Best-of-breed Three ways to get more from your advisor technology

Technology changed everything for advisors. Before the pandemic, tech adoption was rising steadily. Then COVID‑19 hit and firms had to go digital overnight or risk falling behind.

Today, technology isn’t optional. It’s how advisors meet client expectations, reduce operational strain, and grow their firms with confidence.

Surveys show the shift clearly:

• 65% of firms prioritized technology investments over all other needs
• 69% of large firms and 66% of mid‑sized firms filled tech gaps exposed during the pandemic

But the pressure isn’t only about remote work. As Alois Pirker (formerly of Aite Group) explains, advisors are now expected to “quarterback” their clients’ entire financial lives, not just their investments. That level of service requires the right tools, data, and workflows.

The challenge?

Firms struggle to find the time, money, and bandwidth to evaluate, implement, integrate, and maintain new technology. According to Cerulli, the #1 barrier to tech adoption is simply not having enough time. High costs come next.

And with so many overlapping tools in the fintech space, it’s easy to end up with a bloated tech stack that slows you down instead of lifting you up.

So how do advisors choose technology that truly improves the client experience and supports long‑term growth?

Here are three strategies that make a real difference.

1. Understand what you actually need

Start with your clients. What do they expect? What do they value? What problems are you solving for them?Then look inward. What does your firm want to achieve?You don’t need every new tool. You need the ones that move your business forward. A focused approach helps you:

• avoid unnecessary complexity
• reduce redundancy
• build a stack that works together, not against itself

The pace of innovation can feel overwhelming, but clarity cuts through the noise.

2. Prioritize usability and adoption

The right technology only helps if people actually use it.

Before you commit:

• request a personalized demo
• try a pilot or sandbox environment if available
• see how naturally it fits into existing workflows
• evaluate onboarding, training, and long‑term support

If your team loves it, they’ll use it. If it feels clunky, they won’t, no matter how powerful it is on paper.

Usability is the difference between tech that sits on a shelf and tech that transforms your practice.

3. Choose technology that scales as you grow

Your firm today won’t look the same in three or five years. Your technology shouldn’t hold you back.

Ask every potential provider:

• Will this still serve us as we grow?
• Can it support more clients, more accounts, and more complexity?
• Is the provider committed to long‑term innovation?
• Will this still meet our needs during a major growth event?

Replacing tech every few years is expensive and disruptive. Choosing scalable solutions upfront keeps your firm agile and future‑ready.