- Are your processes compliant?
- Are your systems secure?
- Are your teams trained properly?
All valid questions.
But in our experience, the biggest challenge to GDPR compliance for advisers isn’t always internal.
It’s external.
The real issue: inconsistent provider practices
One of the most frustrating (and often overlooked) barriers to GDPR compliance is the inconsistency in how providers handle data protection.
Quite simply, it’s hit and miss.
- Some providers encrypt emails as standard, others don’t
- Some insist on secure portals, others still rely on basic email communication
- Some actively discourage advisers from communicating securely, declining password-protected documents
This lack of consistency creates unnecessary risk and frustration for adviser firms trying to do the right thing.
When “doing the right thing” becomes difficult
We’ve seen situations where providers:
- Refuse to accept documents containing personal information in a password-protected format
- Actively request that documents are sent as basic, unsecure email attachments
- And even some instances of providers suggesting that documents should be sent by post instead!
Let’s pause on that for a moment.
Sending sensitive client information by post… in 2026… as a workaround for digital security concerns?
Aside from the obvious GDPR implications, the operational impact is significant:
- Delays in processing
- Slower client outcomes
- Increased admin time
- Higher costs
All because secure digital processes aren’t consistently in place.
Not all providers
To be clear, there are providers who take GDPR seriously.
They have robust encryption and secure upload systems in place, and working with them is seamless.
However, it’s the inconsistency across the wider provider landscape that creates the real problem.
The accountability gap
Here’s the uncomfortable question:
Why aren’t providers being held more accountable?
Advisers operate in a highly regulated environment where GDPR compliance is non-negotiable.
Yet when providers:
- Reject secure methods of communication
- Fail to encrypt emails
- Push advisers towards less secure alternatives
..there appears to be little consequence.
A wider issue for the profession
If GDPR is to be taken seriously across the industry, it needs to be applied consistently, not selectively.
Advisers have invested significant time, effort, and resource into protecting their clients and operating within GDPR regulations.
So it’s a fair question to ask:
How can adviser firms be expected to uphold these standards, when large provider firms are not consistently held to the same level of accountability?
]]>Taking a little time now to step back and look at how your firm actually operates can make a significant difference to the year ahead. Once client work and day-to-day demands take over, it becomes much harder to review what’s really working and what could be improved. A short, intentional pause to think about your systems, processes and capacity, and whether your tools are being used to their full potential, can help set a more productive tone for the months ahead. It can also ensure that the business can truly support the success of that great business idea that you have in mind for rolling out in 2026.
Here my suggested 5 questions to ask yourself as part of reviewing your current set up and planning ahead for 2026.
1. Where are we losing the most time?
Time loss is rarely obvious on the surface. It’s usually hiding in:
- Repeated manual tasks
- Work being redone because information wasn’t recorded properly or processes weren’t followed.
- Chasing updates, documents, or approvals
- Staff training or development needs
If something regularly causes frustration or delays, that’s usually a sign of a process (or system) not working as it should.
2. Are we relying too heavily on certain people?
If one team member holds key knowledge in their head, that’s a risk, for efficiency, resilience, and morale.
Ask yourself:
- What would slow down immediately if someone was off unexpectedly?
- Are processes documented clearly enough for others to step in?
- Are roles and responsibilities well defined?
A strong Financial Adviser firm shouldn’t grind to a halt because one person is unavailable.
3. Are our systems helping us or just being tolerated?
Most firms already have more tools than they realise. CRMs, Cash Flow tools, research tools, document management systems, task trackers; often with features that go largely unused.
It’s worth asking:
- Are we using our systems to their full potential?
- Do we understand what they can do, or just how we’ve always used them?
- Are we paying for functionality we’re not leveraging?
There’s a good chance that you may also find that you’re paying for system that you no longer need or use and can instantly save some money!
Often, efficiency issues aren’t about needing new systems but about getting more value from the ones already in place.
4. Where are we still working around the system instead of with it?
Workarounds are a red flag.
Spreadsheets alongside a CRM, duplicated data entry, “temporary” processes that never went away, these all add friction and increase risk.
If your Financial Adviser team regularly works outside your core systems to get things done, it’s worth reviewing why.
5. What would break if volumes increased tomorrow?
Do you have a new service you want to role out? Increased marketing planned, new Financial Advisers coming on board or a client bank that you’re looking to purchase?
Growth exposes weaknesses quickly.
Ask:
- Could your current processes cope with more clients or more cases?
- Are workflows scalable, or reliant on heroic effort?
- Would admin and compliance support hold firm under pressure?
Planning for capacity before it becomes an issue makes growth far less stressful and ensures that your service levels are not affected by sudden volume increases.
These questions aren’t about creating more work or over analysing every detail. They’re simply a prompt to pause before the pace of the year takes over and to make sure the foundations of the business are ready for what’s ahead. Whether that leads to small tweaks or more meaningful changes, having that clarity early on makes it far easier to move forward with confidence. And if you’d value a sounding board or an experienced, independent perspective while you’re thinking things through, I’m always happy to help. You know where to find me.
Karlene
]]>So we thought we’d share the ten most common requests we’ve helped with at Organised You, and a little about how we’ve supported advisers with each one.
These aren’t trends or theories. They’re the everyday challenges advisers talk to us about.
1. “I want to spend time with my clients”
This is the one we hear most. When diaries are full and cases keep coming, admin quickly becomes overwhelming and it’s not where advisers want to spend their time. Our role is often simply to step in, take work off plates and give advisers some breathing space to do what they do best.
2. Managing LOAs and TOAs and speeding things up
LOAs are meant to be straightforward, but they rarely are. We take care of sending them to the right places, chasing them back and keeping things moving, so cases don’t stall at the first step.
3. Managing annual reviews
Annual reviews are another area where advisers often ask for extra support. From booking appointments and gathering up-to-date information, to preparing review packs and following up actions afterwards, it’s a process that takes far more time than most people expect, with strict deadlines to adhere to in order to remain compliant. We help manage the whole flow, keeping things organised and on track, so advisers can focus on the review conversations themselves, knowing the admin and compliance side is taken care of.
4. Chasing providers and platforms
Provider delays come up in almost every conversation. We spend a lot of time on the phone and in inboxes, following up for updates and keeping advisers in the loop, so cases don’t just sit there.
5. Clearing backlogged fees and commission and tracking down missing money
Fee and commission accounts can be a real headache. We’re often asked to investigate, chase and reconcile them, so funds are where they should be and advisers can be confident nothing’s been left unpaid.
6. Data inputting into CRMs and back-office systems
Keeping CRMs and back-office systems up to date is one of those jobs that’s vital, but so easy to push down the list when things get busy. Advisers ask us to help make sure client records, plans, notes and documents are input accurately and properly maintained, so systems can actually be relied on. It saves time day to day and supports better reporting, smoother reviews and stronger compliance.
7. Training teams on new business processes
This year we’ve also seen a growing number of advisers ask for help with training and supporting existing admin staff, and even advisers themselves, to get confident with new business processes. Whether it’s walking through workflows, sharing practical tips, or helping embed better ways of working, our focus is on making processes clearer and more consistent, so cases flow more smoothly day to day.
8. Getting on top of backlogs
When workloads build up, backlogs can feel impossible to shift. We’ve helped a lot of firms this year clear long-standing queues and bring things back under control.
9. Bringing a bit more order to processes
“Can you help us get more organised?” is a familiar request. That might mean mapping processes, creating flowcharts, or simply putting some structure around how work flows through the business.
10. Being a reliable point of contact
Many advisers ask us to act as a main point of contact for clients, providers and platforms. Someone dependable who can handle updates and queries and represent the firm in a professional, friendly way.
What we’ve seen behind these requests
When you look at these together, a few themes come up again and again:
- Too much time spent on admin and not enough with clients
- Growing complexity and compliance demands
- Slow provider responses
- The challenge of keeping everything organised when things are busy
Where we’ve added the most value is by stepping in to bring structure, take ownership and keep things moving, while feeling like a natural extension of the adviser’s team, not an outside supplier.
As we head into the new year, these challenges aren’t going away. But with the right support in place, they don’t have to feel quite so heavy.
If any of this sounds familiar, we’d be very happy to have a chat!
Wishing you an organised 2026
Karlene x
]]>There’s a common belief in our industry that the success of a financial advice firm hinges on the adviser’s technical knowledge and their ability to build strong client relationships. While both are undeniably important, they’re only part of the story. Because no matter how skilled an adviser is, poor administration behind the scenes will always show.
When I was 19, I worked for a financial adviser who taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my career:
no client should ever have to contact us to ask what’s happening with something.
We should always get there first.
We should always update them before they need to ask — even if the update is simply, “We’ve no news yet, but we’re on it.”
That single principle shaped how I view great client service: proactive communication, consistency, and genuine care. I believe that to deliver that level of experience, you need one thing at the centre of your business: good administration.
Why admin is the heart of a great client experience
Good administration isn’t just about paperwork or data entry. It’s about building an infrastructure that supports advisers, protects clients, and strengthens the business. When admin is done well:
- Clients feel informed, valued, and looked after.
- Advisers have the headspace to focus on what they do best; giving advice and nurturing relationships.
- Cases progress smoothly, reducing delays, frustration, and risk.
- The firm becomes more resilient, consistent, and scalable.
Put simply: excellent admin equals an excellent client experience.
Technology + processes + good data = strong foundations
To achieve this level of service, firms need to fully utilise the tools and technology available to them, supported by clear and efficient processes that put the client at the centre.
That means:
- Using your systems properly. Not just having technology, but adopting it, integrating it, and training your team to use it well.
- Building slick, efficient processes. Removing bottlenecks, reducing duplication, and ensuring that tasks flow logically from one step to the next.
- Maintaining accurate, high-quality data. Because your MI, compliance oversight, risk management, and client service standards all rely on it.
Everything from pipeline management to complaint prevention, from compliance monitoring to business forecasting, comes back to one central point of input: administration.
Focus on admin and your business will grow
If adviser firms focus on building strong administrative foundations, something powerful happens: the client experience improves.
And when the client experience improves, referrals increase, relationships strengthen, compliance risk reduces, advisers have more time, and the business grows by default.
Great administration isn’t just a back-office function.
It’s the engine that drives the entire business forward.
Want to strengthen your in-house admin team?
If you’d like support reviewing your systems, processes, and workflows, I offer an Administration Optimisation service designed specifically for financial adviser firms with in-house administrative teams.
I’ll work with you to:
- Review your current processes
- Identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies
- Ensure your tech is being used effectively
- Strengthen client communication pathways
- Improve admin quality, consistency, and confidence
All with the aim of creating a smoother, more efficient back office, and a better client experience as a result.
If you’d like to explore how this could help your firm, just let me know and we can arrange a chat.
]]>Behind every successful financial adviser firm is an efficient, knowledgeable and well supported administration team. From managing reviews to chasing providers and keeping client records up to date, good admin support is what keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
At Organised You, we know just how crucial adviser support is because we live and breathe it every day. With a team of 10 experienced administrators supporting more than 40 active adviser firms, we’ve spent years refining templates, processes and systems that make advisers’ lives easier and their businesses more efficient.
Now, we’re excited to be working on something new: the Organised You Admin Toolkit a central resource designed to share our knowledge and experience with the wider adviser community.
What the Toolkit Will Include
We’re still in the early stages, but our goal is to create a practical, ever-evolving resource packed with useful tools for admin teams and advisers alike. The Toolkit is likely to include:
- Provider LOA/TOA contact details – with key nuances for each provider to save time and reduce delays
- Template documents – including TOA information requests, policy info summaries, new client and case closing emails, and admin team profiles
- Admin file checklists – tailored to different case types to help ensure consistency and quality
- Basic business process flowcharts – outlining key steps for common admin tasks
- Agency novation contact details and templates
- Admin training resources – to support new or developing team members
Why We’re Creating It
Over the years, we’ve worked with firms of all shapes and sizes, from solo advisers to growing multi-adviser practices, and we’ve seen first-hand how good systems and strong admin processes make a real difference.
This Toolkit will give even more firms access to our experience not just those using our outsourced admin service. It’s designed to help:
- Growing firms who aren’t yet ready for external admin support but want to build strong foundations
- Advisers new to managing their own admin and looking for guidance and structure
- Firms with in-house teams who want to save time by using tried-and-tested templates and processes
Ultimately, it’s about sharing what works and helping more adviser firms benefit from the efficiencies we’ve developed over time.
We’d Love Your Input
We’re building this Toolkit to be genuinely useful to the adviser community, so we’d love your thoughts.
What resources would you find most valuable? What admin challenges do you wish you had a shortcut for?
If you’re an adviser, client, or industry professional with ideas or suggestions, please reach out either on LinkedIn or by email. Your input will help us shape a resource that supports as many firms as possible.
]]>In 2015 my goal was simply, to carry on doing the work that I loved, whilst having the flexibility to do school runs and spend quality time with my children. Fast forward ten years, I have an amazing team built around the same approach, working in a beautiful country location, and I still love what I do. I feel incredibly blessed.
I had worked in Senior Management, Operational and Compliance roles within the Financial Services industry for 15 years prior to setting up Organised You and thought there was nothing left for me to learn. How wrong I was!
The industry has evolved-significantly over the past decade and as we’ve adapted with it, we’ve learned some key lessons along the way about how best to support Financial Advisers.
A problem needs a process
Financial Adviser’s don’t always know exactly what they need when they come to us for help. Often, they are feeling overwhelmed with their workload, have a backlog of things that they need to achieve and can’t see the wood for the trees. We break down our initial support for these advisers into two stages:
- Initial firefighting: What’s urgent? Are there Network deadlines set for you to meet? Or a case with imminent completion dates?
- Proactive Planning: Completing a run through of the full advice process with the adviser and identifying where their bottlenecks or issues are.
This approach enables us to put an immediate plan of action in place, with a process for the advisers cases to follow going forward. Instant pressure relief!
Personalised support trumps pooled work.
Every Financial Adviser works differently. From little things like the way they like their letters to be structured, to big things like how hands on they’d like us to be with their clients.
By ensuring our Advisers have one key contact tat Organised You we can fully understand their way of working, and avoids repetition of instructions and feedback.
Although we work remotely from the Adviser firms we’re still very much part of their team and pride ourselves on understanding their businesses and helping them achieve their goals.
Whilst we operate a 1:1 support service for our advisers, we work in a very team orientated environment. We share knowledge, skills and experience in our day-to-day actions, and every client is allocated a ‘back up’ administrator who can support them in the event of sickness or holiday absences. So, it really is the best of both worlds.
No experience necessary
A great financial services administrator does not have to have worked in the industry before.
In my view the skills that make a great administrator: – proactivity, problem solving and a genuine desire to help – are far harder to teach then the jargon and specific nuances of the Financial Services industry.
Over the years at Organised You, some of our best team members have come from diverse backgrounds ranging from Forensic Science to veterinary surgeries I know that with the right attributes and some technical training, they will provide excellent support to a Financial Adviser.
Never stop learning
After 25 years in the industry, it would be easy to believe that I know everything that there is to know.
It would also be easy, when caught up in the day-to-day work of running a business, to stop getting ‘out there’ and keeping up to date with industry developments. However, Making time to attend seminars, read articles, attend training and network with peers is invaluable. I always get so much out of it when I make the effort. Whether it’s finding a new tool or system that can help the Advisers we work with, gaining insights into industry issues, or meeting potential new clients, I have never regretted taking the time out of doing, for learning.
As I reflect on the last ten years, I feel incredibly proud of what Organised You has become. What started as a personal goal to balance work and family has grown into a business that has supported over 100 financial adviser firms with care, flexibility, and a deep understanding of their individual needs. The journey has been full of learning, growth, and connection, and I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings. Here’s to continuing to evolve, support, and make a difference—one adviser at a time.
Thank you for your continued support.
Karlene
]]>As humans we have a tendency to put difficult or more complex jobs off. To delay them and focus on the easy, quicker jobs first. Never is this more true than when we are incredibly busy and feeling stressed. Advisers are normally in this situation when they come and speak to us. They know they need help, but they’ve put it off because there’s going to be a little leg work from them to set it up.
Advisers who come to us for outsourced admin support have usually been thinking about doing so for some time, but have finally got around to it because they are completely overloaded and not enjoying their job anymore. At that point, they want a quick fix, and a way to pass as much work over to outsourced admin as quickly as possible. I totally understand that, but I am always careful to position with them that the relief they are hoping to feel will not occur over night.
When I am meeting with new clients, talking them through the process of getting them up and running with Organised You , I often use the phrase, ‘Short term pain for long term gain’.
You get out of it what you put in.
The more you put into your outsourced admin support, the more benefit you will get out of it. It may seem counter productive, spending time with someone explaining how you like things to be done and setting up good systems and processes when you are already under pressure. However, but the more time you spend on this, the fewer issues you will have once you’re up and running and the more efficient and effective your outsourced support will be.
There will be some jobs that we can take off your plate straight away, usually:
- Data inputting
- Template letters
- Phone calls to chase information.
These are the easiest jobs for you to delegate because they don’t require a lot of input from you. Passing them over immediately reduces your workload.
Do you want your outsourced administrator to have a real, lasting impact on your workload?
To achieve this, you need to do more than delegate specific actions and tasks to them.
Take some time out, even if you’re incredibly busy, and spend time with your administrator to:
- Go through the tasks that you’re spending the most time on. Is there is a better way to do them, or can you can delegate them over to the administrator, with a little training or support.
- Go through your current processes for new business, client reviews, etc. Look for ways that you can make them more efficient, and which parts of the process you can delegate to your administrator.
- Introduce your administrator to your clients and other parties, encouraging them to seek their help if you’re not available.
- Create templates.
I know how hard it is to take time out when you’re firefighting and sinking in paperwork. However I see first hand, every day, the difference it makes when an Adviser invests time in the work they pass over to their admin, in comparison to those who don’t.
It will take a little longer but, if you can take a step back to give your administrator the knowledge of what you need, and the time to work together on how best to achieve it, that’s when you’re see the most difference in your workload.
]]>Every single adviser that contacts Organised You comes to us with the same complaints:
“I want to spend more time with my clients and less time doing paperwork”
“I’m more like an administrator than adviser”
“I spend hours doing paperwork instead of growing my business”
In an industry where compliance and due diligence requirements are increasing, the balance of where time is spent is a juggle for Financial Advisers. As an Adviser you want to do your best by your clients. You want to give them all the information they need to make good decisions. But Advisers also (in my experience) didn’t become advisers through a love of paperwork and organisation!
Advisers are people people. They are good at building relationships. Spending time talking and listening to their clients is key to their advice.
When an adviser feels under pressure with paperwork, the time that they devote to client relationship building suffers.
Are you a Financial Adviser or an Administrator?
Where do you spend the most of your time? During your working day are you chatting with clients and researching solutions? Or are you filling in application forms and chasing providers for policy information?
I know how hard it can be to pass work off to someone else to complete for you. Letting go of control, especially when you have always done something yourself can be really hard. It can also be a challenge, adapting to outsourced support instead of working with someone sat next to you. Sometimes it can feel easier to just ‘do it yourself’ than to have to go through the pain of passing work over. However, if you asked yourself what your client values from you, where they want you to spend your time, what would they say? Do your clients want you to be their Financial Adviser or their Administrator?
Building a good relationship with your administrator is key to successful moving away from admin. With good systems and processes in place, your client will learn how to get the most out of the new structure. They will approach your administrator directly for updates and administrative tasks. Your administrator can proactively chase providers and update both you and the clients. They can book in your meetings, send out your LOA requests and key data onto your CRM system.
As 2025 gets underway, stop and take a moment to ask yourself: ‘Am I going to be an adviser or an administrator this year’? And if you need help moving away from being more of one to more of the other, you know where we are.
Karlene
]]>
- Chasing providers
- Filling in forms
- Inputting Data
Chasing Providers
The industry has changed in many ways since I first started work 25 years ago, but some things remain the same. Sitting on hold to providers to chase policy information after submitting a LOA is a good example. Trying to get confirmation of completion of payments out is another. Modern technology may give us new ways to chase providers but it hasn’t eliminated the need to do so.
Filling in forms.
ID verification, privacy notices, at retirement questionnaires, expressions of wish, agency requests. Many forms are prompted necessary by compliance and regulatory requirements. Unfortunately, they are also time consuming.
Inputting Data
Every client, every case, every review requires documenting in some way. For the vast majority of advisers this is via a Client Relationship Management System such as IRESS, Plannr etc. Keying client data and the actions the adviser has completed in the correct way is key to the business and regulatory MI, but it’s also another time consuming task that can involve a lot of duplication.
The key thing about all of the above items, is that none of them need to be done by the adviser. Just like client reviews, they are admin heavy functions, that can be outsourced for an ‘instant’ win.
If you’d rather spend your time this week digesting the outcome of the budget announcements and touching base with your clients instead of fighting with a CRM system, then give us a call.
Client reviews are just the tip of the iceberg of what we do.
]]>