I have a confession to make: I’m a big superhero guy. I always have been. One thing I’ve always enjoyed about superheroes is that they never let people down. Whenever a character is in some trouble, the superhero comes right on time, to save the day. As advisors, we have to be our client’s superheroes.No, we don’t have to wear capes, but we do have to channel the power of being there for them when they need us. That the key to the value we must provide to our clients today. When our clients have a question, technology allows them to turn to Google to get an answer. They get an answer so broad that they believe it relates back to them. At this moment in time, you have now lost control of your client’s view on their financial situation. This ultimately leads them to get derailed from the plan that you have put together for them. But, they wanted an answer right away, and you were on a call or in a meeting. Or maybe they were too intimidated to pick up the phone and give you a call. As we enter an area where straight investment management is being challenged on a fee, we must continue to add value to our clients. The best way to do that is to meet them when they want, wherever they are and to make it as easy as possible. Technology doesn’t have to be something that we compete with but rather a tool to allow us to do what we already do, better.

One tool out there that we’ve used before is called Intercom. It’s a chat tool, and it’s simple to implement into your website. So, whether you have your own IT team or a company that runs your website, implementation is as simple as adding a couple of lines of code to your site. Trust me; even the least technical people can do it. The value of Intercom is that it helps you build stronger relationships with your current customers by answering questions in real time while also creating an opportunity to gain new customers by building prospect lists.

Ease of use: The cool thing about Intercom is its ease of use. You have your own portal that you can log into and see who is on your site currently or who recently visited. From this, you can chat with people that are on your website at the moment. Active problem solving for your current clients or active prospecting to gain new ones.

Proactive communication: Along with this, you can also quickly create simple automatic interactions that pop up right as a visitor enters your website. For example, maybe you want to tell everyone that visits your site something about recent market volatility, you can proactively assuage your clients before their anxiety reaches the “freak out” level. When someone enters your website, they’ll immediately get this message within a chat box. Afterward, the user can express their appreciation or distress at the moment. But right away, as the user responds to this note, either you or your team will be contacted. So, whether you are on your computer or on the road traveling, you’re able to begin chatting with.

Capturing Prospects: If someone is interested in learning more about your firm, you can start that conversation right away as they are thinking about it as opposed to getting back to them the next day when they’re not in the “committing moment” anymore. The ability to communicate in real time that is going to be one of the keys to driving growth in the future.

Conclusion: If your goal is communicating with your current customers more efficiently or capturing more qualified prospects, chatbot technology is for you. If you’re ready to learn how to get started being your client’s superhero, it’s time to learn more about Benjamin.