Meeting Workflows Emerge as a Profitability Problem for Wealth Firms

Wealth management firms searching for greater scale may need to focus less on expanding advisor reach and more on redesigning the work surrounding client meetings. New research argues that fragmented scheduling, preparation, documentation and follow-up are reducing productivity, increasing key-person risk and weakening firm profitability.

A white paper from The Oasis Group, sponsored by GReminders, frames meeting management as an end-to-end operational process rather than a collection of administrative tasks.

Citing Cerulli Associates, the paper said advisors spend nine hours of a 40-hour workweek on administrative duties. Ineffective delegation is also a major productivity challenge for 60% of advisors. That lost capacity represents more than a full business day each week that could otherwise support client service or business development.

“The firms that will scale over the next decade are not the ones with the most talented advisors,” Oasis Group CEO John O’Connell said. Instead, he said, firms need meeting and engagement processes that can continue functioning when a founder, partner or key employee leaves.

That resilience is becoming increasingly important as consolidation accelerates. Wealth management M&A reached a record 466 announced transactions in 2025, up 27.3% from the previous year, according to ECHELON Partners. The Oasis Group said buyers are increasingly examining whether an advisory practice depends on individual employees or operates through repeatable processes.

The paper recommends that firms track meeting-related work for two weeks, assign workflow ownership and establish escalation procedures before introducing automation.

When evaluating artificial intelligence, firms should determine whether tools integrate with their systems of record, require human review before producing client-facing material and permit data portability. The report said technology should reinforce a documented process, not compensate for an undefined one.

Systematizing meeting management, the paper concluded, can help firms increase capacity without continually hiring additional employees while improving consistency, compliance oversight and enterprise value.