Report reveals advisers’ top industry disruptors

According to the Netwealth AdviceTech Research Report 2017, 38 per cent of advisers believe managed accounts and robo-advice will have the greatest impact on the sector over the next five years.

This was closely followed by scaled advice (37 per cent) and virtual online meetings (34 per cent).

Despite the status held by these technologies as major future disruptors, advisers have had little to do with them in 2017.

Currently, 72 per cent of advisers do not use scaled advice technologies for the provision of advice, while 97 per cent of advisers do not use robo investment technologies for their client super and/or investment portfolios, the report found.

However, managed accounts do have solid traction with advisers who plan to move into this space quickly.

According to the report, 35 per cent of advisers currently use managed accounts while 22 per cent plan to use them in next 18 months. Just 16 per cent had no interest in them.

Technology related tools that were flagged as “must-haves for the future” were front office in nature, reflecting the importance being placed on customer engagement, the report said.

While 23 per cent of advisers currently use online-self service tools to capture client information used in the fact-finding process and risk profiling, 59 per cent of advisers will start using such tools in the next two years, the research found.

Currently, 34 per cent of advisers use digital signature tools, however, 78 per cent of advisers who do not use them will look to adopt a digital signature tool in the next 18 months.

Meanwhile, virtual meeting technology is hitting a sweet spot with advisers. Fifty-two percent of advisers use virtual online meeting tools with clients and 77 per cent use Skype. A further 59 percent of advisers intend to start using virtual meeting tools. 

Netwealth joint managing director Matt Heine said, “The ability of the fintech industry to disrupt and challenge conventional thinking and processes can be uncomfortable and disconcerting, [but] represents an opportunity to change perceptions of the industry, to challenge customer expectations and to set a more consistent customer experience.”