Designing an intelligence platform for relationship managers
Designing an intelligence platform for relationship managers
Finfactor's white-label intelligence platform for relationship managers, built on India's Account Aggregator ecosystem.
Finfactor is a B2B fintech that builds financial infrastructure on India's AA ecosystem, enabling wealth management firms to aggregate and act on client financial data across asset classes. WealthScape RM is their product, a white-label platform sold to banks, brokers, and RIAs, giving relationship managers a single, real-time view of every client's portfolio.
WealthScape RM had no prior version to reference. I owned design end to end, information architecture, component logic, interaction patterns, stakeholder reviews, and developer handoff.
Finfactor is a B2B fintech that builds financial infrastructure on India's AA ecosystem, enabling wealth management firms to aggregate and act on client financial data across asset classes. WealthScape RM is their product, a white-label platform sold to banks, brokers, and RIAs, giving relationship managers a single, real-time view of every client's portfolio.
WealthScape RM had no prior version to reference. I owned design end to end, information architecture, component logic, interaction patterns, stakeholder reviews, and developer handoff.
Role
Role
Product Designer
Product Designer
Timeline
Timeline
2 months
2 months
Team
Team
6 people
6 people
Understanding RM Workflows
Understanding RM Workflows
RMs manage 500+ clients across 5 disconnected platforms
RMs manage books of 500–800 clients, conducting portfolio reviews and advising on investments, reallocations, and new opportunities. Their performance comes down to two things: AUM growth and client retention which are typically monthly reviews or event-driven reallocations. Both depend on the quality of the client conversation, and that conversation is only as good as the preparation behind it.
RMs manage books of 500–800 clients, conducting portfolio reviews and advising on investments, reallocations, and new opportunities. Their performance comes down to two things: AUM growth and client retention which are typically monthly reviews or event-driven reallocations. Both depend on the quality of the client conversation, and that conversation is only as good as the preparation behind it.
RM's current workflow
CAS statements → spreadsheet → internal platform with in-house investments → meeting
RM's current workflow
CAS statements → spreadsheet → internal platform with in-house investments → meeting
Industry averages of 10-20 hours/week per RM spend that accounts for 30-35% of their week on admin tasks like spreadsheet consolidation, as per Cerulli Associates and SEI studies.
Industry averages of 10-20 hours/week per RM spend that accounts for 30-35% of their week on admin tasks like spreadsheet consolidation, as per Cerulli Associates and SEI studies.
What the problem is
Fragmented portfolio visibility as there is no single tool that shows a complete picture.
Fragmented portfolio visibility as there is no single tool that shows a complete picture.
Manual spreadsheet consolidation is repetitive, error-prone, and slow.
Manual spreadsheet consolidation is repetitive, error-prone, and slow.
Advisory quality depends on the individual RM, not the system.
Advisory quality depends on the individual RM, not the system.
At scale, RM-dependent quality becomes a business risk
At scale, RM-dependent quality becomes a business risk
Firms miss cross-sell and upsell opportunities across client books, and struggle to bring junior RMs to productivity fast enough to sustain growth targets.
Firms miss cross-sell and upsell opportunities across client books, and struggle to bring junior RMs to productivity fast enough to sustain growth targets.
Goals
Goals
User goal
See every client's full picture and prep for client meetings without switching tools
See every client's full picture and prep for client meetings without switching tools
Business goal
Increase revenue from opportunities RMs currently miss
Increase revenue from opportunities RMs currently miss
User goal
Equip junior RMs with the same client depth as their senior peers
Equip junior RMs with the same client depth as their senior peers
Business goal
Accelerate junior RM productivity and reduce ramp time to revenue.
Accelerate junior RM productivity and reduce ramp time to revenue.
User goal
Visibility for managers to see which RMs and clients need attention.
Visibility for managers to see which RMs and clients need attention.
Business goal
Identify performance gaps early and intervene before they affect client relationships.
Identify performance gaps early and intervene before they affect client relationships.
Constraints & Considerations
Constraints & Considerations
The realities that shaped every design decision.
The realities that shaped every design decision.
The platform serves five levels of RM hierarchy and an admin role. Each with a different mental model and a different job. Every surface decision had to account for who was looking at it and why.
The platform serves five levels of RM hierarchy and an admin role. Each with a different mental model and a different job. Every surface decision had to account for who was looking at it and why.
No existing benchmark. Built from scratch, no prior tool, no usage data, no existing user behaviour to design around. Every decision was grounded in domain research rather than precedent.
No existing benchmark. Built from scratch, no prior tool, no usage data, no existing user behaviour to design around. Every decision was grounded in domain research rather than precedent.
SoA vs. Demat data asymmetry; Mutual fund holdings can exist as both SoA (via CAMS/KFIN) and Demat (via NSDL/CDSL) which differs in data.
SoA vs. Demat data asymmetry; Mutual fund holdings can exist as both SoA (via CAMS/KFIN) and Demat (via NSDL/CDSL) which differs in data.
Process
Process
Building the architecture
Before designing any surface, the architecture had to be defined; what each role could see, how deep the navigation went, and what was in scope for the current build vs what came next.
Before designing any surface, the architecture had to be defined; what each role could see, how deep the navigation went, and what was in scope for the current build vs what came next.
Two architectures, two mental models: Keeping them separate prevented one interface from serving two fundamentally different jobs.
RM architecture is built around the client
Admin architecture is built around the organisation
Two architectures, two mental models: Keeping them separate prevented one interface from serving two fundamentally different jobs.
RM architecture is built around the client
Admin architecture is built around the organisation
Consent and assisted journey as top-level of the RM architecture, distinct workflows for onboarding and data acquisition, separate from ongoing portfolio management.
Consent and assisted journey as top-level of the RM architecture, distinct workflows for onboarding and data acquisition, separate from ongoing portfolio management.
Information architecture
Key Decisions
Guided Advisory
Helping RMs have better client conversations with faster prep
Helping RMs have better client conversations with faster prep
From asset-type tabs to intent-driven recommendations
From asset-type tabs to intent-driven recommendations
Organising recommendations by asset type was the default. But an RM preparing for a client meeting doesn't think in asset types. They need to know what to act on and why. Reorganising by intent - Growth, Opportunity, Alert, Tax; meant the system surfaces the right conversation, along with redirection for cross-sell opportunities
Organising recommendations by asset type was the default. But an RM preparing for a client meeting doesn't think in asset types. They need to know what to act on and why. Reorganising by intent - Growth, Opportunity, Alert, Tax; meant the system surfaces the right conversation, along with redirection for cross-sell opportunities
Context continuity
Context continuity
A predefined title list ensures consistency; free-text description adds context. The last meeting title surfaces on the client detail page so any RM or manager can read the relationship status at a glance.
A predefined title list ensures consistency; free-text description adds context. The last meeting title surfaces on the client detail page so any RM or manager can read the relationship status at a glance.
Designing for data uncertainty
Designing for data uncertainty
Aggregating client portfolio across multiple data sources
Aggregating client portfolio across multiple data sources
Internal RM tools at most institutions are scoped to in-house investments only. WealthScape surfaces the complete picture using: AA, MFC, broker integrations, and ECAS uploads.
Although the data available varies at two levels: what the business has purchased, and what the client has consented to share. This created a matrix of states. A data source can be absent entirely, partially connected, or live but stale
Internal RM tools at most institutions are scoped to in-house investments only. WealthScape surfaces the complete picture using: AA, MFC, broker integrations, and ECAS uploads.
Although the data available varies at two levels: what the business has purchased, and what the client has consented to share. This created a matrix of states. A data source can be absent entirely, partially connected, or live but stale
I built the component system to handle this through configuration, layouts adapt based on active data sources.
I built the component system to handle this through configuration, layouts adapt based on active data sources.
Data sync indicator at asset level, keeps the portfolio view clean without hiding data freshness
Data sync indicator at asset level, keeps the portfolio view clean without hiding data freshness
Impact : With a unified view of the client's complete portfolio, RMs can immediately see where assets are concentrated, where gaps exist, and where there's scope to mobilise funds into their book.
Proactive client alerts
Proactive client alerts
Surfacing risk and priority across the client book
Surfacing risk and priority across the client book
How might we help relationship managers prioritize the right clients to act on across a large book of accounts?
How might we help relationship managers prioritize the right clients to act on across a large book of accounts?
The first version of alerts showed a number. Three hundred clients not contacted this month. Useful, but not actionable. Surfacing trend alongside count so an RM could see direction, not just state.
The first version of alerts showed a number. Three hundred clients not contacted this month. Useful, but not actionable. Surfacing trend alongside count so an RM could see direction, not just state.
What's next : As we planned to expand alert types, a flat list would become noise. I introduced severity tiers : High, Medium, Low. Clients overlapping across multiple cohorts are a stronger risk signal. Severity tiers will surface once the right cohort combinations are validated through usage.
What's next : As we planned to expand alert types, a flat list would become noise. I introduced severity tiers : High, Medium, Low. Clients overlapping across multiple cohorts are a stronger risk signal. Severity tiers will surface once the right cohort combinations are validated through usage.
Designing for scale
RM hierarchy & manager visibility
Giving managers live visibility into their team's client book
Giving managers live visibility into their team's client book
Every client organisation has a different team structure, the platform needed to support both without custom builds per client.
Toolbar switching - search by name or filter by role to mirror any reportee's exact dashboard
Sticky banner - always shows whose dashboard is being viewed, with one-click revert back to their own
Toolbar switching - search by name or filter by role to mirror any reportee's exact dashboard
Sticky banner - always shows whose dashboard is being viewed, with one-click revert back to their own
Admin & client assignment
Assigning the right RM to the right client
Assigning the right RM to the right client
Assigning the right RM requires context - but surfacing full portfolio values to an admin is a privacy violation. I resolved this by showing asset composition as a percentage breakdown, so the admin can make an informed assignment decision without accessing private financial data.
Assigning the right RM requires context - but surfacing full portfolio values to an admin is a privacy violation. I resolved this by showing asset composition as a percentage breakdown, so the admin can make an informed assignment decision without accessing private financial data.
Bulk assignment and reassignment handles operational scenarios like RM exits or territory changes, so the admin isn't making individual decisions across hundreds of records.
Bulk assignment and reassignment handles operational scenarios like RM exits or territory changes, so the admin isn't making individual decisions across hundreds of records.
Learnings
Learnings
Architecture decisions compound, getting component logic and information hierarchy right in v1 is the only way to support configuration across client types without rebuilding later.
Architecture decisions compound, getting component logic and information hierarchy right in v1 is the only way to support configuration across client types without rebuilding later.
Mapping data availability states early on, designing for the full matrix of data states from the start kept the RM experience coherent across all deployment configurations.
Mapping data availability states early on, designing for the full matrix of data states from the start kept the RM experience coherent across all deployment configurations.
Made with care and plenty of coffee
Made with care and plenty of coffee