Here are some of the questions we are often asked.

What data does client-Assyst hold?
What if I use a laptop as well?
What about remote working?
Is client-Assyst a fact-finding system?
Can client-Assyst handle investment business?
Can it help me with mail-shots?
How can client-Assyst help my business?
Can commission-Assyst handle fees?
What about claw-backs?
How can commission-Assyst help my business?
Can I network these systems?
What other enhancements are planned?
What if I need support?
How can your software be so inexpensive?

What data does client-Assyst hold?

Simply speaking, all of the following data that would normally appear on your fact-find. Plus, information to allow you to manage your business and conform to your record-keeping requirements.

What if I use a laptop as well?

No problem. client-Assyst has been specifically designed for use with an office machine and a laptop. You can use the Connections facility to transfer / copy back and forth just those clients you are going to visit, leaving the master database on your office machine. (** You will need a copy of client-Assyst for both computers)

What about remote working?

There are a number of options here depending upon what you want to do.

If you simply want access to your system and database when you are away from your office, we can set up some free internet software that will allow you to access your client-Assyst database via the internet

If you want to grant access to your system and database to someone else, perhaps an administrator who works away from your office, again with a second license for this person, this same free internet software can be used.

If you want multiple people to access to your system and database, perhaps remotely based advisers, we can recommend some additional Microsoft software that will enable you to do this.

Is client-Assyst a fact-finding system?

Strictly speaking, client-Assyst wasn’t designed to be used in front of a client, nor was it designed to capture every last piece of detail that some compliance managers require. But, the database does contain most of the information you would capture on a fact find. It does capture of all the detail to allow you to be able to service your clients, and will print out the fact-find in many different formats, including those required by many of the networks.

Can client-Assyst handle investment business?

Yes. You can store any number of investments for a client, and each can have multiple funds. For each fund you can store a number of units, and a unit price. All these are ‘rolled up’ into a total for the investment, and investment schedules can be printed for your clients. To update the portfolios, you enter a fund price once, and all portfolios for all clients invested in the same fund(s) are updated. A portfolio report shows growth since acquisition and annualised growth of each investment.

Can it help me with mail-shots?

Yes. The Search facility can be used with every field on the database, and any combination of fields (e.g. all males, aged 30 or over, earning greater than £30,000, who are self-employed, and live in Surrey (!)), to identify your target clients. client-Assyst then links with Microsoft Word to automate the mail-merge.

How can client-Assyst help my business?

Diary - shows everything you need to do/follow up.

Review date report - every policy can be stored with a future review date, at any point in the future. So you won’t forget those reinvestment, or top-up, opportunities!

Birthday report - will ensure you don’t forget a client’s, their partner’s, or their children’s birthdays.

Portfolio report - details for your client, all of their investments, growth since acquisition, and annualised growth.

New Business Register - details all cases sold, sequenced by Consultant and Submitted / Start Date. The New Business register is automatically populated based on information in your database.

Pending Business Report - shows all cases that have not yet gone into force, with any outstaning 'actions' that need to be completed.

Time Allocation Report - shows the time recorded against each client.

Can I network these systems?

Yes. You will need 1 license per computer that needs to access the database (discounts for additional licenses). Your system will be set up with a single client database and multiple people can access or update data at the same time.

Can commission-Assyst handle fees?

Yes. You can record and track proc fees (for mortgages), one-off fees from a client for advice, and regular client management fees.

What about claw-backs?

If a case goes 'off the books' you can simply tell commission-Assyst that no further commissions will be due. All existing amounts already received are still accounted for. If you need to claw-back amounts, these are simply entered as (negative) amounts due. These can be receipted as 'received' (in this case clawed-back) when the provider deducts the claw-back from your next payment.

How can commission-Assyst help my business?

commission-Assyst uses the same data about clients and cases that you have entered into the client-Assyst back-office system, therefore no duplicate data entry.

You can set up all the commissions you expect to receive for a case, and each case can have multiple commission streams e.g. indemnity up-front, then a renewal of trail stream starting later on.

When you receive a payment from a provider, you can very simply 'tick' what has been received. An adjustment facility is available should the amounts from the provider for a case, differ from what you were expecting.

Periodically at a time to suit you, the system will present a list of all those commission amounts that you have received and you can then select to distribute / pay those amounts to any consultants or introducers that have been involved in the sale.

A full reporting suite is available to allow to you to see what commissions have been received, what have been paid out, and what you are expecting. Various 'business analysis reports are available to show you summaries of what has been received to date, and what you are projected to receive in the future.

What other enhancements are planned?

We keep an ongoing list of user suggestions, and periodically ask for ‘votes’ on what is wanted next. On our current development list is the ability to link to providers systems to obtain up to date client, case, and value information.

What if I need support?

Telephone support and bug fixes are provided free during the first 120 days. We will usually call you back within 30-60 minutes of you registering a problem. Training courses can be arranged, although the vast majority of our users have not required training. client-Assyst and commission-Assyst really are very simple to learn and use.

After 120 days, a support fee of between £30 and £60 per month, depending upon the number of licenses, provides unlimited ongoing support and upgrades / enhancements as they become available.

How can your software be so inexpensive?

We prefer to ask (and maybe suggest that you ask them!), "Why are the others so expensive?"