8th May AMA: I'm Kenny Foo, Xplan implementations expert, Ask Me Anything!

Are client reviews coming around too quickly? Is work piling up quicker than you can get to it? Then workflows may just be what you need!

Have questions like these?:

Where do I start with designing my review workflow in Xplan?
Could workflow automation help me keep track of compliance obligations?
How can I use Cases to track client service obligations?

Join me here on Thursday 8 May from 3pm to 4pm AEST.

I’ve worked with many practices to optimise processes and boost everyday efficiencies. If it’s to do with running your practice, there’s a good chance I can make it more efficient for you with Xplan. I’m here to help!

Start popping in your questions below and Ask Me Anything!

❗️Update: This AMA has now ended but please continue to pop your questions in the discussion forums and make sure you tag me at @kenny.foo

?️ Let us know what you thought of the AMA and what topics you would like to see next here.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

rainier.reyes

Welcome everyone to this AMA thread!

Please ensure you read the instructions on the right-hand side of this page.

Submit your Xplan questions, queries and feedback now by hitting the 'Reply' button on the post above and @kenny.foo will answer them via text during the scheduled time.

Not sure what to ask? I highly recommend checking out some of our blogs in the Xplan Hub for some refreshers, especially Kenny's latest piece about automating workflows here.

If you have any issues, please don't hesitate to send me a message.

Looking forward to seeing all your questions!

kellie.vizer

Threads are awesome but they can get quite complex with many different pathways. What is the best way / best program to use to to make a visual representation of the Thread so that it is easier to explain to everyone?

svincent

We have a bit efficiency deficit in our review process because we are not able to allocate threads as part of the workflows to clients based on SMAs they hold in their portfolios. We haven't been able to find a way to do this because the SMAs are not searchable in XPlan and instead we need to rely on manually producing lists each quarter from the client reporting options in the product provider websites and then relying on spreadsheets to track the workflow. Is there something we've missed in XPlan that would allow us to do this?

raylene.anderson

Hello!

We currently don't have a detailed review workflow thread in place. We looked at this late last year with the intent to start this to streamline our processes better this year. However, like mentioned by Kellie.vizer we found so many pathway options. Would love some advice on where to start that is easy for other staff members to follow. Thank you.

bernadette.shiels

Hi, What is the easiest way to setup a thread to automate sending emails to selected clients every year to remind them to top up super contributions by 30 June.

alison.isherwood

Hi- we've been advised by Iress that we cannot bulk update/remove/cancel review threads. This is causing a massive waste of time and we are in a position where we no longer want to use this functionality. Does anyone have a way to manage these reviews in bulk? Any shortcuts would be handy, as at the moment we have to go into each individual entity - go to Workflows and Reviews and manually change it. Thanks

jennifer.bendeich

- Is there a way to automate actions completed into a file note to meet licensee requirements?
Eg: FSG gets updated in admin section and also needs to be recorded as a note

- Seeking the best way to track implementation.
We get bogged down in tracking large implementation strategies, currently using one task to list the recommendations, steps that need actioning and recording note in task as it progresses. This then needs to be saved as a note with all supporting documents for auditing.
Is there a better way to keep on top of the deadlines and movements of implementation and all supporting notes and docs in one spot, rather than double handling when file checking??

rainier.reyes

Hi everyone and welcome to today's AMA! Great to see all your questions already. In order to see new questions and responses as they come in, make sure you refresh the page regularly.

If you find that you're receiving too many emails during the next hour, you can adjust your email notification settings:

Click profile in the top-right corner.
Click 'My settings'
Navigate to 'Follows & Notifications'
Adjust settings for each action - these are automatically set to immediate but you can change the frequency to 'daily digest', 'weekly digest' and 'never'

You can collapse certain Q&A threads by clicking the small arrow next to a post so you can focus on the answers you want to know.

Send me a message if you need any assistance!

kenny.foo

Miro, Visio, or Mural are great tools for mapping out your threads visually. Having said that, a whiteboard or butcher paper are also effective if you prefer a more tactile experience! If you find software/whiteboards too fiddly, you can do the same thing with sticky notes on a wall – this allows you to easily move the pieces around to get the right steps in the process.

I would also use a spreadsheet in conjunction to list out each task, outcomes, and activating conditions of each task. Number each task (e.g. “1. Book client meeting”) so it’s clear where you are in the process.

When designing a workflow:

Start small, keep the workflow as short and simple as possible, then once you’ve road tested the workflow in the business for a little while, then look at what else needs to be built in. If the workflow is too complex and has too many tasks to start with, this may create unnecessary noise and become a hindrance.
Consider who needs to receive notifications from a task. Would suggest only including those on a need-to-know basis only to minimise noise.

kenny.foo

The most straightforward solution I can think of is to:

Flag clients with SMAs – you could use fields like Client Category, Marketing and Interests, Newsletters, whatever makes sense for your practice.
Use Scheduler to kick off your review workflows by searching for the flagged clients with SMAs. You can find more info in this blog.

If anyone else on here have other ideas, I’d be keen to hear it!

kenny.foo

Howdy!

@laura.capozzi did a great piece on designing workflows.

To add to that, my advice is:

Always build your workflow in a Case template. Even if you’re not using the Case benchmarking feature, you can easily incorporate them in the future if you want to. Conversely, if you build your workflow using normal threads and you decide you want to leverage Cases, you’ll need to rebuild the workflow from scratch in a Case template.
(Per my response to @suzie.vincent above) Use a spreadsheet to list out each task, outcomes, and activating conditions of each task. Number each task (e.g. “1. Book client meeting”) so it’s clear where you are in the process.
Start small, keep the workflow as short and simple as possible, then once you’ve road tested the workflow in the business for a little while, then look at what else needs to be built in. If the workflow is too complex and has too many tasks to start with, this may create unnecessary noise and become a hindrance.
Consider who needs to receive notifications from a task. Would suggest only including those on a need-to-know basis only to minimise noise.
How do you want to kick off this workflow? Take a look at this blog to see what options you have available.

svincent

Thanks Kenny. I probably wasn't clear in my initial explanation. The issue isn't how can we do it but how can we access a data point that exists in Xplan but is not available to search on.

kenny.foo

Hi @bernadette.shiels, Scheduler's your friend! You can get Scheduler to search for clients that need to top up super (e.g. via client category or marketing/interests, or a Yes/No field you have on your site), and then to either just send an email, or also to kick off a thread for you to follow up and action. See this blog for more details. Also, look out for @laura.capozzi's upcoming blog on Schedulers!

kenny.foo

Hi @alison.isherwood, without knowing the specifics of what you're trying to achieve, there are a couple of options that might help:

1. If you're updating a Thread template, you can push the update to existing threads by clicking on the "Update All Threads" button. Note that this only updates threads which do not have any tasks activated as yet.

2. To close out threads in bulk, you can filter for tasks by thread template in Classic Tasks View only, and abort all tasks in bulk. You can then abort all subsequent activated tasks, choosing the shortest path, until the threads are closed.

If you need help with any specific scenarios, please raise a Service Desk request via Iress Connect for a team member to investigate.

kenny.foo

Hi @jennifer.bendeich, great questions!

Re: automating actions into a file note, there are a couple of options. If this task is part of a workflow, you can have multiple actions built into the task outcome, so that action 1 is to update the FSG page, and action 2 is to record a file note (using a template if you like). If this is not part of a workflow, after updating the FSG of all clients, run a Scheduler to search for all clients with FSG updated on that date, then create a file note again using a template.

With tracking implementations, this is a complex problem as you know, and the simplest solution I can think of is to use Cases with workflows linked to it. You could use a different Case template for each different type of implementation (e.g. Insurance, Super, Investment, etc.), then kick off a Case for each implementation item, e.g. Macquarie Super application, AIA insurance application. The Case benchmarks allow you to keep track of supporting material, and the workflow will help with keeping track of deadlines.

Alternatively, you could use note templates and utilise the follow up task functionality, so that all the required actions are captured in the file note, and the follow up tasks created will retain the file note information, and you can set a due date.

kenny.foo

Hi @susie.vincent, I see what you mean. Speaking with the product manager, the feedback is that the search capability was out of scope in the initial build due to its complexity, but they are aware of the need and are currently capturing feedback. So please keep a lookout for this as an enhancement item down the track. In the meantime, you can provide any specific feedback via the Service Desk tile in Iress Connect.