Schwab Institutional's Regional Workshops Help Advisors Get the Most Out of Technology

Business Wire, July 9, 2008

SOLUTIONS([R]) 2008 to Feature Content for New and Seasoned Operations Staff, as Well as Special Session and Personalized Adoption Scorecard for Firm Principals and Managers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Increasingly complex client needs coupled with explosive growth rates in the independent advisor industry are compelling firm owners and principals to look for new ways to increase the efficiency of their businesses. To help address this need, SOLUTIONS([R]) 2008, Schwab Institutional's annual regional workshop series designed to help advisors learn and share technology best practices, kicks off in Boston today with a new track designed specifically for principals and operations managers. There will also be sessions appropriate for both newer employees and more experienced staff members.

"This year's SOLUTIONS series will have something for everyone," said Dan Skiles, vice president of technology for Schwab Institutional. "Many SOLUTIONS attendees have told us that they save more than an hour a day after coming to our workshops, and we think that efficiency and productivity will increase even more with the participation of employees from various levels in the firm."

In addition to breakout sessions covering a variety of topics, SOLUTIONS 2008 will offer roundtable discussions allowing attendees to spend time with peers sharing ideas and best practices. Principals and operations leaders may join a discussion focused on strategies for integrating new technology, while operations staff may participate in a discussion on streamlining quarter-end reporting.

Debut of Technology Adoption Scorecard

The breakout sessions for principals and operations managers have been developed for those who want to learn best practices for improving back office productivity and maximize the value of their technology investments. The new "Leveraging Schwab Technology to Improve Operational Productivity" session will offer principals and operations managers tangible ideas for increasing productivity. Each attendee will receive an adoption scorecard that will give them a clear window into how frequently their employees are using online trading and account service tools. The individual firm's data is then compared against a benchmark average so that advisors can see how their use of technology compares to others in the industry.

"Schwab Institutional's online account services and trading tools provide advisors with significant opportunity to increase efficiency, improve client service, and to reduce errors and the need for follow-up or re-work. All of this ultimately benefits a firm's bottom line," said Steve Hirsch, vice president of technology for Schwab Institutional. "But until now, advisors haven't had an easy way to track their adoption of technology or to see how their firm's practices compare to others in the industry."

The adoption scorecard tracks usage of critical online account servicing tools, including opening new accounts, trading, cashiering, and more. Several members of Schwab Institutional's technology and operations advisory board were given a chance to preview their firm's adoption scorecard at a recent meeting.

"Not only did the scorecard point out areas where we may want to explore further training for our employees, but it also gave us the opportunity to provide positive feedback to our staff on the areas where we are ahead of the industry," said Chris Cordaro, principal of RegentAtlantic Capital LLC. "Working in operations can sometimes be a thankless job where you don't get feedback unless things are going wrong, so it was a great way to recognize our staff for all they do to help keep our company running efficiently."

This year's SOLUTIONS workshops will also continue to focus on helping new staff improve their service levels by showcasing immediately implementable techniques for streamlining business operations. For more seasoned back office employees, advanced sessions on new online account opening, funding and status tools, as well as electronic document management will be offered. In addition, there will be sessions for Schwab Performance Technologies([R]) clients on using PortfolioCenter([R]) more effectively for billing and data management.

The technology tools to be showcased include:

* New online tools for opening new accounts and transferring accounts (TOAs)

* A new Status Hub to track the progress of TOAs and new accounts

* New online cashiering capabilities, including online wires and stock journals

* Technologies for helping an office go "paperless"

Workshop Calendar

The workshops will take place in 12 cities across the country during July and August. For advisors who cannot attend any of the live events, Schwab Institutional will offer a SOLUTIONS 2008 On-Demand webcast shortly after the last workshop has concluded. Schwab Institutional clients can also view webcasts of the SOLUTIONS 2007 sessions at www.schwabinstitutional.com.

This year's SOLUTIONS workshops will be held in:

* Boston, MA - July 9