Pathfinder Award Winner Describes Vision for Superior User Experience on Comprehensive Platform, Advises on Ways for Industry to Drive AAPI Representation
In recent years, client experience has moved to the top of mind for many industries, including wealth management. Advisors and their clients need easy-to-learn products and services that enable their mission and remove friction rather than distracting, resource-consuming inefficiencies, frustrations, and a “read the instructions” attitude from the provider.
Ten years ago, as our industry was just waking to the importance of advisor and client experience, an executive at Morningstar boldly stepped out on his own to create a company based on a comprehensive, user-friendly, and yes – fun – a technology platform for advisors.
Ten years and 1,100 clients later, Hailin Li’s firm, Advyzon, won the highest user satisfaction rating in the All-In-One Software category of the annual T3 survey for five years consecutively, and in 2022 received the highest client satisfaction score for the Portfolio Management/Reporting Tools category and the second highest in the CRM category.
As CEO of Advyzon, Li continues to lead the firm in new initiatives, including a TAMP as well as a trading and rebalancing tool launched in March and April 2022, respectively.
In recognition of his achievements and impact on our industry, WSR named Li AAPI Portfolio Solutions Provider of the Year as part of the WSR Pathfinder Awards series.
We spent time with Li to learn more about both Advyzon’s achievements to date and his thoughts on how the wealth management industry can bolster AAPI representation generally.
WSR: What about your company’s vision are you most passionate about?
Li: What I am most passionate about in terms of our company vision is creating the best advisor experience that makes our clients’ lives much easier and helps grow their businesses. We want to not only provide them with a great experience but provide a high level of value with both our technology and the service we provide, which we believe is unrivaled in our industry.
When it comes to our technology, we want to not only make sure it’s functional, but we strive to make it fun to use and continuously develop our platform.
It’s our duty to continue to add to and improve the platform and not just maintain it – so we are constantly innovating and creating the best advisor experience possible.
We are most happy when we can delight clients with new releases or features that solve a problem, maybe even one they didn’t know they had.
WSR: What gave you the idea to launch the firm?
Li: I was inspired to launch a comprehensive technology platform for advisors around 2003 while working at Morningstar, out of the love and respect I have for the financial advisory profession.
I noticed the significant lack of focus on the advisor experience in the technology and services being offered to advisors – or should I say, the disjointed user experience for advisors – and wanted to do something about it and fill the void.
When Advyzon launched in 2012, the predominant way of thinking was that advisors should use all the “best-of-breed” solutions and cobble together their tech stack – there wasn’t really a comprehensive platform or solution at that time.
My vision was to have one company providing all the different solutions that an advisor needs for their daily workflow, providing a superior experience of using integrated technologies. Having everything in one place is undeniably a better experience for advisors.
WSR: How can the wealth management industry better drive AAPI representation?
Li: In addition to more awards and recognition programs like this one through Wealth Solutions Report, bringing better awareness of the wealth management industry and opportunities within the industry to AAPI professionals and students would be a good start.
In addition, getting more AAPI clients and assets under the umbrella would help drive more awareness and opportunities.
Another great way the industry could drive better AAPI representation would be for more companies within the industry to seek to hire AAPI professionals and students, especially those who need a visa sponsorship – ultimately creating more Asian Americans!
Michael Madden, Contributing Editor & Research Analyst at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at mmadden@wealthsolutionsreport.com
