BT has updated BT Panorama with a range of enhancements centred on improving the user experience for the most frequent users of the platform, advice practices’ support staff.
Based on feedback from advice teams after a successful pilot last year, BT launched its Service Request Tracker, a feature which can result in significant time savings for advisers and support staff. The Service Request Tracker is available on the BT Panorama desktop, allowing advisers and support staff to check the status of individual client requests.
The tracker was further updated in March, and now allows users to download and submit selected forms. Uptake has since significantly increased, reaching 17,000 unique users as of May 2023.1
Tracking the status of form submissions and transactions is a time-consuming but necessary task for advice practices, as they usually require this information when giving updates to clients.
BT’s Chief Customer Services Officer, Georgina Croft, said: “The Service Request Tracker has been a game-changer in many respects for advice practices, as the time savings give them capacity to spend more time with clients. It’s a great example of how our technology can provide practical solutions. We looked at how the administrative process of tracking requests can be streamlined on our platform, and we’ve delivered.”
Another recent platform enhancement has made it easier for support teams to source information relating to social security. Advisers and their teams can now generate Centrelink schedules online, instead of calling a BT customer relations consultant. BT's chatbot Blue can virtually assist advisers and investors with a step-by-step guided journey on generating a new Centrelink schedule, 24/7. Out of 44,300 sessions conducted by Blue so far this year, 1,300 related to requests to generate a Centrelink schedule.2
Other platform updates in recent months include:
- Addition of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) information to the investments and research section of the mobile app
- Access to investment and product disclosure documents and up to three years of documents in the document library on the mobile app
- Addition of Service Request Tracker on the mobile app
- Enhancements to Adviser Portfolio tools with managed accounts
- Allowing in specie contributions to super3
Looking ahead, BT plans to further enhance the reporting features on BT Panorama, building on the new capability introduced in October 2022. The reporting enhancements will allow advisers to generate the same set of reports for potentially all of their clients, all at once. The feature will save advisers and their teams time, particularly during a busy period such as at year-end or when annual reviews are conducted.
BT is also focused on enhancing the security features on BT Panorama, to manage risks related to the increasing cybercrime rate in Australia.
Ms Croft said: “Running the back office efficiently is a key pathway to increased profitability for many advice practices. As the platform of choice for nearly half of all advisers in Australia,4 we are committed to empowering advice practices to make the most of platform technology so they can continue to thrive.”
1. Total cumulative unique users including adviser groups and investors, BT internal data
2. BT internal data
3. Reduces chance of contribution caps being exceeded by accepting the asset price at time of submission online, subject to documents arriving within 10 business days and asset values being within 10% when transfer processed. System validations are in place to check details and whether compliance requirements are met.
4. BT Panorama has the largest number of adviser relationships in the industry, with 40% market share according to Investment Trends, May 2022 Adviser Technology Needs Report: Industry Analysis, p.8
More information
Georgie Hay
M: 0404 892 199