Through our training and coaching, we’ve come to the realization that not every advisor has truly embraced AI in their business. That’s perfectly OK—we’ve existed without it for all of human history. But there are some real-world business benefits worth considering.
Think of AI as a tool that can help you generate ideas, organize your thoughts and create initial drafts … which you can then bring to completion with your intuition, smarts and experience. The more you use it, the more we think you’ll like it.
So, when could AI be used in your practice? Consider your current projects as a starting point. Are there elements that could be sped along with an AI assistant? Use the following as a starting point:
- Creating Standard Operating Procedures
Drafting detailed SOPs can be tedious, but AI simplifies this process. Let’s say you need a client onboarding process. By asking a service like ChatGPT to provide an outline and giving them some examples of what you’d like included, you’d be surprised by the quality of the output.
- Crafting Client Letters and Emails
Let’s say you're drafting an invitation to a market update event; AI can generate a great first draft explaining the benefits of attending and key takeaways.
- Summarizing Transcripts from Meetings
Virtual meetings are now standard in client interactions, and AI transcription tools can create summaries of your recordings. This reduces the need for manual notetaking, ensuring you capture key points and action items.
- Drafting Scripts for Videos
For advisors who create video content, AI can help by generating initial scripts based on key points or themes you want to cover. This can streamline the content creation process, ensuring that your messaging is organized and engaging.
- Generating Ideas for Client Events
AI can also assist with brainstorming client event ideas, and suggesting themes, activities or venues based on your target demographic. This makes planning events more efficient while keeping them aligned with your clients’ preferences and expectations.
- Writing Blog Content
Maintaining an active digital presence is critical, and AI can help by generating blog topics, drafting posts and even scheduling social media content. This ensures that you stay visible online without constantly creating content from scratch.
While AI offers many benefits, it's important to recognize its limitations:
- Lacks Emotional Intelligence: AI can draft emails or generate ideas, but it lacks the emotional intelligence required for nuanced client interactions. Human oversight is always necessary.
- Compliance: AI-generated content must be reviewed to ensure compliance with financial regulations. It can't replace your knowledge of regulatory requirements.
- Personal Connection: While AI can handle drafts and reports, it can’t replicate the personal trust and relationships you build with clients. Keep the human touch front and center in your practice.
AI can help you streamline routine tasks and free up time for more client-focused activities. By embracing it for drafting, summarizing and idea generation, you can enhance efficiency without sacrificing quality. Remember, AI isn’t about replacing the advisor—it’s about amplifying your capabilities so you can deliver even more value to your clients.
Stephen Boswell is a partner with The Oechsli Institute, a firm that specializes in research and training for the financial services industry. @StephenBoswell www.oechsli.com
