I was really proud that abrdn Wrap was voted Best Platform (AUM over £40 billion) for the ninth year in a row at the recent Schroders UK Platform Awards.

I was proud because it was voted for by you and because, for the ninth year running, you chose us on merit.

When you choose to partner with us, you can be confident that we’re putting our financial strength to work for you. We’ll continue to invest in our business delivering what you’ve told us you need, taking a long-term view in the same way you take a long-term view with your clients.

Providing you with strong and sustainable support

In my last blog, I set out how the next phase of the Adviser Experience Programme will see Wrap and Fundzone adopt a more intuitive user interface (UI), with smoother end-to-end journeys for ISA and Personal Portfolio products as well as improved reporting functionality.

These technology enhancements have been designed to future-proof your firm, and help it develop and grow to drive its success over the long term. They will be a key enabler for your business so we’ve taken the time needed to get this next phase right in order to provide you with strong and sustainable support to meet your clients’ ever-changing needs.

Supporting the emotional connection you have with your clients

Market-leading technology may lie behind our Adviser Experience Programme but the programme is built around powering your financial planning.

When I speak to advisers, the one thing that always strikes me is your absolute commitment to looking after your clients, especially during challenging times.

You also consistently tell me that time is your biggest constraint in doing what you love - and what your clients value - most. That’s talking to clients and tailoring their financial plans to the hopes, dreams and aspirations they have for themselves and their families.

So in this next phase of the Adviser Experience Programme, we’ve carefully tailored the technology to not only free up more of your time to deliver that trusted guidance, but also, to support the emotional connection you have with your clients and to help power your conversations.

Upgrading Wrap and Fundzone’s UI and increasing its helpfulness and usability means it will be quicker and easier to facilitate clients’ needs with us, relieving some of those administration pressures.

Take our new ISA quote for example. With faster client onboarding, we’ve halved the number of data inputs needed to produce an illustration - saving you minutes when you carry out a quote for a client.

We’ve also made key product data easier to find, like a client’s remaining ISA allowance and any regular instructions. This information is now up front on the client’s summary landing page, meaning you can confidently carry out client servicing tasks in just a few clicks – saving further time on administration.

Helping you bring valuation reports to life for clients

We’ll continue to support you in doing business your way and being the easiest platform to partner with.

The platform will offer around ten customisable features, such as fund shortlists, table editors and favourite filters, so you can configure the UI to your own needs and preferences. It means less searching and saving you time, every time.

We also know that the vast majority of new business for adviser firms is generated during the annual review meeting with clients – and most new assets are invested or moved around following that meeting.

It’s the reason why a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to make sure the new-look UI is as efficient and intuitive as possible. Not only will it save much-needed time, but it will equip adviser firms with the tools and data they need to have richer conversations with their clients.

If we can help more businesses to be profitable, they can in turn help more clients to prosper.

With new features such as performance graphs, benchmarks and an investment insights section, the improved reporting functionality, part of this next phase of the Adviser Experience Programme, will help you bring valuation reports to life for clients.

You’ll be able to quickly create powerful, compelling and persuasive reports to put in front of clients at those all-important review meetings.

Also available through the one-stop, easy-to-use reporting suite are over 25 report features, fully customisable to each client, to create a more personalised, tailored experience for them. You can add commentary and upload images, including adviser signatures and photographs.

The technology we’ve invested in makes the complex appear simple. It will also provide adviser firms with the long-term growth they need, while supporting their commitment to clients, as they offer the reassurance that only advisers can.

Helping your clients plan, save and invest for their futures

At the Schroders UK Platform Awards, I was also delighted that abrdn Wrap was awarded Leading Platform for Discretionary Management.

The market-leading technology on Wrap helps you effortlessly tailor clients’ investment portfolios that they’ve entrusted to us, so powering the service you can give to them.

The next phase of our Adviser Experience Programme will continue to power the service you can offer clients, for the long term, so you can better help them plan, save and invest for their futures.

Don’t forget to take a look at our Adviser Experience Programme support hub to get the latest updates and to make sure you get the most from the improvements we’re making.

The value of investments can go down as well as up and your clients could get back less than they paid in.

The views expressed in this blog should not be regarded as financial advice.