Futureform Powers Path’s CRM with Salesforce Financial Services Cloud

The Challenge

Building a future-proofed financial business from lead to account 

When Path was founded from scratch in 2019, this posed an opportunity for Managing Director, Ashley Bell, to pursue a digital-first approach to their customer relationship management (CRM) from the very start. However, it soon became clear that the CRM options they initially trialled were not fit for purpose.

Whilst industry-standard software would have been adequate from a back-office perspective, it could not deliver the modern, digital customer experience that Path envisaged. In particular, they don’t deliver open application programming interfaces (APIs). These allow connection with other applications for more seamless sharing of information and and remove the need for re-keying

Ashley had to find a solution that would support Path’s growth aspirations into the future.

“The beauty of working with Futureform is
having people on hand to fix problems or to make improvements when you need it—rather than having to build that capability into your core business. You know that you’re in good hands and they are quick to act if you’re in a pinch. They get the urgency and I think that’s highly valuable” – Ashley Bell, Managing Director

The Solution

Salesforce potential amplified by expert implementation 

Ashley had previously used Salesforce as a CRM and, when he saw that Salesforce was offering Financial Services Cloud, he knew it could provide the functionality and flexibility they required. Recognising that Path would get the best out of Salesforce with expert implementation and support, he chose to partner with Futureform due to their vast experience in the wealth management industry.

Futureform worked with Path to implement Salesforce Financial Services Cloud, overlaid with Futureform’s proprietary Wealth Management Industry Template, which customises Salesforce features to maximise the functionality and ROI of the software. The template delivers the solid foundation that a UK-based Advice firm needs including Fact Finds, Onboarding, Document Checking, Client Servicing and Portfolio Valuations.

The implementation process went smoothly and Ashley liked the modern collaboration tools used, such as Salesforce’s productivity tool, Quip, which kept meetings tight and focused. Ashley was also impressed with the way that Futureform was able to communicate well with all key stakeholders—from business management to paraplanners.

The Result

New staff being ramped up at triple the speed

Stage one of Path’s Salesforce implementation was to develop an efficient back-office wealth management CRM capability and Ashley credits Salesforce as a key factor in the fast rate of growth of the business.

The ease of use and efficiency of Salesforce means new staff can be onboarded quickly and easily, with no requirement to have previous experience with the software. This has been a key component in allowing the business to double in size in one year alone, with projections to do the same again.

Primed for the future: App development at a fraction of the cost

Path and Futureform are now looking ahead to the next phase of Salesforce implementation, with the launch of a client portal app that will leverage the full functionality of the CRM. Ashley estimates that working with Futureform and utilising Salesforce means that the app is being developed at a fraction of the cost versus developing it in-house.

Futureform is helping Path to deliver on its digital-first growth aspirations using the power of Salesforce.