Katie’s LINC Presentation and the Time She Flew

If you’ve ever called WrapManager and been welcomed with a crisp British accent, you’ve had the good fortune to speak with Katie O’Connor, Director of Client Services, over the phone.

In her role, Katie works to ensure that our team is utilizing the best technology available today. By combining this technology with a white glove client experience, Katie has helped our customer service approach one to be admired and shared within the industry.

As she says, “[because we use] the best technology to deliver a white glove customer service, advisors from around the country want to learn from our experience. And that’s why TD Ameritrade invited me to participate on a panel at their annual National LINC conference [which is for financial advisors] in San Diego this year.”

The panel discussion “Leverage Workflows in Your CRM” focused on how financial advisors who use best practices in their customer relationship management (CRM) tool can provide better service to their clients.

After the panel, we sat down with Katie to hear more about why this topic and this conference, should matter to WrapManager clients.

Q: When TD Ameritrade first approached you, what did they ask you to speak about?

A: When TD initially asked me to speak on a panel at LINC, they asked me to present as an expert on automated workflows! It might not sound like the most glamorous of topics but it is important to our business. 

Automated workflows are a series of repeatable tasks or actions that allow us to organize client requests in a centralized, systemized way. In the big picture, this allows us to provide a consistent client experience every time.

Q: Why do our processes mean so much to us as a company? And, why should our clients care that you and the First-Class Service team put so much effort into their creation and maintenance?

A: By providing a consistent client experience we hope to take some weight from our clients' minds. We want our clients to rely on us and trust us with their financial futures. Providing a white glove customer experience is our number one goal in helping to ensure that they’re able to spend time on what matters most to them.

Our focus on client service actually was born out of our mantra that 'We're here to make good things happen for other people,’ which is reflected on posters around our offices.

Q: Was there anything that you learned about while at the conference that you thought was beneficial and you think will help our clients in the future? 

A: TD Ameritrade is a leader in technology and we want to take advantage of their experience for our clients! I wanted to learn about the exciting new technologies in their pipeline. I also love to meet other advisors and find out how they do things. Different advisors have different strengths and it's important for us to learn and grow to effectively serve our own clients.

Q: Now that you’re back home in San Francisco with us, what was the most exciting part of the conference aside from your presentation?

A: David Cameron, a fellow Brit and the former UK Prime Minister, was a keynote speaker this year.  He was witty and candid and he shared a lot of his learning experiences in governing the U.K. Importantly he spoke about how having the best idea is not enough to win people's support if they don't believe in your values and motives.

At WrapManager our values and motives - our commitment to our clients - drive every one of our decisions. We strive to do our best and we hope our clients feel that. 

The other great experience I had while in San Diego was meeting our TD Ameritrade colleagues (with some pictured above) face-to-face. We speak to them multiple times a day and to meet them in person helps solidify our strong bond.

Q: Okay, last question - I hear that you had an eventful experience just getting to San Diego. Want to tell our readers about that?  

A: Due to bad fog in San Diego (yes, in San Diego!) my flight from San Francisco was delayed for 14 hours. We eventually boarded the plane only to be told we faced more delays. The air stewards kindly let me off to get something to eat and when I re-boarded they asked if I'd like to sit in the cockpit! 'Absolutely!' I dropped my food and jumped into the pilots’ seat.

As many who know me would testify, I ask a lot of questions. The pilot answered all of them, including my excited 'What does this button do? How about this one?' I was in awe. 

At WrapManager we believe in the value of continued education so that we can do our best to serve you. To learn more about how WrapManager can serve you, request your personalized investment plan here, or email us at wealth@wrapmanager.com today.