Emma New | Financial Planning Support Service @rosefpsolutions

How much time do you spend manually inputting policy data into back office platforms? Many advisers extract data from provider PDFs themselves and then re key the identical details into systems such as Xplan or Intelliflo. This repetitive work consumes time and raises the chance of transcription mistakes. I have observed this issue directly with clients I support. One adviser, spending 2 to 3 hours every day on data entry, realised that transcription inaccuracies had caused compliance problems. Annoying and completely avoidable with an appropriate system available. When I developed the data gathering tool, I understood that removing manual PDF extraction was only part of the answer. If advisers still had to key the extracted data into their back office platforms, the bottleneck would merely shift, not be resolved. That is why I am creating a direct integration with Xplan. Rose FP Solutions collaborates closely with Xplan, a leading back office system for financial advisers, making it an ideal partner. Once finalised, data drawn from policy documents will transfer straight into Xplan with no need for manual re keying. This will guarantee precision through automated data flow, removing transcription mistakes completely and allowing you to focus your time on genuine advisory work. No more entering the same information twice. How much time does your firm spend re typing data that has already been extracted?

Arranging time to get in touch with clients and set up annual review meetings often takes more time than expected. There are numerous emails exchanging availability, following up with clients who have yet to reply, and identifying suitable times for all parties. At Rose FP Solutions, I can manage the scheduling for you within the annual review preparation service. This includes reaching out to clients, coordinating calendars, prompting replies, and confirming appointments. It removes one more obstacle, making it easier to complete reviews accurately and punctually.

If a provider accepts digital signatures, I can manage them for you at no extra cost. I use my own Adobe Sign subscription dedicated to this, so whenever I work with a provider that accepts digital signatures, I will take care of the process without adding any fees. This is simply included in the service I provide.

Annual reviews involve a lot of administration. Collecting policy details from various providers, then following up on any gaps, organising everything into a clear format, and completing it all before the review deadline draws near. This process demands time that could instead be devoted to advising clients rather than pursuing paperwork. I provide an annual review preparation service that manages the administrative burden on your behalf. I will contact the providers for up to date valuations and plan information, bringing together all the details you require, so you can concentrate on giving advice and engaging with clients. It is one less task vying for your attention during what is already a demanding time.

Do you ever find yourself digging through emails when a customer rings to ask about their case status? It is a familiar situation and rarely the most efficient experience for anyone involved. When I began managing administrative tasks for several advisers, I soon understood that keeping clear visibility is essential. Advisers must be able to respond to customer questions straight away, rather than spending minutes scanning through email threads to locate the latest update. That is the reason I keep real time status updates on every case I manage. When a customer calls, you can immediately see the current position: whether it is awaiting information, with the provider, or close to completion. No need to trawl through emails, just instant answers. This offers your customers assurance that their case is progressing and saves you time on every enquiry. The details are always current and easily accessible. How quickly are you able to respond to a customer asking about their case status?

Managing several cases at once can become quite challenging, particularly when it becomes difficult to keep on top of each one’s status. At busy times, it is easy to lose sight of which cases are waiting for information, which are with providers, and which are ready to be finalised. When I began supporting administrative tasks for numerous advisers, I soon appreciated the need for a system that provided clear visibility. Depending on memory or digging through emails was not a practical approach when juggling multiple cases. That is why I developed a work in progress visibility dashboard. It provides an overview of all active cases with real time status updates. This helps ensure nothing is missed, even when workloads are at their busiest. This allows your customers to receive regular updates and enables you to stay in control, no matter how many cases you are handling at once. How do you keep track of multiple cases during your busiest periods?

Keeping clients updated throughout ongoing cases can often prove quite difficult. I have noticed advisers spending many hours manually sending updates to clients, time which might be better spent on strategic planning or advancing the work itself. When I began managing administrative tasks for advisers, I encountered the same issue. Sending update emails took up far too much of my time, and it was clear there must be a more efficient method. That was the motivation behind creating an automated update system. Automated messages are sent at key milestones without any manual input, and for any stages not yet set up, I send updates personally. Whether it is receipt of documents, start of analysis, or completion, these updates keep clients informed without any extra effort from me or the advisers I support. This method has almost entirely removed the frequent ‘where are we with this?’ questions. Clients feel well briefed, and advisers can concentrate on progressing the cases instead of managing status updates. How do you manage keeping clients informed during your administrative workflows? I am interested to hear about your experiences.

The financial planning sector lacks seamless integration. Advisers must access numerous systems just to carry out their daily tasks, and I appreciate how disruptive that lack of cohesion can be. At present, I am focusing on connecting RFP with Plannr and Xplan. The aim is that when cases are finalised, your back office and CRM platforms will refresh without any manual effort. My ambition for RFP is that it should consistently operate as a smooth extension of the systems you use regularly, rather than as an independent tool to oversee.

Annual reviews ought to be strategic discussions. They should focus on your client’s objectives, their advancement towards these, and any necessary changes due to life events or shifts in the market. That is where your expertise truly makes a difference. All too often, they turn into administrative tasks instead. You find yourself pursuing missing details from providers, managing delays that are not your responsibility, and piecing together incomplete data while trying to keep the conversation professional and strategic. Your attention is on what is lacking rather than giving your full attention to the client in front of you. I can take care of the administration so your reviews become what they are meant to be. The discussion turns strategic and centred on the client and their financial future, rather than provider delays or absent valuations.

Data Gathering often takes up a lot of time. You could spend hours going through policy documents to find the essential policy details, yet Rose FP Solutions offers a more efficient approach: I have created a bespoke AI PDF extraction tool that is built to quickly extract accurate policy information from PDF documents. However, it does not end there, as I carefully check every data point and liaise with providers to chase any missing details. This method not only speeds things up but also ensures each element is managed by a skilled administrator. How much time would you reclaim by delegating your Data Gathering?

An annual review should come across as professional and well organised. Complete details paired with clear analysis and a focused discussion on a client’s goals. However, gathering all the information for an annual review takes up a lot of time. Delays from providers mean you end up apologising for missing valuations or incomplete data, which weakens that sense of professionalism, even though the hold up is not your responsibility. I manage the review preparation so you enter every meeting fully equipped. The client experience remains smooth no matter how tricky providers make things behind the scenes. If you want to make certain your clients’ annual reviews always include all the necessary information, please get in touch. I would be pleased to talk about how Rose FP Solutions can support you.

When a colleague is on holiday or unwell, obtaining clear updates on their cases can be challenging. A customer rings for an update, but the person responsible is not available, and no one else has access to the necessary information. As I began collaborating with multiple advisers and their teams, I realised this would be a frequent issue. Cases could not be allowed to stall every time someone was absent. That is why I developed a system for team wide case visibility. Each team member can access any case raised by a peer, no matter who is managing it. This ensures consistent service for your clients. There is no need to panic when someone is unavailable. The details are accessible to everyone who requires them. Naturally, only the case owner gets update notifications to prevent inbox overload. However, if you would prefer alternative notification settings for your team, that can be easily organised. If you would like support with your administrative tasks, schedule a meeting with me. I would be happy to have a chat.

Obtaining up-to-date policy details from providers for annual reviews often takes a considerable amount of time. You find yourself waiting for replies that take too long, only to chase them again due to incomplete information. This slows down your preparation, and providers seldom make the process easy to manage. Rose FP Solutions can take care of those provider communications on your behalf. I will collect all the necessary policy information so you can concentrate on analysing and creating valuable recommendations for the review.

Are you aware that certain providers will accept requests by email yet choose to reply through the post? You can send them an email, but their response will come through the post. It would be amusing if it were not so frustrating. Somehow some providers have the systems to receive emails but lack the means to send them. If you are an adviser, I would be interested to hear how you explain this to your customers.

I really appreciate receiving feedback like this. It means a great deal to me. I created Rose FP Solutions because I saw how much time advisory practices were spending on administrative tasks. These were important duties that had to be done but were not the best use of adviser skills. This kind of work was preventing teams from concentrating on what genuinely matters, supporting their clients. Knowing that my service is having a real impact, that advisers are benefiting from the help and reclaiming time to focus on advice, is what motivates me. It is easy to become caught up in day to day tasks and lose sight of the bigger picture. Feedback like this serves as a reminder of the value I am providing to practices. Thank you for taking a moment to share your thoughts with me.

Financial advisers work under strict regulatory observation. Their response times are checked, service standards are evaluated, and failing to meet these results in repercussions. However, when providers cause similar delays, it is a completely different situation. Having spent many years in financial planning, I have witnessed advisers being held responsible for delays beyond their control. Cases remain stuck in provider queues for weeks, customers grow irritated, and advisers are left apologising for issues they did not cause. At the same time, the providers responsible for the delays face very little scrutiny. To add insult to injury, when a provider admits to their mistakes, the customer receives compensation, but advisers do not, despite the hours lost and the wages paid for staff time. It must feel like a harsh injustice. This unequal treatment is not only unfair but also detrimental to customers who deserve a better experience from everyone involved. The situation for customers will not improve in any substantial way until providers are held to the same, if not greater, standards of accountability as financial advisers. If placing customers first is our goal, accountability must be mutual.

Crucial case notes disappearing in overloaded email inboxes is a real challenge for busy advisers. Vital information hidden beneath hundreds of other emails. Time lost trying to locate that one message about a particular case. That is the reason each case has its own dedicated communication area. When you want to discuss a specific case, that discussion stays within the case itself. When I need to review what was said about a certain client, it is all there. No scrolling through long email chains. No guessing which inbox folder holds the details you require. No chance of overlooking something important because it became buried beneath other messages. Important messages between us will never be missed, as the conversation takes place exactly where the case is. Simple, structured, and much easier than dealing with overloaded email inboxes.

Sending each mortgage lender update manually to customers takes up a lot of time. You get an email from the lender and then need to forward it to the customer, frequently more than once during the application. When I began managing mortgage admin, I realised this repetitive job was distracting from more important work. Just passing on emails did not add any value. That is why I developed an automated status notification system. Updates are sent straight to customers at crucial points, with no manual forwarding needed from me or the advisers I collaborate with. Reducing admin time means more opportunities to deliver meaningful advice.

Extracting data from policy documents can take up hours of your or your team’s time. It is quite common to spend several hours combing through just a few policy documents to find the information required. Because we were the ones doing this extraction, we realised we needed a more efficient approach. That is why we created an AI PDF extraction tool tailored to quickly and accurately retrieve policy data from PDFs, cutting down hours of work for everyone involved. However, we do not rely solely on AI. While we value the support these tools offer, we are not yet comfortable trusting critical data entirely to them. Therefore, we personally check every piece of data and engage directly with providers to clarify any missing details. This method delivers speed while ensuring a skilled administrator reviews every aspect, so you can be confident there will be no delays or errors. How many hours could you save by outsourcing your Data Gathering once you have the file back fully compliant and ready to proceed to the next stage?

How much time do you devote to manually inputting policy details into back office systems? Many advisers extract data themselves from provider PDFs and then key in the identical information again into platforms such as Xplan or Intelliflo. This repetitive process wastes valuable time and raises the chance of transcription mistakes. I have witnessed this issue directly with clients I support. One adviser who spent two to three hours a day entering data uncovered that transcription errors caused compliance problems. Annoying and completely avoidable with the right solution in place. When I created the data gathering tool, it was clear that simply stopping manual PDF extraction would not fully solve the problem. If advisers still had to manually input the extracted data into their back office systems, the bottleneck would merely shift rather than disappear. That is why I am working on a direct Xplan integration. Rose FP Solutions collaborates closely with Xplan, and as one of the main back office platforms for financial advisers, they are an ideal partner. Once finalised, data drawn from policy documents will transfer straight into Xplan without any manual re entry. This will guarantee accuracy by automating data transfer, removing transcription errors altogether and freeing your time for genuine advice work. No more entering the same details twice. How much time does your practice waste re entering information that has already been extracted?