Heather McKim, senior vice president of strategy and interactive at
HNW, said she thinks enhancing client meetings is one of the biggest benefits
of the iPad. The device can be used for presentations, which can be projected on
a larger screen, and for one-on-one planning discussions with clients. “If you
can immediately show the value of the solutions you are recommending, obviously
that will speed the decisionmaking process on the client’s end,” she said.
For advisers unable to hold an in-person meeting, the iPad allows for
easy video conferencing and information sharing. Meeting Mngr PRO, for example,
connects as many iPads as needed and projects documents on the screens.
Cisco WebEx Meetings allows advisers to conduct online meetings from anywhere
with two-way streaming video. Applications
such as Keynote can be used for professional presentations.
McKim said some advisers remain reluctant to host remote meetings on
the iPad because of possible Internet connection issues. “The adviser absolutely
needs to have those conversations free of any tech issues, so I think there’s a
bit of hesitation around that,” she added.
Save Money (and Trees)
Lengthy reports are paperless with the iPad, so companies can save money
from decreasing printing and paper costs. They can also reduce soft-dollar costs for the
meeting preparation itself because reports no longer require compilation in
binders. Meeting preparation time is cut in half and human error is eliminated, like missing or misplaced pages in binders, Whitehead said. “The iPads have actually paid for themselves at this point, due to the
reduction in printing and paper costs,” he added.
His company earned back the purchase price about nine months after buying
eight iPads, and he said he expects the same result within the next few months with
the second purchase of seven iPads. “We do a lot of meetings, though,”
Whitehead said, “so that’s not going to be the [case for the] typical
smaller-shop adviser.”
Clients and advisers are also pleased with the environmental benefits
of the iPad, sparing paper waste from reports. “We certainly want to be
more conscious of our environment, and we are involved in an industry that’s
not,” Whitehead said.