Vinny Ferrari of Edward Jones
Broker-dealers and RIAs are grappling with how to best develop and invest in technology to aid their advisors and clients. Edward Jones Principal Vinny Ferrari, whose technology expertise includes 22 years working on Wall Street, knows these challenges well.
He recently discussed how Edward Jones — which includes about 15,950 advisors — relies on advisor teams to provide critical feedback on what would make their work processes easier. This includes being able to work more on mobile devices and using social media to maintain regular contact with clients.
What is your firm's view on client expectations regarding technology (online, mobile, etc.) for the next, say, year or two? And what is it doing to meet those client expectations?
Clients' expectations of how they use technology to connect with their branch teams (the financial advisor and branch office administrators) continue to increase. Our competitive advantage has always been the trusted relationships between our branch teams and their clients, and technology solutions must continue to evolve to ensure technology is a true extension of that relationship.
To exceed clients' changing needs, we are investing in systems and tools that deepen that relationship, while providing convenience and greater access to information. Clients also expect a consistent experience across multiple channels.
We've always excelled at the in-person experience, but their web, mobile and social experiences matter too and technology is integral to matching that in-person experience with what those other channels can provide.
What does your firm believe advisors most want for both their office and mobile technology over the next year or two? How is it trying to meet those advisor expectations?
Our financial advisors want the freedom and flexibility to serve clients from anywhere. While the branch office is often convenient for clients, other times they may want to meet at a coffee shop or via web conference.
Our goal is to support the relationship wherever and whenever it's convenient for the client with the industry's best tools. While our financial advisors are already doing this, we're making it even easier to access and use our entire suite of tools remotely — from a phone, tablet or laptop — so they can share meaningful information with clients while away from the office.
What new technologies, platforms, applications or other innovations has your firm introduced in the past 6–12 months? And why did it make these innovations?
We've been intensely focused on enhancing our tools to deliver a more consistent and deep experience for clients, particularly in light of evolving regulatory requirements. It's always been imperative for financial advisors to understand the client's full financial picture and to make recommendations that align to their interest first; and we keep making it easier to do just that. While every client's preferences — from appointment type to contact method — can be different, our process for engaging deeply with the client during an appointment is consistent and our tools support that process more than ever before.
Do you all have a tech-focused committee of advisors, and what does it do? Likewise, how does your firm regularly solicit and integrate advisor feedback on technology?
Yes, we have two main groups: our Regional Technology Advisor (RTA) group of more than 250 branch teams and our Client Solutions Leader (CSL) group of more than 250 branch teams serve as our sounding board when we introduce technology improvements as well as serving as advocates these changes to the rest of the field.
We engage regularly with our CSLs and RTAs and solicit feedback via online surveys. On a monthly basis, we meet with many of these branch teams via web conferences in which we share some of our planned enhancements and get their feedback to shape our strategy. They have the opportunity to share their "pain points" so we can understand how technology may be able to help solve problems, too.
