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One awesome productivity tool you probably don’t realize you already have

Posted on June 6, 2013 by in Efficiency, Software

Dictation features included in your computer's operating system are awesome productivity tools you probably didn't realize you already have

The dictation feature in your computer’s operating system is an awesome productivity tool you probably don’t  realize you already have. Learn how to use it.

One of the easiest, most powerful productivity tools you can use is dictation software, but I’m willing to bet that most of you don’t use it.

Maybe you don’t want to buy software like Dragon Dictate, or you’re turned off by the inconvenience of using your phone to call in to a dictation service.

And most of the time, you want your dictation right away, not in 24 hours.

Speak vs. Type

Personally, I can type around an average of 70 words per minute, but dictating boosts my words-per-minute rate to well over 140, an easy 100% increase in productivity.

Did you know that you probably already have dictation software?

It’s free, and it works well, so you might as well try it.

Native Dictation

Dictation software is now built in to Windows and Mac OS; you just have to know how to turn it on and use it, a process neither OS makes obvious.

Head on over to my Morningstar Advisor column One Productivity Tool Right Under Your Nose to learn how to activate dictation in your operating system and start using it to boost your productivity.

 

Build your own email notifier using RSS feeds of financial services updates

Posted on April 3, 2013 by in Efficiency

Financial advisers need alternate ways to consume information via RSS feedsSeveral weeks ago, Google announced it will no longer support its Reader application after July 1 of this year.

Google Reader is a very popular way to read updates from websites scattered across the Internet in one convenient page. All updates are powered by RSS feeds (Rich Site Summary, or commonly referred to as Really Simple Syndication). So for any website you read on a regular basis, you can subscribe to receive updates inside Google Reader by adding the RSS feed URL.

The few die-hard financial advisers that continue to use Google Reader to consume information are now faced with dilemma of what to use going forward.

In this month’s Quickview update for Morningstar Advisor, I highlight one service to consider as a replacement to Reader, and also one way to build your own custom email news feed to deliver updates right to your inbox.

Use the following link to read Quickview: Feed Your Appetite for News.

Financial adviser workflow: How Deborah Fox is networking advisers with a one-stop shop for workflow

Posted on February 20, 2013 by in Efficiency, Technology, Video Spotlight

While attending the TD Ameritrade Institutional 2013 National Conference last month, I connected with Deborah Fox, founder of the Fox Financial Planning Network.

In our conversation, Fox provided insight on the need for systematized workflow solutions in the financial services industry.

“We wanted to provide tools in a way advisers could get quick results to fully systematize their practice and think through their business model,” said Fox.

I reviewed the Fox Financial Planning Network resources in January for Morningstar Advisor (see: How to add pre-configured workflows to popular adviser CRM software).

You’ll see how the network resources are not just a list of PDF files listing the steps advisers should follow to prepare for a client meeting, but includes CRM plugins (Redtail and Grendel are the first ones to support this integration) and live training webinars and discussions with Fox and other experts.

For more information about the Fox Financial Planning Network, visit them online at http://foxfinancialplanningnetwork.com/

(click to watch on YouTube)

 

How to add pre-configured workflows to popular adviser CRM software

Posted on January 14, 2013 by in Efficiency

workflow diagram

Adding workflows to CRM can be a time-consuming process. Here’s one plug-and-play solution for popular adviser CRM software.

You may not hear the following message from FPPad all that often, but it seems that in other trade publications, columnists continuously profess how adding workflows to your business drives scalability and profitability.

Sure, it’s true, and sure, it sounds great, but just when you’re ready to add workflows to your existing technology tools, you realize it’s not a 2-hour process.

Far from it.

Fortunately, there is a new solution for advisers that provides a huge library of pre-configured workflows, AND they come ready to drop right in to popular CRM software.

So if you’re part of the 50,000+ users of two specific CRM solutions, read on to find out how you might benefit from pre-configured workflows for your business.

I covered all the details in this month’s Morningstar Advisor column, Enhance Service and Profits With Workflows. Go read it now!

 

PODCAST: How PreciseFP streamlines routine data gathering and client collaboration

Posted on December 18, 2012 by in Efficiency, Podcast, Software

Don Whalen, co-founder of PreciseFP

Client data gathering and form filling are the least glamorous tasks that make up your workday, but the activities are essential to create financial plans with correct information.

Fortunately, there are a few solutions that can significantly streamline the arduous data-gathering process.

One product is PreciseFP, co-founded by Don Whalen and Sebastian Skwarek in 2008.

In what probably sets the record as the longest time between my initial discovery (see: Has Laborious Client Data Entry Met Its Match? from September 2008) and follow up, I connected with Don Whalen to learn about PreciseFP’s growth over the last four years and how PreciseFP has matured to be a reliable, cost-effective tool advisers can use to facilitate the data gathering.

Listen to the podcast below, and note that Whalen provides a discount code all listeners can use to receive 15% off their subscription to PreciseFP (not an affiliate code, I receive no referral fees if you sign up).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

How to find alternatives to popular apps and programs

Posted on October 4, 2012 by in Efficiency, Software

Last month Tungle announced they’re shutting down their popular public calendar and scheduling service (see: Tungle, my go-to calendar service, is shutting down. Here are public calendar alternatives financial advisers should consider).

I used Tungle to book well over 200 meetings, so I’m going to need to identify a suitable substitute for a public calendar.

What’s an easy way to do that?

One way to quickly identify alternatives to popular apps and programs is a website I covered in my latest Morningstar Advisor Quickview post.

Find out what it is by reading Quickview: Quickly Identify Alternate Software Solutions

Trumpet Publisher might be your answer to manually uploading hundreds of files to a file sharing site

Posted on September 26, 2012 by in Efficiency, Software

Jo Day, co-founder of Trumpet, Inc.

In my presentations to advisers, I talk about file sharing and synchronization services like Dropbox and ShareFile as an alternative to client web portals.

These file sharing services can sync to a folder on your local computer, so uploading and downloading files is as easy as dragging-and-dropping them in and out of a folder.

But what happens if advisers need to deliver hundreds of documents to all of their clients at once? This is exactly what happens during the quarterly portfolio reporting period.

One solution to avoid manual work is a new product from Trumpet, Inc. called Trumpet Publisher.

Trumpet Publisher integrates with the popular file sharing service ShareFile from Citrix (see: Rob Kirkland tells how ShareFile can be an alternative to Dropbox for advisers). The integration was announced in the press release a few weeks ago (see: Trumpet, Inc. Integrates with Citrix ShareFile)

To learn more about Trumpet Publisher, I spoke with Jo Day, co-founder of Trumpet, Inc., about her company’s latest product and how it can streamline many manual processes when attempting to share hundreds of documents with hundreds of clients at once.

Click the player embedded below to listen to the podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Tungle, my go-to calendar service, is shutting down. Here are public calendar alternatives financial advisers should consider

Posted on September 18, 2012 by in Efficiency, Software

My Tungle.me calendar

With a hat tip to Atlanta-based adviser Russ Thornton, I learned that Tungle.me, my go-to public calendar service, announced today that it is shutting down in December.

See the Life is About the Journey post from Tungle founder Marc Gingras on the company blog.

Sad but not surprising

This is a big disappointment, but it is not unexpected. Ever since being acquired by Research In Motion (the makers of BlackBerry mobile phones) in April 2011, Tungle’s blog and Twitter feed went silent, and customer service stopped responding to inquiries, mine included.

Still, over the two years that I used the service (see A Simpler Way to Schedule Meetings at Morningstar), I booked well over 200 meetings and avoided unnecessary correspondence.

Why advisers need a public calendar

In my Transformative Technology You Can Implement Today presentation, I demonstrate how financial advisers can stop playing “email Battleship” when attempting to schedule meetings.

Instead of the constant back-and-forth emails trying to lock down a time that works for all those involved in a meeting, public calendar services allow one or more attendees to draw in the times they are available, and everyone receives a confirmation when a time is identified that all can attend. No more “how does Tuesday at 1pm work for you?” volleys.

Tungle alternatives

Never one to leave FPPad readers out in the cold, here are some free and low-cost alternatives to Tungle worth investigating. I’m not making any one specific recommendation now, but will soon have to switch my own public calendar over to one of these services.

Have any others to recommend? Leave a comment below.

Ditch your antiquated office phone and upgrade to a modern system

Posted on August 22, 2012 by in Efficiency

Today you work in more places than just your office. Mobile devices and wireless Internet access allow you to choose from where you work and when you are available for clients.

So why do you continue to direct clients and prospects to call you on your office phone?

It’s time to get rid of the antiquated phone system installed in the office and upgrade to a more flexible service.

This month’s Quickview for Morningstar Advisor covers one phone service that lets you choose when and where you’re available by phone for anyone who calls you.

Be sure to read Quickview: Upgrade Your Outdated Phone System at Morningstar Advisor today.

How to host effective conference calls and get the most out of what used to be a dreaded experience

Posted on June 28, 2012 by in Efficiency, Practice Management

Let’s face it: this guy in the photo above is your worst nightmare for conference calls. Wind noise, road noise, and constant interruptions break the discussion flow and disrupts the thought process of everybody participating in the call.

In today’s Morningstar Advisor Quickview update, I highlight a new service designed to reduce all the frustrating things about conference calls so you can focus on collaborating and getting work done.

Go read Supercharge Your Next Conference Call at Morningstar Advisor and try the service for your next call.