at Financial Technnology Year
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Features in Client Onboarding Platforms
for Client Service and Operations
Digital solutions for streamlining new client acquisition, including electronic account opening, automated KYC (Know Your Client) processes, and digital signature capabilities.
We ask vendors to mark their product against our feature list. It is not available for all products and in some cases we have derived data from publicly available sources. The list of features follows. Vendors can add a further 10 key features of their own.
Automation & Workflow Management
Features optimizing efficiency and minimizing human intervention in onboarding processes.
- Approval Chains
- Defines and automates multi-level approval flows.
- Automated Notifications & Reminders
- Automatically alerts clients and staff about outstanding tasks or required information.
- Automated Task Assignment
- Distributes onboarding tasks to team members based on rules or workload.
- Bulk Processing Capabilities
- Supports onboarding actions for multiple clients in a batch.
- Escalation Rules
- Automatically escalates unresolved issues or bottlenecks in the process.
- Integration with Calendar Tools
- Synchronizes onboarding activities with calendar and scheduling platforms.
- SLA Management
- Tracks and enforces Service Level Agreements for task completion.
- Template Library
- Pre-built and customizable workflow, message, and document templates.
- Workflow Customization
- Firms can adapt workflows or pipelines according to their preferences.
Collaboration & Communication
Facilitates sharing and communication between clients, advisors, and back-office teams.
- Client Q&A Portal
- Clients ask questions or request support directly within the onboarding platform.
- Event Tracking
- Tracks all communication events and their timestamps.
- Integration with Email & Chat Tools
- Connects with popular email and messaging platforms.
- Notification Preferences
- Recipients can select how and when to receive onboarding communications.
- Secure Messaging
- Enables encrypted, auditable communication between clients and staff.
- Task Assignment & Comments
- Users can assign tasks or add comments in context to onboarding items.
- Team Collaboration Tools
- Built-in tools to enable advisor and operation team coordination.
Compliance & Regulatory Controls
Ensures that onboarding processes adhere to legal and regulatory requirements relevant to financial advisory firms.
- Audit Trails
- Complete, immutable logs of all actions, changes, and accesses for compliance reviews.
- Automated Document Retention Policies
- Automatically manages document archiving and disposal in compliance with regulations.
- Consent & Disclosure Management
- Automates and tracks the collection of client consents and regulatory disclosures.
- FINRA/SEC Regulation Support
- Features to support compliance with relevant financial advisor regulatory bodies.
- OFAC & AML Screening
- Automated Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks.
- Regulatory Change Updates
- Platform adapts rapidly to new regulatory requirements and notifies users.
- Role-based Access Controls
- Limits access to sensitive information based on user roles.
Cost & Pricing Flexibility
Models and transparency for costs associated with purchase and ongoing use of the platform.
- Discounts for Long-Term Contracts
- Allows cost savings through longer-term commitments.
- Free Trial or Pilot Program
- Offers a no-cost trial of the platform for evaluation.
- Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Option
- Pricing based on actual usage or number of onboarded clients.
- Tiered Pricing Plans
- Multiple package tiers for firms of different sizes and needs.
- Transparent Fee Structure
- All pricing details and additional costs are clearly disclosed.
Data Collection & Processing
Capabilities for efficient, accurate, and compliant intake and management of client data.
- Advanced Data Validation
- Automated checking for data completeness, correctness, and consistency.
- Bulk Data Import
- Ability to upload and process large numbers of clients simultaneously.
- Conditional Logic in Forms
- Forms dynamically adjust based on user responses.
- Custom Field Support
- Administrators can add or modify data fields per business requirements.
- Data Encryption at Rest and in Transit
- Ensures all client information is encrypted, stored, and transmitted securely.
- Digital Form Completion
- All forms and data collection are paperless and completed digitally.
- Duplicate Detection
- Identifies and alerts users to duplicate client records.
- ID Verification & KYC Checks
- Automated identity validation and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks.
- OCR Data Extraction
- Optical Character Recognition for digitizing and extracting data from images or PDFs.
- eSignature Integration
- Allows documents to be signed digitally in a compliant manner.
Integration & Interoperability
These features facilitate connection to other platforms used in financial advisory operations.
- API Availability
- Provides robust APIs for custom integrations.
- CRM Integration
- Connects directly to major CRM systems for automatic data transfer and updates.
- Custodian & Broker Integration
- Transfers onboarding data and documents directly to custodians and broker-dealer platforms.
- Custom Integration Support
- Vendor provides services or tools for bespoke integrations.
- Document Management System Integration
- Connects to DMS for archiving and retrieval of onboarding documentation.
- Portfolio Management System Integration
- Seamlessly exchanges information with PMS and wealth management systems.
- Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Supports SSO across platforms for streamlined user authentication.
- Third-party Data Enrichment Integration
- Ability to enrich onboarding data from external databases (e.g., credit bureaus, AML).
Reporting & Analytics
Tools for tracking, measuring, and visualizing onboarding performance and compliance.
- Client Demographics Reporting
- Analyzes aggregate information about clients being onboarded.
- Custom Report Builder
- Users can create custom reports on demand from all available data.
- Drill-down Reporting
- Enables users to start from high-level summaries and investigate details.
- Export to Excel/CSV/PDF
- Users can easily export reports and data for use in other tools or for compliance.
- Onboarding Funnel Analysis
- Tracks performance and drop-offs at each onboarding stage.
- Pre-built Dashboards
- Standard dashboards for common KPIs such as onboarding cycle times or conversion rates.
- Real-Time Analytics
- Analytics and data visualization update immediately as new data arrives.
- Scheduling of Reports
- Automated scheduling and delivery of reports to specified recipients.
Scalability & Performance
Ensures the onboarding platform performs efficiently as user numbers and onboarding volumes increase.
- Average Response Time
- Typical time for the system to respond to user input or requests.
- Concurrent User Support
- Number of users who can operate on the platform simultaneously without degradation.
- Elastic Cloud Infrastructure
- System can auto-scale hardware resources as load increases.
- Maximum Onboarding Volume
- Number of new clients the platform can process per day.
- Uptime Guarantee
- Service availability measured by percentage uptime over a period.
- Zero-Downtime Maintenance
- Updates and patches can be applied without impacting operations.
Security
Includes all measures and standards to protect sensitive financial and personal data.
- Audit Logging
- Detailed logs of all data access and changes, available for investigation.
- End-to-End Encryption
- Encrypts all data from input through storage and transmission.
- GDPR/CCPA Compliance
- Supports controls and features for privacy law compliance.
- Multi-factor Authentication
- Supports two or more authentication steps for all users.
- Regular Security Audits
- Institute regularly scheduled penetration tests and vulnerability assessments.
- Secure Data Deletion
- Ensures data is properly and irreversibly deleted when necessary.
- Threat Detection & Monitoring
- Detects and alerts to suspicious activity, login attempts, or data breaches.
Support & Vendor Services
Describes the assistance and ongoing service levels provided by the onboarding technology vendor.
- 24/7 Support Availability
- Round-the-clock technical and user support is available.
- Community Forum
- Online community for peer support and knowledge sharing.
- Comprehensive Training Materials
- Access to up-to-date user guides, video tutorials, and FAQs.
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Clients are assigned a vendor-side account manager for ongoing needs.
- Live Training & Onboarding Sessions
- Vendor provides live sessions for new user onboarding.
- Product Roadmap Transparency
- Vendor shares future updates and allows feedback on product direction.
- Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Documented SLAs for response, resolution times, and uptime.
User Experience & Interface
Features focusing on usability, client engagement, and ease of navigation for both clients and advisors.
- Accessibility Features
- Compliance with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), enabling use by all abilities.
- Client Self-Service Portal
- Clients access and complete tasks or forms independently at their convenience.
- Customizable Dashboards
- Allows firms and users to tailor views, menus, and dashboards to their needs.
- Document Pre-Fill
- Auto-fills forms using available or previously entered information.
- Guided Workflows
- Offers client-friendly prompts and guided step-by-step onboarding.
- Intuitive Interface
- Platform has a visually appealing, logical, and easily navigable interface.
- Mobile Compatibility
- Supports usage on mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.
- Multi-User Support
- Allows multiple parties (e.g., joint account holders, advisors) to collaborate on onboarding.
- Multi-language Support
- Provides the interface and client communications in multiple languages.
- Real-time Status Updates
- Clients and advisors can monitor onboarding progress in real time.
- Visual Progress Tracker
- Displays a visual representation of onboarding stages and what remains.