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Live from the 2013 Laser App Conference in San Diego: Laser App Software Focuses on Push toward Mobility

Submitted by Technology Tools for Today on August 28th, 2013

WHAT: The Laser App 2013 conference brings 300 broker-dealer executives and software providers into a collaborative environment to focus on technology trends and integrations. The focus this year: optimization of working in a mobile practice.  Everything from the "Advisor adoption of technology" presentation, to integrations with the major custodians, and to e-signing acceptance is all geared toward broker-dealers supporting their reps in a mobile environment. 

Last year, Laser App created a pure HTML platform (Laser App Anywhere), secured it, released the platform into Beta, polished it, and enhanced it. This year, Laser App has made several integrations and updates for the rep, broker-dealer, and custodian to provide easier smart forms, data mapping, and data transmission.

HOW: With Laser App Anywhere, the SDK is 95% similar to existing SDK used by Laser App, making integrations easier and allowing Laser App to bring on 20 new integration partners, a huge accomplishment in 8 months. These have included: 

  • Account opening and commissions:  Gentech, Fetterlogic, WinOps, EAI, BD Equalizer
  • CRM:  Redtail, Smart Office, Grendel, Salesforce, Appcrown, Advisors Assistant
  • Data Aggregation:  Albridge, Investigo, Panoramix
  • Document Imaging:  Laserfiche
  • Electronic Signing:  Docusign, Signix, Echosign, Silanis
  • Custodian: TD Ameritrade

The highlighted partners will be making related technology announcements at this year’s conference.

In working with custodian and clearing firms, Laser App has also identified bi-directional flow for any account type as an important area for future development and is working with several clearing firms to create an account opening clearing platform that joins Laser App, imaging technology, and eSigning as well as CRM, Laser App, and account opening. Laser App is also working with clearing firms to be able to launch multiple version of the same form.

WHY: These integrations and platform developments underscore a commitment to normalize workflows and processes for processing business. To achieve straight-through processing in a mobile office, the adoption of e-signing technology is an important step. Right now approximately 70 broker dealers and product carriers have approved e-signing of their forms in Laser App.  That is roughly 10% of our forms vendors.  The innovators are done, early adopters are almost done, and now it is a matter of e-signing reaching its tipping point.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TD Ameritrade

Filling Out Forms No Longer a Pain in the App for Busy Advisors: TD Ameritrade Institutional Announces Integration of Laser App® Anywhere: a New Cloud-Based Tool to Help Advisors Complete Forms Faster and on Mobile Devices

Data entry enters a new era for advisors stuck pushing paper. A big part of an advisor’s day can be spent filling out numerous and often redundant forms for clients which takes valuable time away from managing relationships and growing the business. TD Ameritrade Institutional1 offers advisors relief and becomes the first custodian to offer Laser App® Anywhere, cloud-based technology that auto-fills forms and eliminates the need to enter and re-enter information such as client addresses and phone numbers.

A move from the desktop to the cloud makes Laser App Anywhere accessible from any device connected to the Internet, including Mac and PC computers, iPhones®, iPads®, Android and Blackberry phones and tablets. Tech savvy to novice users benefit from easy access to client data which can be securely transmitted and imported directly from TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Veo® advisor platform or the advisor’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. Advisors can save time by grouping the most frequently used forms for quick access and using built-in integrations such as account opening workflows. Laser App Anywhere is free to advisors who custody assets with TD Ameritrade Institutional.

“Using the valuable integrations TD Ameritrade Institutional has built with Laser App Anywhere and Veo, advisors can spend less time processing paperwork manually and realize cost savings and increased productivity,” said Robert Powell, vice president of sales and marketing at Laser App. “This new offering further demonstrates TD Ameritrade Institutional’s commitment to providing advisors with breakthrough technology integrations that can create efficiencies in a firm’s day-to-day operations.”

For more on this announcement, see the full press release, under embargo until Wednesday, August 21 at 8:30am CT. 

MoneyGuidePro

Technology Firms Join Forces to Give Tomorrow’s Advisors Free Access to Core Advisory Software

Several major advisory technology firms have formed a new partnership called FAStech, which will give participating universities free access to eight leading software technologies used by advisors. The goal is to familiarize tomorrow’s financial advisors with the technology they will use in their day-to-day lives as financial advisors to give them a competitive edge when entering the market-place. Software providers involved in the initiative include: MoneyGuidePro (financial planning), Redtail Technology (customer relationship management CRM), Laser App Software (Laser App Anywhere - mobile forms-filling), Fina Metrica (risk profiling), IPS AdvisorPro (investment policy statement), tRx (rebalancing), Orion Advisor Services (portfolio management), and Laserfiche (document management).

“In starting FASTech, our mission has been to deliver technology to those students with a passion for financial planning. As we grow, we will look to partner with software providers that share our interest in promoting the welfare of tomorrow’s advisors. Knowledge of core technologies, such as Laser App’s forms-filling solution, will help FASTech students be more competitive when they graduate,” said Chad Blythe, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development, MoneyGuidePro and Founder of FAStech.

Laserfiche

Laserfiche Integration with Laser App®

The Laserfiche Integration with Laser App enables Laser App users to make use of all the normal Laser App features, like filling out forms in the Laser App® interface, but adds the ability to post these forms as PDF to Laserfiche for validation and further processing. Metadata can be reused to configure which folder the form is sent to, what the document’s name will be, and may map the Laser App® form fields to Laserfiche fields.

Simple Configuration

  • Supports all form types provided by Laser App.
  • Configurable import service allows you capture the data you need for your validation, including information about the agent filling out the form, the client’s CRM information, and any data entered into the form itself.
  • Easy and centralized setup allows you to deploy quickly to a large number of Laser App desktop client installations.

Quadron Data Solutions

What are the top developments impacting the broker-dealer industry?

Here are some thoughts on this hot topic from David Fetter, CEO of Quadron Data Solutions, at the 2013 TechLeaders Conference.

“The big transition happening right now in the industry is about the platform. It’s about how we deploy a unified solution to our advisors that supports any product and any custodian.  It is no longer an option to perform supervision, customer maintenance and suitability oversight to one level on brokerage business, and to another level on direct business.  The bar has been raised. You have to provide that same level of compliance oversight and functionality across all of your business.  You can only do that by putting together a unified solution.  The integration of systems into more holistic platforms for the front, middle and back office is, and should be the push.” (Video)

Silanis

Silanis to Present Top E-Signature Use Cases for Broker-Dealers at Laser App User Conference

Silanis Technology, the leading provider of electronic signatures to the insurance industry processing more than 600 million documents per year, will host a presentation entitled, “The Top Three E-Signature Use Cases for Broker-Dealers” August 22 and August 23. As part of the Laser App conference in San Diego, Silanis’ presentation will be based on a decade of experience in the insurance industry including working closely with broker-dealers through the company’s partnerships with Ebix and Aplifi.nThis session will answer common questions from broker-dealers including:

  • What is the best type of electronic signature?
  • What is the optimal e-signature workflow to ensure high user adoption?
  • What processes or use cases should be automated with e-signatures?

Panoramix

Panoramix, a data aggregation solution has, completed its LaserApp Anywhere integration which will be showcased in their presentation at the conference.

Redtail

Redtail will also be making an announcement at the Laser App Conference. Details coming soon.

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