I recently jumped onto Advisely to answer all your questions about optimising your advice document processes in Xplan.
Here are four of your best questions that came out of this AMA:
Q: Is there any best practice examples on how to show insurance policies (existing and recommended) in an advice document that is easy to understand for the adviser and customer?
It’s so important to present insurance recommendations in a way that’s easy for both clients and advisers to understand.
One effective approach is to list all insurance policies – both existing and recommended – in a single table, with a clear column for the recommendation (e.g. Hold, Replace, Adjust, Recommend). This provides a simple, consolidated view that shows the complete picture in one place without the need to jump between sections or tables.
If you're using Xplan, there are standard Xmerge codes available to support this layout, which you can find in the Xmerge Code Library on the Iress Community. If you'd like help setting it up, our Tech Services team is available – just raise a request via the Iress Connect Portal using the Xmerge Connect tile (note: there may be a cost for this service).
Q: I'm always looking for tips to make our current process more efficient. We are using managed field content better than we have previously, so wondering if there is other functions we can utilise to streamline or automate the process further.
Great to hear you’re making the most of Managed Field Content – it’s one of my favourite hidden gems in Xplan, especially for advice generation.
There are so many tips for improving efficiency using Xplan - it's hard to know where to begin! Here are a few features that might be worth exploring:
Digital Signatures & DocuSign Integration
If you haven’t already, consider using digital signatures to streamline the process of collecting client sign-offs. You can use Iress' native Digital Signature solution, or the recent DocuSign integration - more information on both options can be found as follows:
Client Portal Fact Find
This tool allows clients to complete their fact find online, which automatically updates in Xplan, reducing manual data entry and helping ensure information is always up to date. More information can be found here: Client Portal Resources
Task Outcomes
You can automate a wide range of actions using Task Outcomes – like updating fields (e.g. Next Review Date), creating file notes, sending emails, and more. It’s a great way to reduce admin time and make sure key tasks aren’t missed. Please refer to this article on Task Outcomes for more information.
Schedules
Schedules let you automate activities across groups of clients, such as triggering review workflows, sending emails, or managing Fee Consent. You can create a series of automated steps and schedule them to run regularly. For more information, refer to this article available in the Iress Community on Using Schedules.
There’s so much potential to streamline processes – if you’ve got a specific pain point you’re trying to solve, let me know and I’d be happy to offer more tailored suggestions. Or anyone else feel free to jump into the comments and share ideas!
I should also add, that some of my colleagues are also regularly sharing great Xplan hints in the Advisely forums - so definitely keep an eye out for those!
Q: Could you recommend any existing platforms that integrate with Xplan and support the creation and distribution of newsletters containing compliant financial content for clients? We are looking to streamline the process of sending and creating newsletters for clients.
While there are currently no integrations available via Iress Open that directly support this use case, our Integrations team is continually engaging with partners, so we recommend keeping an eye on the Iress Open integration space in the Community for any new developments.
In the meantime, you might like to explore the Iress Financial Knowledge Centre, which offers branded monthly newsletters designed to help clients live with money confidence. It’s a great option for providing compliant, client-friendly content with minimal effort.
Q: It's obviously early stages with the proposed changes but I'm wondering if Xplan is gearing up for these changes and if Xplan feels there's a big difference between the old and new SOA/CAR? There's a bit of media coverage suggesting it's not going to look much different?
That’s a great question, and definitely a hot topic right now. We’re keeping a close eye on the proposed changes and are actively thinking about the future of advice and how Xplan can support it.
While the proposed Client Advice Record (CAR) appears to contain much of the same core information as the current SOA, we see this as an opportunity to rethink how advice is delivered to clients. Rather than continuing with long, compliance-heavy documents, there’s a chance for CARs to become more engaging, client-friendly, and easier to understand, while still meeting regulatory requirements.
At this stage, Iress hasn’t released an official plan regarding CAR support in Xplan, but it’s very much on our radar – so definitely watch this space!
If you want to know more about Xplan optimisations, head over to the discussion forums and ask a question – don’t forget to tag me at sarah.jacobs!
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