Autonomous “Digital Associate” delivers accuracy equal – or superior – to human counterparts, in a dramatically accelerated timeframe
Functionality expected to expand to other administrative tasks in coming months, freeing staff to take on more complex, advisor-facing tasks
Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (“Cambridge”), a leading independent financial solutions firm, has announced the successful implementation of an agentic-AI-driven tool designed to fully execute direct account openings at the firm. The new tool delivers in 17 minutes what previously took a small team over nine days to accomplish – without compromising accuracy or precision – according to internal testing.
“With the application of agentic AI, the future of wealth management will see advisors and associates spending less time on administrative tasks. Our goal is not to replace associates, but to allow them more time to deliver high-quality, personalized service to more clients,” said Sean Van Moorleghem, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “While we are still in the early stages of rolling out our Cambridge solutions, we’re thrilled to see such significant results. Our team has put the work in, partnering with AI experts for product development, conducting constant beta testing and fine-tuning these tools to perform consistently at the highest levels of accuracy.”
In developing this technology, Cambridge took the same measured approach it has used to successfully deploy its existing internal generative AI tools. The firm utilized its comprehensive associate training program and oversight procedures to ensure the tool’s performance aligns with its high standards for providing consistent and accurate results.
While the firm’s digital associates are currently limited to direct account opening, Cambridge is at work expanding their agentic-AI capabilities, with brokerage account opening functionality nearing completion. The firm’s goal is to deploy an integrated team of human and digital associates that will work together to elevate service and support across the organization.
“The timing of this advancement couldn’t be better,” added Valarie Vest, Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Cambridge. “We’re enjoying incredible recruiting success, and having this productivity-building resource at our disposal allows us to get advisors up and running in our system quickly while still having the capacity to provide hands-on support for the more complex aspects of their transition.”
In just two hours, the tool has the capacity to match a year’s worth of account-opening productivity. Cambridge team members are excited about the time savings, which allows them to focus on building relationships with advisors, engage in more value-added tasks, and expand their ability to deliver personalized support at scale.
“Our ongoing investment in innovation enhances our culture and ability to deliver the level of support our advisors deserve,” Vest continued. “The incredible work of our technology team will push us further, enabling our associates to do more, expand their skill sets and enjoy a more fulfilling and collaborative work environment.”
