An independent consulting firm has launched a mobile application that will bring training programs, tools and insights straight into the hands of financial advisory firms.
From Herbers & Company, the Academy mobile app, available on desktop, iOS and Google, will give users practice-management ideas with a subscription fee.
Angie Herbers, the company’s founder and CEO, says the goal of Herbers & Co. is to help educate financial advisors on best practices in the industry.
“The problem that we've seen with advisory firms is that when they really need information, they don't have it. And what it does at its core is get them information when they need it,” she says. “The new app now just puts it in the palm of their hands where they can communicate with other people in the community.”
She says the decision to create a mobile app didn’t come until the pandemic, after staff realized there was a shift in the way the consulting firm interacted with financial advisory firms.
“We learned early on in the pandemic that when there’s major changes, advisory firms like to have a central place to go to get objective business management advice on how to maneuver that change,” she says.
The mobile app launches new content two to three times a day through multiple forms of learning, which Herbers says translates into higher engagement. It’s faster than most practice-management sites publish new items, she says.
Mac Gardner, founder of FinLit Tech, says he supports Herber & Co.’s new app.
“I think it’s awesome if you can provide a solution to advisors, to help more with the practice management aspects of it,” he says.
He says he likes that the app tools and tips can be spread and shared across the country and the world.
Users will have direct access to the senior consulting team at Herbers & Co. to get their questions answered. They can also download various templates and tools and attend events.
Since the app’s launch Tuesday, Herbers says it’s been “quite” active. The app already has over 60 advisors asking questions about sales, marketing, and human capital programs, along with signing up for events and workshops.
The app offers financial services educational programs; the option to attend live, biweekly training events and Q&A sessions; recordings of past events; access to downloadable tools and templates; the ability to ask consultants direct questions; and attendance at deep-dive workshops.
