Productivity Apps

5 great productivity apps for Financial Advisors

As a Financial Advisor, you have plenty on your plate. From juggling client meetings and managing your business to maintaining compliance, marketing for new clients and offering the best possible experience.  You’re likely working through a variety of tasks daily so here are 5 productivity apps to help you get more done.

For Financial Advisors, productivity is usually closely linked to your income. So, you may be looking for ways to be more productive and get more done.

With the advancement of technology, I think it’s fair to argue that it has become easier for Financial Advisors to be productive as the right tech often reduces tedious admin and manual tasks.

In fact, I’m so passionate about technology that I founded my own FinTech to teach Advisors how they can take their practices into the 21st century using technology.

In my time as a financial advisor with my own RIA, I’ve tried and tested multiple productivity apps and software to not only fine-tune but increase my productivity. I’ve narrowed down a list of 5 great productivity apps for Financial Advisors, and I’d like to share these with you here.

Calendly

I’ve always found that the process of scheduling client meetings manually was a major hassle.  How many back and forth emails does it take to schedule a meeting?  One too many!  I use Outlook & Google calendars function but wanted something more when it came to scheduling to improve my productivity..

I discovered Calendly about 5 years ago, it’s a gamechanger for Financial Advisors to schedule meetings and want to maintain a healthy structure to their day without lots of back and forth distractions.

Calendly simplifies the scheduling process with by directly connecting with your calendar.  You set your own schedule and then the rest takes care of itself.

Calendly can help you schedule any kind of meeting, appointment, or event, as well as focus time, buffer times, and vacation days. 

I’ve found the Calendly interface quite user-friendly, and I especially love that it integrates with up to six other calendars.

The tool automatically checks your availability when someone wants to book a slot in your calendar. It takes into account time zones and your colleagues’ schedules and allows for buffer time in between meetings.  Buffer time is great because, let’s face it, we all need a break between meetings that require extensive focus.

From one-to-one chats to webinars, each person connected to Calendly will receive a notification that you want to schedule a meeting with them.  They can then select from the hours that you choose to be available.  I love using my Calendly link on my website and in my email signature and autoresponder, the easier I can make it for people to schedule a meeting the better AND I get to control when I am willing to meet with people.

There is also a browser extension for Calendly, which gives you quick access to the tool when you’re working in your email app and so on.

The great thing is that most of Calendly’s features are available in their free basic version, but you can also purchase their paid versions from $8 per user. 

Asana

Trying to work from a chaotic to-do list scribbled down on a yellow pad just didn’t cut it for me anymore. I wanted to manage my tasks and projects in a way that made sense and boosted my productivity. This is where I found Asana to be excellent. 

The app is essentially an automated project management tool that allows for collaboration and workflow management. But using it within your firm can really make everyone’s day more effective.

It has a free basic version that includes most of its features, which is fantastic, but their paid plans are also quite affordable, from $11 per month.

I also like that Asana can be integrated with so many other tools, such as Slack, Zoom, and Calendly, to improve productivity and collaboration, especially when working remotely.

Asana will give you an overview of what’s on your plate and what’s on your staff’s to-do lists. This can help with time management and delegation. You can also create Gant charts to keep everything on track.  I use it primarily for any task I would have previously jotted down on my yellow pad, everything from birthday reminders to one-off special tasks that are time sensitive.

Slack

On a basic level, Slack is a group messaging and communication app, but it’s also packed with other useful features that I really like.

Used by some of the most influential companies globally the app aims to make teams feel connected no matter where they are in the world.  I also like how it cuts down on what would have been many emails back and forth, now I can just slack my team to discuss X and be on our way.

Slack has loads of extra tools and integrations to make communication and collaboration more effective. Also, many of the apps you’d need as a Financial Advisor allow for Slack integrations – like Calendly, for example.

This app is free for its basic version, which offers plenty of features. Their pricing for paid plans starts at $8 per month.  I’ve been using the free version for sometime now and found it to work just fine.

Grasshopper

If you’ve taken your firm virtual – and I really suggest you do – Grasshopper is a great tool. It essentially turns your personal smartphone into a business line, all while keeping your calls totally separate.

Having a business phone number just looks more professional, and it saves you from giving your personal number out to clients, which can lead to after-hours time creep.

As a Financial Advisor, you also don’t want to miss any calls, no matter where you are on the globe. A missed call could be a missed opportunity. Grasshopper helps with this.

The app also has features like custom greetings, extensions, and call handling.  And, it also has a computer app so I can literally make calls from my computer or smartphone and it shows my firms 800 number that I am calling from, no matter my physical location.
This is an affordable option for small businesses as you don’t have to invest in a phone system, with plans from $14 per month.

Email Autoresponders & Nurturing tech

You’ve probably experienced an auto-response email already.  Ever receive an out-of-office email?  Ever set one up before going on vacation?  But email autoresponders and email nurturing goes so much deeper than that. 

Autoresponders allow you to send automated email responses whenever you get an email.  For my wealth management firm I have one set up to respond automatically to all emails.  It tells people why they’re getting it, gives them a link to my Calendly, lists my assistants contact info, and when they can expect to hear back from me.

Typically, you can setup your email autoresponders with whichever email service you choose to use.

How do email autoresponders make you more productive? They save you a lot of manual work

I also love a form of this for email nurturing campaigns that can passively send emails that you set up (once) to your email list. This drives engagement and can even result in new client meetings.

If you’re marketing an eBook, for example, you can automate the process.  Use an autoresponder to save you time (and a headache) of nurturing that prospect manually.

My favorite email nurturing program is ActiveCampaign.

Final thoughts on productivity apps

Believe me when I say that there is no magic app or piece of software that will make you a productivity ninja. Your productivity is entirely determined by you. However, there are some great productivity apps out there that can help you.

By automating arduous tasks, organizing your schedule down to the minute, and managing your workload the smart way, you’re creating a foundation for improved productivity. I hope that these tools help get you started!

An important side note is compliance for financial advisors.  Any of these tools you may use you need to make sure that they are either being monitored & archived appropriately for compliance purposes OR that you are not discussing any specific client data in them.

I’d love for you to learn more about my online course for Financial Advisors.  We cover & teach on how to leverage technology within your firm. Check out my website to learn more about my online training. 

Also, keep an eye on my blog. Each week, I share insights and top tips for Financial Advisors to survive and thrive in the digital age.

Sending you good vibes,

Derek Notman