Learn about the RIA technology and custodial service provider’s formula for service.
The math is simple: custodians have a finite number of support team members. As the custodian adds more advisors, there are fewer support team members per advisor until that custodian can add more staff.
However, the trend among custodian service providers seems to be that even with more advisors, the number of service people isn’t increasing. Instead, these firms may opt for a more automated approach – a less-human touch to help solve advisors’ issues en masse. That can leave advisors without access to proper support or, at the very least, less support than they previously received.
Let’s face it. Automation alone does not solve the complex operational issues registered investment advisors face.
TradePMR tackles this challenge with a relatively simple approach: rather than signing with every RIA under the sun, the firm only adds select RIAs that can benefit most from its offering.
Prioritize Existing Clients, Always
TradePMR has a single goal – to help RIAs grow and succeed. “RIAs” here refers to the advisors currently working with the firm. While adding new RIAs to TradePMR is undoubtedly important, it can never, and will never, come at the expense of the advisors currently working with the firm.
Not every RIA is the right fit for TradePMR. While every advisor that works with the firm is unique, we believe they all share one key trait: they are growth-minded. These are the advisors that we feel can benefit the most from TradePMR’s offering. RIAs can benefit from a hands-on approach to service to support them as entrepreneurs as they look to add more clients and expand their wallet share.
If TradePMR were to have a dip in service levels, or if the firm’s top-rated Fusion technology1 couldn’t scale to meet the needs of a growing advisor base, the firm would see that as a complete and abject failure.
Matching Internal and External Growth
TradePMR is constantly growing its team to allow for new advisors to join the platform and experience how Fusion can benefit their businesses. With this internal and external growth matching up, our position is that the firm can continue delivering its white-glove service to long-standing and new clients.
When advisors call TradePMR, the team answers in an average of 30-seconds. No long waits on hold or wasted hours navigating complicated phone queues – the growing TradePMR team is on-call and ready to support the firm’s expanding client base.
This strategy of matching internal and external growth benefits TradePMR’s service and helps improve the firm’s technology. While automation in place of service can cause real issues for RIAs, automation to support that service can be a significant value-add.
According to Scott Victoria, COO at TradePMR, “TradePMR looks to expand automation within the Fusion platform not to replace the human element of service, but to enhance it. The firm’s growth in recent years has enabled our team to expand our technologies so we can tackle advisor requests faster while minimizing the opportunity for human error.”
Growth Driving RIA Technology Development
“Service and technology go hand in hand,” lamented Victoria. “You can have one without the other, but the effectiveness of your firm could be greatly impacted. At TradePMR, we try to eliminate advisors having to choose between one or the other.”
As TradePMR has grown in service staff, it has also grown in technology staff - working to recruit some of the top tech minds in the country. Expanding the firm’s technology teams has allowed TradePMR to continue building out its Fusion platform to ensure the offering fits the needs of advisors today and tomorrow.
We believe TradePMR’s growth can benefit everyone, so long as it’s done with the needs of current clients front and center. With the right balance of internal and external growth, we feel strongly that TradePMR can continue delivering a high level of service alongside more advanced technology – a win-win for everyone.
“We believe advisors deserve a hands-on approach to service,” continued Victoria. “Rather than leveraging automation to cut down on costs for our firm, we look to use automation to maintain our white-glove approach to service as we continue to grow and serve more RIAs nationwide.”
Finding the Right Fit
Are you interested in seeing if TradePMR’s RIA-centric custodian services platform could be the right fit for your business? We’d love to have a conversation – we can dive into your unique firm and see if your RIA could be an excellent candidate to work with TradePMR.
1 T3/Inside Information Survey, Joel Bruckenstein and Bob Veres, May 2022, sponsored by AssetBook, Holistiplan, Advyzon, Addepar, and Fidelity Investments, T3/Inside Information Advisor Software Survey, Joel Bruckenstein, and Bob Veres, March 2021, sponsored by Salesforce, and 2019 Software Survey, Joel Bruckenstein, and Bob Veres, January 2019, sponsored by Orion Advisor Services and Morningstar, Inc.
