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Alison Dooher: Partnerships between financial advisors and technology providers

Written by Suleman Din | Apr 17, 2024 1:00:00 PM

Partnerships between financial advisors and technology providers are pivotal.

As traditional methods of wealth management intersect with cutting-edge technological advancements, the synergy between these two sectors is reshaping the way financial services are delivered and experienced.

From streamlining processes to enhancing client engagement, these partnerships are not merely supplementary but pivotal in navigating the complexities of modern financial advice.

I caught up with Alison Dooher, Managing Director at Schwab, and we talked about what makes a good partner. This ethos of clarity extends beyond mere intention, resonating deeply with the intricate interplay between data utilization, client journey and the integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI. Click on the video to watch the entire interview.

Transcript:

Alison Dooher: Just yesterday, we had somebody ask my team what really makes a good partner, and I feel like at T3, this is all about partnerships here. The response really is around the best partners are those that are very clear with their objectives. It makes the execution and pulling off what we're all trying to achieve much easier, but also at the end, you see the usage, the actual application of the partnership exceed expectations when everybody is very clear with objectives. 

So we've seen a lot, particularly in this space, of advisors looking to leverage some of the third-party technology and then integrate with Schwab really work well when both the advisors and the partners in Schwab in were all very clear about what we're trying to achieve. 

One of the things that we see folks kind of really leaning into is just being very specific around the data needs that they need and the actual usage of said data. And it's particularly interesting around whether or not folks are trying to – if we understand the next step in the client journey that people are trying to serve as part of those partnerships, we all become much more successful by being just very clear and open around that full journey. 

I mean, I think right now, and I've got to give credit to a speaker yesterday who used the term AI exhaustion, and I feel like people right know feel some pressure of, I have to be using AI in some way, shape or form. 

But I actually think taking a step back, finding a safe place to play with the publicly available tool, and then really narrowing in what part of your client experience you're looking to improve – whether it's driving better personalization, whether it’s actually an automation of some sort that you are looking to affect – what's the next best thing you could be doing for your clients by using models like that. 

Then you've got to understand if you have the underlying data that could actually enable said journey or experience for your clients. But I actually, I think by taking that time and just being very clear about your intention and what part of the client experience you're trying to improve will be materially different in the outcomes.