SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2015) - Advent Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADVS), a leading provider of software and services for the global investment management industry, today announced the release of the new investor experience for Black Diamond®, which the company previewed in September at AdventConnect 2014. This ushers in the next generation of Black Diamond®, continuing its evolution from a pioneering cloud-based portfolio management and reporting technology solution to a full-featured wealth management platform.
The release of the new Black Diamond® investor experience follows an extremely successful three-month pre-release period in which more than 20 firms extensively tested the experience with their business and clients. These advisors -- including respected clients such as Homrich Berg, Intrepid Capital, LourdMurray, Moneta Group, RMB Capital, and others -- provided invaluable feedback on the experience and input for pre-release enhancements, ensuring deployment of the most robust and compelling Black Diamond® experience since the 2010 launch of BlueSky, now called Black Diamond®. Existing clients will participate in a staged rollout to transition to the new platform and personalize their investors' experience.
Designed to help advisors tailor their communications with each client based on specific needs and expectations, the new Black Diamond® investor experience goes beyond performance reporting to help foster more dynamic and meaningful relationships.
"The new Black Diamond® investor experience isn't just an updated client portal, it's a game-changing opportunity for advisors and wealth managers to elevate their interactions with clients in a powerful, personalized, and consistent nature," said Dave Welling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Black Diamond. "Our vision is to empower advisors to have a digital experience that is just as rich as their face-to-face interactions. That means having the functionality to present content that tells the whole story beyond just portfolio performance."
The investor experience includes a revamped investor portal that can be customized for each client and delivered through a web browser, tablet, phone, or other mobile device. Powerful and flexible communications tools help advisors easily connect with clients to support more proactive and interactive relationships.
"We are excited to see firsthand how profoundly the new Black Diamond® investor portal will enhance the clients' experience. Advent has designed it around how clients prefer to engage with their advisors through technology. We appreciate having new, more dynamic ways to engage with our clients using information that is both relevant to them and the conversation," said Michael Lee, Chief Operating Officer at LourdMurray.
The expansion of capabilities to support a broader wealth management dialogue with clients led to the creation of a bi-directional document vault to help support the two-way advisor-client workflow. Advisors can notify clients about new files added to the vault or share summary-level highlights that best suit their needs. Advisors will be able to post reports, financial planning documents, market commentary, and forms for clients to sign and return. Integrated data querying capabilities also enable advisors to proactively notify clients about important action items or news, such as the availability of a new 1099, a reminder to make an IRA contribution, or messages to let clients know when action is being taken to mitigate risk in cases of exposure to a particular holding.
"Black Diamond's new investor experience allows us to integrate financial planning content and craft timely, targeted messages that alert our clients to a range of important updates, including everything from shifts in our investment strategy to specific action items" said Christopher Casdia, Chief Compliance Officer and Director at Homrich Berg. "The Advent team has demonstrated a deep understanding of our clients' wishes and has built a platform that will serve them well while also helping to attract new investors to our business."
"As consumer technology has become increasingly user-friendly and intuitive, our clients expect the technology they use to engage with their advisor to keep pace," said Welling. "We understand these dynamics and have answered the call with this next generation Black Diamond® wealth management platform, marrying powerful data capabilities with the latest responsive web app design to deliver the most powerful, client-friendly experience since the platform's inception.
About Advent
Over the last 30 years of industry change, our core mission to help our clients focus on their unique strategies and deliver exceptional investor service has never wavered. With unparalleled precision and ahead-of‐the-curve solutions, we've helped over 4,300 firms in nearly 50 countries -- from established global institutions to small start-up practices -- to grow their business and thrive. Advent technology helps firms minimize risk, work together seamlessly, and discover new opportunities in a constantly evolving world. Together with our clients, we are shaping the future of investment management. For more information on Advent products visit http://www.advent.com.
About Black Diamond
An independent business group of Advent Software, Black Diamond provides investment advisors and wealth managers with a cloud-based portfolio management platform offering aggregation, customizable reporting and rebalancing combined with fully outsourced daily reconciliation and data management service. With innovative technology backed by exceptional service, Black Diamond frees advisors to focus on serving clients and growing their business. More than 565 advisory firms have chosen Black Diamond to help manage more than $266 billion in assets. Learn more at http://www.advent.com/blackdiamond.
Advent, Advent Software, Black Diamond, the Advent and logo composite are registered marks of Advent Software, Inc. All other company names or marks mentioned herein are those of their respective owners.