Never Stop Learning
Can we please take a moment to collectively pat ourselves on the back for learning all the new technology solutions we implemented over the past year?
Looking back, I feel the biggest lesson we have learned as a society is to Never. Stop. Learning.
The pandemic pushed us to embrace new technology quickly, like video calling, electronic signatures, and paperless processing. We did this out of necessity but rose to the challenge and now we can see all kinds of new possibilities.
This is what I love about learning: it opens the door to so many new ideas and opportunities we never saw before.
We Are Human, After All!
Technology is great, but it will never replace the human touch. The trick is to figure out how to leverage the convenience and efficiency of technology as a tool to enhance the human experience. Here are a few ways we see this working well today.
Have You Been to the Cloud?
If you haven’t embraced the cloud yet, I recommend starting your learning journey here. The term “cloud” may sound mystical, but it is just the next evolution of storage. We started with floppy disks in the 80’s, then CD-ROMs in the 90’s, and then USB drives and backup servers in our office followed.
The “cloud” is basically a massive server that can be accessed over the internet at any time, from anywhere. Your files are stored on this server at Microsoft (or another provider), where you can retrieve them by logging in to your secure corner of the cloud. This might sound scary, but it is much easier than the older file storage systems mentioned.
Enhanced Client Interactions
The demand for at-home convenience in commerce has been evident through the popularity of online shopping, self-serve websites, and apps on our phones. Offering a fully remote service is giving pain-free options to busy clients.
Providing that fully remote service in a way that wows them is what we call Advice Your Way at IPC.
It is much more robust than a phone or video call.
We blend the best technology solutions with the human experience and personal touch. Client engagement tools are flexible, to allow clients to decide how much they want to do on their own, and how much they want their Advisor to hold their hand along the way. This flexibility would not be possible without great technology, and its what makes Advice Your Way so effective.
Paperless Processing
A game-changer for many businesses has been going paperless. Reduced filing cabinet and offsite storage space, and less filing are time and cost savings for you and your clients. You can now give your clients readily accessible files that they can access from their phone, tablet, or computer. This provides easy reference for them, their Accountants and Lawyers.
If you have elderly clients who haven’t yet warmed to technology, I bet their sons and daughters have, and if you aren’t already connecting with the adult children on some level, you will be some day.
What a great gift to be able to make it easier for the next person stepping into the decision-making role by having all the files available at their fingertips from anywhere in the world. Paperless processing makes it easy to take on clients from all over the country, so you don’t lose the assets due to a wealth transfer to heirs.
Succession Planning
If you are planning to retire soon, it may not seem worth transforming to a digital workplace now; however, whomever buys your book of business will also be buying the systems you have in place today.
Your business will be much more attractive to potential buyers if your files, procedures, and client practices are already digital.
A house that was last decorated 40 years ago doesn’t bring in as much money as one that has been updated. The same holds true for businesses.
The Best Time to Learn is Now
Are you curious about a new technology system? There are probably a number of cool technologies available that you haven’t learned yet, many of which could really benefit you and your business. Imagine the advantage to your business if you had offered video calls two years ago?
Being in the training industry for so long has taught me that building new skills is much like exercise. Everyone knows they should do it, but many of us keep putting it off to a future date. It’s something you will never have time for unless you make the time for it.
So, take the time to learn now, while things are a little more settled, instead of being forced to learn on the fly. Put in the time to practice and be patient with yourself. Learning a new tool does get easier, and the benefits will have exponential returns for you, your business, and your clients in so many ways.
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