Rich Whalen is the Vice President of Technology Strategy and Execution at Equity Services Inc., a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser member company of National Life Group. Equity Services Inc. creates confidence in the financial future of its clients by supporting financial advisors with innovative technology solutions. Since joining the firm in 2018, Rich has been instrumental in enhancing its technology platform, contributing to improved efficiencies that allow advisors to focus more on client interactions. With a career that began in financial services as an advisor, he quickly became passionate about technology and its potential to improve financial planning processes. His unique perspective on using technology to give advisors the "gift of time" reflects his commitment to optimizing the customer experience and driving company growth.

In today's fast-paced financial services industry, optimizing time management and technology is crucial for staying competitive. This saves valuable time for the business and empowers clients to achieve greater efficiency in their interactions. But how can advisors implement these innovative strategies in their firms to streamline operations and significantly enhance the customer experience?

Experienced financial services technology implementation and management professional Rich Whalen shares his journey and insights into solving these challenges by leveraging technology to create what he calls 'the gift of time' for advisors. By integrating automation and efficient workflows, he emphasizes the importance of freeing time for advisors to engage more deeply with their clients rather than being bogged down by data entry and administrative tasks. Rich details how his team evaluates new technologies, ensuring their compatibility with existing systems to enable seamless data flow and minimal disruption. He also delves into the evolving role of AI in enhancing operational efficiency, sharing his forward-looking views on how AI could eventually anticipate workflows and improve decision-making processes.

In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Rich Whalen, Vice President of Technology Strategy and Execution at Equity Services Inc., about utilizing technology to optimize time management and customer engagement. Rich discusses how Equity Services gifts advisors more valuable time, strategies for evaluating and integrating new technology into an existing ecosystem, the role of tech in transaction flow and customer interactions, and the role of AI in financial services.