Management Workstation (WMW), which Merrill launched more than a decade ago, and can be accessed via a desktop, laptop or tablet issued by the firm.
“While investments have been made in the platform and applications over this period, the workflow, core technology design and hardware requirement had remained largely unchanged,” the firm explained.