It occurred to me the other day that our Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) clients are making better use than most of free online productivity tools for communication and sharing information. In the main, they use Google Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Documents and Microsoft OfficeLive Workspaces to work with their clients, partners and service providers like us. So, why are they so keen on these tools?
Well, for a start they are free. I guess you'd expect a financial advisor to sniff out a good deal, so its no surprise to find them exploiting the latest suite of free offerings. However, they are also keen to make the most of these tools, and we're always being told of the new features they're using. Most surprising is that they seem to understand both the technology and collaboration concepts - they "get it" whereas many still don't - and they are all enthusiastic Ambassadors for virtual working. The UK needs more people like them.
Most of our IFAs synchronise their email and Google Calendar with an iPhone or Blackberry, so they can work on the move - IFAs spend a lot of time out of the office in client meetings - and stay in touch with their Virtual PA and Para-planners. A few are real information workers, embracing iGoogle to consolidate Gmails with Chat and web information via Google Reader, and including Social Media in the mix too. Others use Google Docs or MS OfficeLive Workspaces to share documents, depending on their preference, and some use VHQ WebOffice databases to maintain and share online client records.
All these features - calendar, workspaces, synchronisations, etc - work really well for IFAs, and Virtual IFAs in particular, and they are easy to use. I take my hat off to them for getting stuck-in to new ways of working, it makes my life more interesting trying to keep up with them!
What do you use these tools for? ... I intend to examine a few of these tools and how we use them over the coming weeks, starting with the differences between some of these document sharing tools: what they offer, how we use them and where they can help us save time and money.
For more ways to help you save time, money and hassle Search This Blog or visit www.office-lifeline.co.uk
