Salesforce as a CRM for Investment Managers: What’s to Love

Mastering the intricacies of investment management demands a harmonious fusion of strategic insight, meticulous attention to detail, and the latest technological innovations.

With 60% of investors wanting their providers to supply better digital tools, the industry is ripe for transformation.

Salesforce is an industry-leading CRM platform with over 20+ products designed to enhance client relationships and sales efficiency and provide real-time analytics. But is it all upside?

Dive into our exploration of the benefits of Salesforce for investment management to see how its platform capabilities and vast ecosystem of products can elevate your investment management strategy.

Why Do Investment Managers Need CRM Systems?

CRM for investment managers enables tracking of complex investment structures and relationships that matter most. The system gives managers a clear view of total investor exposure across all holdings.

The investment management CRM also helps match investors with suitable investment opportunities while tracking potential redemptions.

Whether it’s navigating market volatility or meeting client expectations, the right CRM can transform obstacles into opportunities.

Top Investment Management CRM Features

Let’s explore the key features that make a CRM indispensable for investment management success.

1. Client Management and Segmentation

One of the core features of an effective CRM for investment managers is robust client management and segmentation capabilities.

This includes the ability to store and manage comprehensive client profiles, capturing essential data such as investment history, risk tolerance, preferences, and communication logs.

With detailed client profiles at your fingertips, understanding your clients’ unique needs and behaviors becomes significantly easier.

Additionally, segmentation tools within the investment management CRM enable fund managers to categorize clients based on various criteria such as investment size or specific investment goals.

This allows for personalized service, ensuring that each client receives the attention and tailored advice they deserve.

2. Communication and Engagement Tools

Standout features the best CRM for investment management should have, are robust communication and engagement tools.

Automated communication capabilities enable financial advisors to effortlessly maintain consistent contact with their clients, sending automated emails and messages that keep them informed about crucial matters such as:

• Market updates,
• Portfolio performance,
• Upcoming meetings etc.

In addition to automated communication, the best CRM for investment management offers secure document management functionalities.

This means you can easily store and retrieve important documents like:

• Contracts,
• Performance reports,
• Communication records.

3. Task and Workflow Management

Effective task and workflow management are crucial to maintaining efficiency and organization in investment management, and powerful investment management CRM software excels in this area.

Whether it’s conducting monthly performance reviews or ensuring regulatory compliance checks, these automated systems handle repetitive tasks seamlessly, freeing your time for more strategic initiatives.

Alongside automation, advanced reminders and alerts play a pivotal role.

These systems send timely notifications to remind you of critical actions and deadlines, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks and enabling prompt, informed decision-making.

 

 

4. CRM System Security

In the realm of investment management, where sensitive financial data and client information abound, robust security features in a CRM are not merely optional—they are essential.

One of the foundational aspects of CRM security is data encryption.

The best investment management CRM system should provide strong encryption for data both in transit and at rest, ensuring that information is protected from unauthorized access and breaches at all times.

This level of encryption guarantees that whether data is being transferred or stored, it remains secure and unreadable to potential threats.

Complementing data encryption, and user access controls are critical for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information.

Fine-grained access controls allow administrators to define permissions and access levels with precision, ensuring that sensitive data is only accessible to authorized personnel.

This means that different team members can be granted access to the information they need for their roles, while highly sensitive data remains protected.

Additionally, advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) further bolster the CRM’s defense mechanisms by requiring multiple forms of verification before access is granted.

5. Advanced Analytics and Reporting

A cutting-edge CRM system’s advanced analytics and reporting capabilities are must-have for investment managers striving to make data-driven decisions.

Real-time analytics features provide dashboards that deliver instantaneous insights into:

• Portfolio performance,
• Market trends,
• Client activities etc.

This level of visibility allows financial experts to react promptly to market changes and make informed decisions that align with clients’ best interests.

Additionally, the CRM’s ability to generate custom reports ensures that you have the precise information you need, exactly when you need it.

6. Easy Integration with Financial Tools

A sophisticated CRM system’s ability to seamlessly integrate with various financial tools is invaluable for investment managers.

By connecting with market data providers, the CRM for investment managers ensures real-time market information is always at your fingertips, facilitating immediate and informed decision-making.

Additionally, integration with portfolio management software offers a holistic view of client investments, streamlining the monitoring and adjustment of portfolios to meet financial goals.

Beyond these core integrations, financial planning and analysis tools such as MoneyGuidePro and eMoney Advisor enhance planning capabilities, and risk management tools like Riskalyze or BlackRock Aladdin provide in-depth risk assessments.

This interconnected ecosystem empowers investment managers to deliver superior service and maintain a competitive edge.

7. CRM Customization and Scalability

A powerful CRM for investment managers stands out with its customization and scalability features, crucial for addressing the evolving needs of investment management.

Customizable dashboards and workflows allow firms to tailor the CRM to investment management requirements, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

These features enable investment managers to design interfaces and processes that reflect their unique needs, ensuring relevant metrics and KPIs are readily accessible.

Equally important is scalability.

As firms grow, a scalable CRM can effortlessly accommodate an expanding client base and additional features without compromising performance.

This means the system can handle increased data volume and user count, and integrate new functionalities as needed.

8. Client Portal

A robust client portal is a key feature of an advanced investment management CRM system.

A secure, self-service portal allows clients to log in at their convenience to view portfolio performance, download reports, and update personal information, fostering transparency and trust.

It streamlines access to essential financial data, reducing the need for frequent manual reporting and allowing managers to focus on strategic tasks.

Additionally, the portal’s communication tools, such as direct messaging and chat functionality, enable faster and more efficient interactions between clients and their investment managers.

Clients can easily ask questions, seek advice, or discuss investment strategies, enhancing their overall experience and ensuring they feel supported.

9. CRM Training & Support

Effective training and support are crucial components of a successful CRM implementation for investment management.

One key aspect is comprehensive training, which ensures that the CRM provider offers extensive training resources for staff.

These resources might include detailed user manuals, interactive online courses, live webinars, and case study-based learning materials.

Equally important is having access to reliable customer support to ensure that any issues or technical difficulties can be resolved quickly, minimizing downtime and preventing disruptions in service.

This is particularly crucial in investment management, where timely access to data and uninterrupted operations can significantly impact decision-making and client relationships.

Whether through phone support, live chat, or a dedicated online support portal, having expert assistance available at all times provides peace of mind and ensures that the investment management CRM software operates smoothly.

Why Salesforce for Investment Managers: Key Benefits

The investment management domain demands powerful tools to optimize operations and enhance client relationships.

The Salesforce Platform, formerly known as Force.com, is a powerful and flexible cloud-based platform designed to enable businesses to build, deploy, and manage custom applications.

It serves as the backbone of Salesforce’s suite of products, offering robust tools and services for:

• App development,
• Data management,
• Automation etc.

Salesforce Platform provides tools such as:

• Lightning App Builder and Lightning Components for building visually appealing, responsive applications with drag-and-drop ease.
• Apex – a proprietary programming language similar to Java, designed specifically for Salesforce development, allowing for customization and the creation of complex business logic that oftentimes require investment advisors.
• Visualforce – a framework that enables the creation of sophisticated, custom user interfaces.

This platform enables seamless integration with external systems and data sources via extensive API support, including REST, SOAP, Bulk, Streaming APIs, Salesforce Connect, and the MuleSoft Anypoint platform.

In addition, Salesforce offers:

• An advanced Object Model that helps centralized management of data via Standard and Custom Objects,
• Automation tools like Flow Builder for sophisticated automation to guide users through complex processes,
• Approval Processes for simplifying the creation of multi-step approval workflows.

It also offers validation rules that verify that the data a user enters in a record meets the standards you specify before the user can save the record and formula fields that can get their value from a formula expression you define as well as dynamic forms that can improve the way you can build and interact with record detail pages.

Salesforce Platform meets over 40 industry security standards but if you need to encrypt sensitive data or to be able to block risky user actions Salesforce offers Salesforce Shield – an advanced product suite for protecting critical customer data.

Salesforce also released a new AI-powered application – Agentforce (formerly Copilot) that provides specialized, always-on support to employees or customers via channels like:

• Web,
• Mobile,
• Slack,
• WhatsApp.

Agentforce offers pre-built Agents for:

• Sales,
• Service,
• Marketing,
• E-commerce needs.

You can quickly customize them for various industries including investment management with existing Salesforce tools like:

• Prompts,
• Flows,
• Apex,
• APIs.

Thanks to all these features, Salesforce Platform serves as a perfect foundation for custom investment management solutions which completely reflects unique corporate workflows and can scale as the firm grows.

Also, as a baseline for the investment management CRM system, Salesforce offers a host of benefits. Let’s explore them to see if Salesforce is the right fit for your firm.

Comprehensive Client Management

Salesforce offers robust tools for managing detailed client profiles, tracking interactions, and segmenting clients based on various criteria.

This is essential for personalized client service and effective relationship management.

For example, Sales Cloud helped Holmes Murphy centralize their sales process, allowing the team to manage client relationships better and track leads and opportunities efficiently.

This helped Holmes Murphy improve their sales pipeline management and achieve more consistent business growth.

With Salesforce, fund managers can:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with investors to secure capital efficiently,
• Capture and view all critical Limited Partner information and activity in one intuitive view,
• Foster trust in your fund’s management.

By centralizing critical property and asset details, deal participant information, and debt attributes, investment managers can optimize due diligence processes.

Platform Security

Salesforce offers robust security features, including:

• Data encryption,
• Permission sets,
• User role hierarchies,
• Sharing rules and groups,
• Field-level security,
• Compliance with industry standards.

This ensures that sensitive client information and assets are well protected.

Platform Customization

The Salesforce platform is highly customizable, allowing firms to tailor their products to their specific needs with custom fields and workflows, and even build custom applications within the Salesforce organization without heavy custom coding.

For example, investment managers can build a custom solution for improving deal-tracking functionality to optimize the evaluation process of both fund and direct investment opportunities.

Or create custom fields to store portfolio details to the level that your investment management firm requires.

Salesforce is highly scalable, making it suitable for firms of all sizes and financial sub-verticals with your business and accommodating increasing numbers of clients, and expanding feature requirements.

Integration Capabilities

Salesforce’s AppExchange platform offers 7,000+ integrations with solutions like:

• PitchBook,
• Preqin,
• Source Scrub,
• Survey Monkey,
• Ascendix Composer,
• Ascendix Search,

They can be highly beneficial for investment managers needing real-time market information and portfolio management capabilities.

Besides, the Salesforce Platform’s flexibility enables easy synchronization with other third-party solutions that are not a part of the Salesforce ecosystem via API or custom integration.

Advanced Analytics and Reporting

The platform provides powerful analytics and reporting features, including customizable dashboards and real-time insights.

This can help investment managers monitor performance, track market trends, and produce tailored reports for:

• Clients,
• Sales and marketing teams,
• Compliance department,
• The research team.

For example, with detailed pipeline reporting, real estate fund managers can efficiently track and manage property acquisitions and dispositions and track and report on:

• Calls,
• Meetings,
• Events,
• Next steps.

Fund managers can customize Salesforce reporting and analytics features to:

• Identify valuation trends,
• Assess risks,
• Perform geographical and sector analysis to manage fund allocations,
• Track a forward calendar of investments for upcoming fund launches.

Automation and Workflow Management

Salesforce allows for extensive automation of routine tasks and workflows, such as:

• Scheduling client meetings,
• Automatically assigning tasks
• Changing the value of a field based on certain conditions,
• Sending performance updates or notifications based on certain triggers.

Also, you can automate trading processes, signing contracts, and sharing onboarding documents with Salesforce Flows and complex approval processes with different levels of approval.

This can save time and reduce errors.

Native AI Tools

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping investment management, with Salesforce driving innovation.

AI tools empower advisors to segment clients, automate tasks, and deliver tailored recommendations.

For example, advisors can identify clients who might benefit from portfolio adjustments, enhancing targeted engagement and boosting conversion rates.

While Salesforce’s AI features are robust, they can be costly.

Ascendix’s AI experts offer guidance on more budget-friendly third-party or custom solutions, optimizing your technology investment.

 

 

Free Learning Resources

Salesforce provides extensive training resources, including:

• Trailhead (its interactive learning platform),
• Videos,
• Webinars,
• Guides.

Also, Salesforce has a vast ecosystem of Salesforce consulting partners, independent educational platforms, and coaches that generate free and paid guides and video tutorials for more specific purposes.

Large Pool of Salesforce Experts

Salesforce can be expensive since the costs can add up quickly with add-ons, so Salesforce can become costly, especially with the rapid accumulation of expenses related to add-ons, customizations, and support services.

To enhance cost-effectiveness, it is advisable to collaborate with a certified Salesforce consulting firm early in the process.

This proactive approach helps:

• Avoid unsuitable solutions,
• Minimize customization and licensing costs,
• Access premium professional services at more competitive rates.

With Salesforce’s broad network of consulting partners and freelance experts, investment management firms can access tailored guidance and specialized skills of :

• Different skill levels,
• Engagement models,
• Pricing,
• Location.

At Ascendix, we offer tailored implementation and customization strategies that align with your budget constraints and core business needs.

We assist you in selecting the appropriate solution editions and Salesforce licenses to ensure optimal use.

Additionally, our virtual Salesforce admin package is designed to:

• Lower your support and maintenance costs,
• Eliminate the need for long-term commitments,
• Reduce employee overheads.

The platform’s extensive features and customization options can make it complex to set up and use initially.

This may require a steep learning curve or the need to hire specialized Salesforce professionals.

To fully leverage Salesforce capabilities at a more affordable cost, Ascendix offers a Fractional Salesforce Team Package as a flexible, scalable, cost-effective alternative to the Dedicated Team model with a more flexible resource allocation.

With the Fractional Salesforce Team Package, you’ll get a mix of dedicated resources for a fraction of time (10%, 25%, 50%) in an adjustable monthly service package that can be modified over time with no long-term commitments.

As you can see teaming up with the right Salesforce partner can transform potential Salesforce disadvantages into opportunities for innovation.

Their expertise keeps your system sleek—not overburdened with needless tweaks—while managing setup and integration with a deft touch, ensuring your investment is smart and strategic.

Salesforce Products that Can Benefit Investment Management Firms

Salesforce offers a variety of products that can significantly benefit investment managers by enhancing client relationships, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring better data management.

Here are some key Salesforce products that could be valuable:

Salesforce Financial Services Cloud

Salesforce Financial Services Cloud offers a range of specialized features to address various financial management needs.

• Insurance Services include policy lifecycle management, claims processing, and agent performance tracking.
• Loan and Mortgage Management streamline the loan process with automated workflows and task assignments.
• Credit Management features aid in processing applications, risk assessments, and loan servicing.

FSC helps aggregate financial accounts and assets, providing a holistic view of a client’s financial situation and simplify the client onboarding process with pre-built templates and workflows.

It also has built-in compliance workflows and regulatory data management that help ensure adherence to industry regulations.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot)

Investor managers can leverage Account Engagement to automate marketing and lead nurturing processes, significantly enhancing client acquisition and engagement efforts.

Key features of Account Engagement include:

• Lead Scoring and Grading: Helps prioritize high-quality prospects by assigning scores based on predefined criteria, ensuring managers focus on the most promising leads.
• Email Marketing: Allows for the creation of personalized email campaigns targeted at specific client segments, improving communication relevance and effectiveness.
• Drip Campaigns: Automates the lead nurturing process with customized email sequences over time, keeping potential clients engaged and informed.
• Reporting & Analytics: Provides detailed analytics to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, enabling data-driven decisions.
• Seamless Integration with Salesforce CRM: Synchronizes marketing efforts with sales activities, ensuring a unified and cohesive strategy.

With Account Engagement investment management firms can improve lead management, enhance personalized interactions, and have a clear understanding of marketing ROI, all of which contribute to more effective client acquisition and retention strategies.

Salesforce Experience Cloud

Investment managers can leverage Salesforce Experience Cloud to create personalized and interactive online communities, enhancing client engagement and collaboration.

Experience Cloud offers various features tailored to the needs of investment management firms, including:

• Branded Custom Portals: With this platform, investors can develop customized, branded client portals where clients can access financial reports, monitor account performance, and manage personal information
• Self-Service Knowledge Base: Experience Cloud-powered portals enable clients to find answers to common questions, access resources, and download documents independently, reducing the need for direct support.
• Collaboration Tools: It fosters collaboration through secure messaging and chat functionalities, facilitating real-time communication between clients and advisors.
• Data Sharing: Investment managers can securely share financial insights, reports, and updates with clients, ensuring they are well informed and engaged.

With Salesforce Experience Cloud investment management firms can enhance client satisfaction, improve communication and collaboration, and more efficient distribution of financial information.

Ascendix can build a truly personalized portal for any investment sector needs powered by Salesforce Digital Experience Platform (DXP) and seamlessly integrate with other Salesforce products and third-party solutions.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a platform for creating highly personalized omni-channel marketing campaigns.

Investment management companies implement Marketing Cloud to elevate their marketing efforts and forge stronger client relationships.

Its key features include:

• Journey Builder: Marketing Cloud helps create personalized client journeys that guide prospects through tailored marketing interactions, from initial contact to long-term engagement.
• Email Studio: It enables the designing and deployment of highly personalized email campaigns to keep clients informed about market updates, portfolio performance, and new investment opportunities.
• Audience Segmentation: With this marketing automation tool, investment management firms can segment clients based on criteria such as investment size, risk tolerance, and financial goals to deliver targeted and relevant content.
• Social Studio: It helps manage and monitor social media interactions, fostering engagement and brand presence across various platforms.
• Analytics and Reporting: Managers can gain actionable insights into campaign performance with detailed analytics and reporting tools that track KPIs and ROI.

Overall, Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementation helps businesses improve targeting and segmentation, and deliver consistent, relevant messaging to clients, ultimately driving higher satisfaction and loyalty.

Salesforce Service Cloud

By leveraging Salesforce Service Cloud, investment managers can enhance their customer support and client service processes.

For example, this tool helped RBC Wealth Management achieve higher client satisfaction through more personalized and responsive service, as advisors could access vital client information and address inquiries promptly.

Its key capabilities include:

• Case Management: Service Cloud enables efficient tracking and management of client inquiries and service requests in a centralized system, ensuring timely resolutions and improved client satisfaction.
• Knowledge Base: It helps Develop and maintain a comprehensive knowledge base of frequently asked questions, best practices, and educational resources that clients can access for self-service.
• Omni-Channel Support: With Service Cloud, investment managers can provide seamless client support across multiple channels, including email, phone, chat, and social media, ensuring consistent and responsive service.
• Automation Tools: Within Salesforce Sales Cloud, financial advisors can leverage automation for routine tasks such as case routing, follow-ups, and service level agreement (SLA) monitoring to boost efficiency and reduce manual workload.
• Client Portal: This feature enables clients to view their service history, submit new requests, and track the status of their inquiries through a secure, personalized portal.

Service Cloud can benefit investment management firms with improved client service efficiency, enhanced client satisfaction through quick and accurate responses, and increased self-service capabilities.

Salesforce CRM Analytics (formerly Tableau CRM)

Investment managers can leverage Salesforce CRM Analytics (formerly Tableau CRM) to gain deep insights and make data-driven decisions.

Key features tailored for investment management firms include:

• Interactive Dashboards: Create dynamic and interactive dashboards that offer real-time insights into portfolio performance, market trends, and client activities.
• Data Integration: Integrate data from various sources, including CRM systems, financial databases, and third-party applications, to provide a comprehensive view of client and market dynamics.
• Predictive Analytics: Utilize AI-powered predictive analytics to identify investment opportunities, manage risks, and forecast market movements
• Customizable Reports: Generate customized reports that can be tailored to specific client needs, regulatory requirements, or internal performance metrics, enhancing transparency and communication.
• Mobile Access: Access analytics and dashboards on mobile devices, ensuring that investment managers can stay informed and make decisions on the go.

Each of these Salesforce products provides unique features that can address specific challenges faced by investment managers, from client management and compliance to marketing and analytics.

By leveraging them, investment managers can enhance their operations and drive overall business growth.

How Ascendix Can Help with Salesforce Customization for Investment Management

Salesforce is a powerful tool, but investment management firms often require tailored customization to align with their unique processes.

If your current setup doesn’t capture your business’s intricacies, engaging with Salesforce consultants is essential.

These experts specialize in optimizing CRM for investment managers, ensuring that every aspect from functionality to data management, like import/export and data enrichment, is fully utilized.

However, consultancy services vary.

Ascendix, a Salesforce Crest Partner, brings extensive experience in guiding capital markets, venture capital, and private equity firms through transformative digital journeys and enhanced efficiency.

• Migrate existing client and financial data from legacy systems to Salesforce, ensuring data integrity and seamless transition.
• Facilitate the setup and configuration of Sales Cloud, Account Engagement, Service Cloud, and other relevant Salesforce products tailored to the specific needs of investment management firms.
• Conduct Salesforce audits to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
• Enhance data security with encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and fine-grained access controls to protect sensitive client information.
• Implement automated workflows for routine investment management tasks, such as performance reviews, compliance checks, and reporting.
• Set up multi-step approval processes for investment decisions, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
• Implement tools for automated and personalized communication, including email marketing campaigns and real-time messaging.
• Develop custom reports tailored to regulatory requirements, client needs, and internal performance metrics.
• Seamlessly integrate Salesforce with other essential financial tools and platforms such as portfolio management systems, financial planning software, market data providers, and document management systems
• Provide Salesforce AI consulting services like choosing the right AI tool to integrate or create custom solutions.
• Create secure, self-service investor portals that provide clients with access to their portfolio performance, reports, and personalized investment recommendations
• Continuously update and enhance Salesforce features to keep pace with evolving business needs and technological advancements
• Offer professional Salesforce administration and support to resolve any issues quickly, minimizing downtime and ensuring smooth operation of the Salesforce system.

Still have questions about Salesforce for investment management? Book a free CRM consulting call and we’ll tell you how to win a competitive edge in the fintech world with Salesforce.