From tool sprawl to workflow wins

Why automation, integration and empathy will define the broker of the future 

Productivity has become the new battleground for brokers and advisers in today’s fast-changing financial services industry. Compliance demands are intensifying, administration is piling up, and digital adoption often means more systems, not more simplicity. 

At TechFest2025, FSPHub’s Craig Grasko (Business Development Director) and Sean Barrett (CEO) shared a refreshing perspective: technology should be an enabler, not another burden. Their fireside discussion painted a clear picture of how automation, integration, and empathy are reshaping what it means to be productive. 

Productivity in a Changing Environment 

As Grasko explained, the speed of business has accelerated dramatically. Remote work, client expectations for immediacy, and frameworks like COFI have redefined how intermediaries operate. What once worked manually now requires systems that deliver transparency, traceability, and speed, without compromising compliance. The key insight? Productivity and compliance cannot be separated. When compliance is embedded into workflows and automated across processes, advisers reclaim the time otherwise lost to “box-ticking.” Instead of being a distraction, compliance becomes a value-adding function. 

The Power of a Single Client View

 

Barrett highlighted one of the most transformative opportunities: integration. By consolidating all communication channels into a single client view, duplication disappears, and nothing slips through the cracks. Whether contact comes via email, WhatsApp, SMS, or phone, every interaction and document lives in one central record. The payoff is twofold, efficiency improves, but so does client trust. With a complete client view, advisers respond faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence. That professionalism strengthens relationships, which remain the cornerstone of financial advice.  

Automation Intelligence, Not Artificial Intelligence 

 

Grasko reframed the conversation around AI, suggesting we think instead of automation intelligence. Rather than chasing futuristic promises, automation intelligence focuses on practical tools that remove routine admin. Imagine a system that reads emails, identifies the right action, creates tasks, allocates them, and schedules follow-ups, automatically. This is the kind of background automation FSPHub is building. It doesn’t replace advisers; it frees them to focus on what matters most: clients. The lesson is simple, productivity won’t be won by more tech but by smarter, quieter automation that works in the background.  

Adoption Without Disruption

 

Many FSPs fear that new technology will drain time, money, or alienate older professionals. The fireside session challenged this assumption. With agile onboarding, firms can adopt standard workflows and templates in weeks rather than months. Adoption has been particularly encouraging: more than 30% of users are over 45. The reason? When technology is intuitive and instantly valuable, it overcomes resistance. Barrett emphasised that customisation is key. By embedding compliance rules, empathy-driven engagement, and firm-specific processes into workflows, advisers don’t lose their culture. Instead, technology extends it.  

Looking Ahead: 2027 and Beyond 

 

Both speakers agreed the future will hinge on consolidation, data quality, and collaboration. Productivity won’t be possible if brokers continue juggling six or seven disconnected systems. Success will lie in centralised data and workflows where automation removes duplication and drives seamless collaboration across insurers, platforms, and clients. Crucially, the goal is not to dehumanise financial services. Grasko stressed that automation must create space for empathy and trust, enabling advisers to focus on human connection while technology manages the background processes. .

Conclusion

 

The TechFest fireside distilled a vital truth: productivity is not about working harder, but working smarter. Compliance, integration, and automation are not obstacles to the human touch, they are its enablers. By embracing automation intelligence, creating a single client view, and tailoring workflows to their culture, brokers can reclaim time, reduce risk, and elevate client experience. 

Looking ahead, the winners won’t be those who resist digital change or drown in too many tools. They will be the firms that harness technology as an invisible partner, redefining productivity through empathy, professionalism, and trust.  

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