Ascensus announced that it will launch a new, customizable retirement “digital sales experience.”
Central to the release is an updated plan sales proposal system debuting in the fourth quarter of 2020 for advisors accessing Ascensus-branded solutions. Ascensus will expand the availability of the new system to institutional partners shortly thereafter.
Following on their open architecture, advisors will have the freedom to feature the service model, investments, and managed account programs that best serve their clients’ needs.
It will also feature:
- multiple levels of investment and service customization to satisfy advisor, plan sponsor, and broker-dealer personalization needs,
- a compelling visual system optimized for the screen, making it easier for advisors to sell virtually,
- a new interactive framework, complete with embedded communications and demos to preview employer and employee experiences; and
- the flexibility to present the plan journey end-to-end or navigate to the topics most relevant to clients.
“We’ve transformed Ascensus’ proposal system to allow advisors to select plan features that suit their clients’ unique needs,” Jason Crane, Ascensus’ head of retirement distribution, said in a statement. “The platform also tracks data analytics and provides reporting to facilitate targeted messaging, yielding more efficient and productive outcomes for advisors and our partners.”
This “sales experience” is an example of what the firm says is its dedication “to providing the retirement tools and resources necessary to help people save for what matters.”
Managed accounts
Earlier this year, Ascensus launched the READYSAVE retirement mobile app and expanded its managed accounts services in response to the growing client and employee demand for more personalization and guidance.
“The soon-to-launch Ascensus digital sales experience will further enhance our ability to track and measure how employers are engaging with our services,” Kevin Cox, president of Ascensus’ Retirement line of business, added. “These insights will help inform how we continue to enhance our products and technology to meet the evolving needs of the advisors, institutional partners, and employers we serve.”
Ascensus administers more 115,500 retirement plans, 6.2 million 529 accounts, 405,000 health savings accounts, and 22 ABLE plans.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
