WEbinar

AI in Practice: Onboard clients and open accounts with less work

54:16
Watch Replay

Winning the account is the beginning, not the finish line. AI in Practice Episode 4 picks up after a prospect accepts a proposal (Episode 3). This episode previews a new Zocks integration with Schwab Advisor Center© that takes account opening from meeting notes to a signed account, start to finish.

New account opening commonly takes 9 days with numerous manual steps, each one a tax on the client's trust. Re-keying data the advisor already has, chasing a status update, digging for a stalled signing envelope, or reworking an application that comes back Not in Good Order (NIGO), all chip away at a new client's first impression before the relationship even starts.

With Zocks, opening new accounts takes less work and reduces NIGOs. Watch the replay for a first look at how Zocks and Schwab work together: meeting data captured accurately, applications prefilled and validated against Schwab's requirements before they're ever submitted, envelopes pre-populated for your final review, status tracked and visible to the whole team rather than one Ops inbox.

For the advisor and Ops team, that's real time back on every account opened, time to provide a more personalized onboarding experience. For the client, a clean account opening is the first proof that you keep your promises, the kind of first impression that builds retention and earns the referrals that grow your book.

  • Turn meeting notes into a prefilled application: Zocks pulls relevant data like client info, account type, funding intent, and beneficiaries from your meeting notes into the Schwab new-account application for you to review. No re-entry.
  • Catch errors before they're NIGOs: Zocks validates the application against Schwab's requirements before it's submitted.
  • Verify before it's sent: Zocks pre-populates the account-opening envelope in Schwab, so you review, add anything else that needs a signature, and send with confidence.
  • Track every account opening in real time: Status is visible inside Zocks, so you always know which accounts are ready to bundle into one Schwab envelope, and you can update the client before they have to ask.
Q&A
When will Schwab Account Opening be available?

Schwab Account Opening is currently live with a small group of pilot firms, and we expect general availability in early Q4. Until then, most users won't see the "Open account" option on the client contact page. To be notified as soon as access opens to your firm, sign up at resources.zocks.com/schwab-early-release, or reach out to your Zocks account manager.

How is Zocks different from opening an account directly in Schwab?

Zocks doesn't replace Schwab Digital Account Opening; it fills it in for you. We're launching with Schwab's own account opening application, so the content is the same as what you'd see when opening an account directly in Schwab. Instead of re-typing client information field by field, Zocks prefills it from meetings and your connected systems, validates it against Schwab's requirements, and hands it to Schwab's standard workflow. The result is less manual data entry and fewer NIGOs.

How does Zocks get the information to prefill the application?

Zocks takes what was discussed in the client meeting and uses it to prefill the Schwab account opening application. Personal details such as a date of birth, driver’s license information, or Social Security number can come from the meetings or from connected systems. Anyone with access to the client's contact in Zocks and to the Schwab master account can pick it up, review it, fill any gaps, validate it with Schwab and submit it.

What systems can Zocks pull client information from?

Zocks can pull client information from connected systems including your CRM, financial planning tool, and email. For example, if a client’s date of birth appears in an Outlook email and that integration is active, Zocks can pick it up. Account Opening works with CRMs connected to Zocks, including Salesforce, Redtail, and Wealthbox.

See the full list of integrations.

Who can run the account opening workflow?

The workflow isn’t limited to the meeting host. Advisor assistants and anyone with access to the client's contact in Zocks and to the firm's Schwab master account can start, review, and submit the application.

Which account types are supported?

You can open Schwab One brokerage accounts and IRAs:

  • Brokerage: individual, joint, tenants in common, community property, tenants by the entirety, living trust (revocable or irrevocable), and custodial
  • IRA: traditional, Roth, rollover, and inherited. SEP and SIMPLE IRAs are coming in a future release.
Does Account Opening work for new and existing clients?

When Account Opening becomes generally available, it will support both new and existing clients. Zocks prefills the Schwab digital account opening application whether you're onboarding a new client or opening an additional account for someone who's already your client.

How does Zocks help ensure the application is accurate?

Client conversations are one of the most important sources for account opening, and capturing them accurately is hard. Every financial and personal detail has to be pulled correctly and attached to the right person, which many note takers find difficult.

With Zocks' best-in-class accuracy, the prefilled details, and therefore your account opening application, come through correct. That means fewer NIGOs. On top of that, Zocks validates the application with Schwab before submission, and you review every field before anything is sent.

How does signing work?

Zocks prefills and validates the application. The envelope, e-signature, and DocuSign steps then run through Schwab Advisor Center® just as they do today, so there's no new signing process for you or your client.

Will Zocks support other custodians?

Schwab is our first custodian, and we're already in material discussions with Pershing and other major custodians, as well as third-party vendors that provide digital client onboarding in support of multi-custodian firms.

PRESENTED BY
Zocks
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Speakers
Matt Halloran
Chief Evangelist, Zocks
Rachel Long
Principal Practice Management at Zocks
Chris Smith
Solution Engineering at Zocks