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The AML Compliance Clock Is Still Ticking: Why 2026 IT Budgets Matter Despite the FinCEN Delay

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Cindy Griffin

By Cindy Griffin, Financial Services Vertical Marketing Lead at Smart Communications

In 2024, U.S. regulators issued over $3 billion in fines related to anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) violations. Increasingly, enforcement actions are tied not just to bad actors, but to gaps in client onboarding, data quality, and communication breakdowns.

While this blog post focuses on a specific upcoming AML rule from the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) targeting U.S.-based Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), it’s part of a broader global trend. Regulators around the world are sharpening their scrutiny of how financial institutions collect, verify, and manage customer data across the lifecycle.

Whether you’re operating in the U.S., the UK, the EU, or APAC, the message is clear: AML compliance isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a technology and communications challenge.

A Delay Is Not a Free Pass on AML Compliance

On July 21, 2025, FinCEN announced a delay in the effective date of its proposed AML rule for RIAs, known as the IA AML Rule. Under the proposed rule, the definition of a “financial institution” under the Bank Secrecy Act would have been extended to include RIAs. This meant that RIAs would be required to implement an AML program, if they did not have one previously. Originally slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2026, the rule is now expected to go live on Jan. 1, 2028.

For many firms, this delay may feel like a reprieve. In reality, it’s a rare opportunity: a two-year runway to plan, budget, and execute strategic technology upgrades before compliance becomes urgent.

Enforcement Is Delayed—But AML Compliance Expectations Aren’t

While formal enforcement may be on hold, market expectations are already shifting. Investors and regulators are looking harder at how firms onboard clients, capture data, and identify suspicious activity. Many RIAs still rely on manual forms, static PDFs, and disconnected systems that leave them exposed to compliance gaps and audit risk.

AML accountability is coming. Firms that wait until 2027 to modernize forms and data collection to support AML processes will be in a late scramble, likely incurring higher costs and rushed implementations. You can wait until 2027 to panic, or use 2025 and 2026 to plan, evaluate vendors, and budget smartly.

Why AML Compliance Starts with Forms and Client Communication

AML doesn’t start in one transaction—it starts at onboarding. Optimizing this area requires a combination of technology, clear strategy, and streamlined processes working together. Dynamic forms automation and customer communications management (CCM) technologies enable firms to:

Collect accurate, validated client data
Trigger identity verification and sanctions screening
Maintain digital audit trails
Update forms and disclosures efficiently when regulations change

Trying to retrofit compliance workflows onto legacy platforms after the fact is expensive, time-consuming, and error prone.

Budget Planning for AML Compliance Starts in 2026

If you want to be live in 2027, you need funding in 2026. Many enterprise budget cycles require six to nine months of planning, stakeholder alignment, and approvals. Firms that start too late risk missing out or settling for temporary fixes. Start framing 2026 proposals around strategic compliance readiness, not just reactive rule-following.

With the FinCEN delay, firms have time to be methodical. You can phase in solutions, run pilots, and compare vendors based on both functionality and financial flexibility. Look for technology partners who can scale with you, offer modular deployments, and support long-term ROI.

Delay Offers Time to Build a Smarter AML Compliance Roadmap

The FinCEN delay gives firms valuable breathing room, but only if they use it to build a smarter, phased investment plan rather than kick the can down the road. Now is the time to map out a modernization roadmap that delivers immediate wins in onboarding, compliance workflows, and customer communications, while laying the groundwork to be ready for 2028.

As outlined in this blog post, early vendor research is key. By evaluating technology partners now—not in Q4 panic mode—you can compare flexible pricing models, assess implementation timelines, and position your project for approval in the 2026 budget cycle. It’s not just about being compliant later, it’s about making cost-effective progress now.

Start Your AML Compliance Budget Conversations Today

A two-year delay should be seen as strategic runway, not a reason to wait. Early action builds resilience, reduces risk, and strengthens your long-term regulatory posture.

Use the 2026 budget cycle to begin preparing your tech stack—especially CCM and forms automation—that will future-proof your AML readiness.

Reach out to our team to learn more about how we can assist you in reaching these goals.

Frequently Asked Questions: Planning for AML Compliance for RIAs

Q: Didn’t FinCEN delay the AML rule for RIAs? Why rush?

A: Yes, the rule was delayed to Jan. 1, 2028—but preparing now gives you time to budget thoughtfully, evaluate vendors, and modernize processes that support AML compliance before urgency sets in.

Q: What types of technology should we prioritize?

A: Start with forms automation and CCM tools that support accurate data collection, auditability, and workflow integration. These are foundational for AML compliance readiness and broader client lifecycle compliance.

Q: Can we wait until 2027 to upgrade?

A: You can, but it will be more expensive, rushed, and likely disruptive. Starting your process now lets you phase in changes strategically.

Q: Is this still relevant if we already use a CRM system?

A: Yes. While CRMs are valuable for managing relationships, they often lack the capabilities needed for structured data collection, dynamic form workflows, and compliance-grade audit trails. Critical AML inputs like CIP documentation, beneficial ownership details, and client attestations are often collected manually or stored in inconsistent formats. Integrating purpose-built forms and data automation tools with your CRM can close these gaps, ensuring cleaner data, faster onboarding, and stronger compliance posture.

Q: What’s the risk of doing nothing now?

A: You risk falling behind your peers, scrambling to fund upgrades later, and facing greater scrutiny from regulators and institutional partners alike.

Q: Is this just a U.S. issue, or should global firms be paying attention too?

A: While the FinCEN IA AML Rule specifically applies to U.S.-based RIAs, AML expectations are rising globally. Regulatory bodies globally are tightening rules around client due diligence, beneficial ownership, and digital recordkeeping. For global firms—or U.S. firms with international clients or operations—this is part of a worldwide shift toward more rigorous, data-driven AML enforcement. Investing in scalable, flexible tech now ensures you’re ready for evolving compliance demands across all jurisdictions.

What Great CX Looks Like in Life Insurance (2025 Benchmark Research)

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Eileen Potter

By Eileen Potter, VP of Insurance Marketing at Smart Communications

In a market defined by complex products and long customer lifecycles, delivering exceptional experiences can be a key differentiator for Life & Annuity organizations.

Customers want clarity, empathy, and convenience across every touchpoint, but many organizations still struggle with manual, paper-based processes and impersonal communications. In this post, I’ll explore what defines “great” customer experience in life insurance today, drawing on fresh 2025 insights into CX performance across the industry. From onboarding to claims, let’s dive into what leaders are doing right—and where many still fall short.

Curious about how your experience measures up? While this isn’t a benchmark deep dive, we’ll share themes inspired by recent life insurance CX benchmarking data—helping you understand how customer expectations are shifting and what CX benchmarks for life insurance look like in 2025.

Why CX Is Mission-Critical in Life Insurance

Customer experience requires a deeper level of empathy in life insurance. The stakes are higher, the journeys longer, and the trust required is deeper.

Done right, great CX in life insurance builds loyalty over decades, not months. It reduces churn, boosts referrals, and opens the door for future product conversations.

5 CX Benchmark Takeaways in Life Insurance in 2025

Here’s what’s rising to the top among today’s strongest-performing life insurance brands—based on emerging patterns from 2025 customer data:

1. Frictionless onboarding is non-negotiable. Customers consistently rated an intuitive, streamlined start to the customer journey as a top driver of positive experience. Long forms, confusing steps, or a lack of status updates were top friction points.

2. Omnichannel isn’t optional anymore. Policyholders increasingly expect to move seamlessly between digital, agent, and call center experiences—with minimal repetition required.

3. Human + digital beats either/or. Customers value both speed and support—meaning hybrid models are winning. One trend in the data: customers and beneficiaries who had access to digital tools and real human help reported higher satisfaction.

4. Claims transparency is a growing CX lever. Respondents pointed to proactive status updates and clear claims timelines as factors strongly linked to loyalty.

5. Customers now expect personalization, speed, and proactive outreach. For example, nearly 60% of customers who received relevant check-ins (like reminders or policy education) said they were more likely to recommend their insurer—hinting at the value of contextual engagement. Moreover, overwhelming majorities across regions and generations indicated communications were critical to their overall experience.

Common Gaps and CX Pitfalls in Life Insurance

While some insurers are raising the bar, others are still held back by:

Legacy tech and siloed systems—resulting in clunky, inconsistent experiences
Disconnects between digital and agent touchpoints—leading to repeated questions or broken handoffs
Low clarity on coverage and next steps—which ranked among the top frustrations in recent feedback
Lack of proactive communication—especially during emotionally important or time-sensitive moments
Paper-based, manual processes–many organizations still expect customers to download and fill out forms by hand and mail them to the insurance company to make changes

These pain points don’t just annoy customers, they erode trust.

Moving from Good to Great: What Leaders Are Doing Differently

The data shows a growing divide between brands that meet expectations and those that exceed them. Here’s what the top performers are doing differently:

→ Journey orchestration, not just journey mapping. Leading teams are designing CX with intentionality—thinking end-to-end across departments, not in silos.

→ Customer feedback loops that drive change. The highest-scoring organizations act on real-time signals, rather than relying solely on annual surveys.

→ Empowered agents who understand digital-first customers. Many top performers are re-skilling frontline teams to better support hybrid customer journeys, blending empathy with tech fluency.

How to Start Elevating Your CX Today

Even if you’re early in your CX transformation, there are simple, strategic steps you can take now:

Audit your top 3 customer journeys (e.g., onboarding, claims, policy changes) and look for friction.
Identify moments of silence or confusion and build in communication touchpoints.
Align your CX metrics to customer outcomes—such as clarity, ease, and confidence—not just speed or cost.

Conclusion

Customer expectations won’t slow down in 2025—and neither should your CX evolution. The most successful life insurers are the ones who treat experience not as an add-on, but as a core value driver.

Want to know what top-tier CX really looks like this year? Our latest report reveals how real customers are engaging, what’s working (and what isn’t), and what you can do to move from average to exceptional.

For more, access a complimentary copy of the 2025 Benchmark report.

How Automated Forms Solve the Preregistration Gap in Healthcare Workflows

Posted on July 31, 2025 by John Zimmerer

By John Zimmerer, VP of Healthcare Marketing at Smart Communications

If you work in healthcare, you’ve probably heard this gripe from patients:

“Didn’t I already fill this out?”

Even with robust Electronic Health Record (EHR) platforms like Epic, many organizations struggle with one critical phase of the patient journey: preregistration. Paper packets, duplicate entry, missed data fields, and frustrated patients are common complaints.

EHRs were built for documentation and clinical excellence, not necessarily for front-end patient experience.

That leaves a glaring gap—one that results in:

Repetitive administrative tasks
Lower patient satisfaction scores
Slower check-in times
Higher no-show or reschedule rates

Although Epic does a great job supporting clinical care, it’s not designed to handle every step of the patient journey, especially before the visit even begins.

That’s where an automated forms solution can step in to make things easier for both patients and staff.

Let’s break it down.

Where Epic Falls Short: A Side-by-Side Look

Epic’s Capabilities for Preregistration:

Patient portal-based forms (MyChart)
Demographics, insurance, and consent captured in-system
Integration with existing clinical workflows

But…

Low completion rates unless patients are actively using
MyChart No flexibility for non-portal users (think: first-timers or digitally hesitant)
Limited customization of workflows for different service lines or visit types
Inconsistent communication channels (email/text/phone) for reminders and forms
Manual follow-up needed for incomplete or missing information

How No-Code Digital Patient Intake Forms Bridge the Gap

Digital patient intake forms, like SmartIQ™, bridge the gap to solve what EHRs miss. Think of them as the “front doors” your patients actually want to walk through. They should be simple, digital, and easily completed before arrival.

Here’s how Epic and SmartIQ compare:

Epic MyChart vs. SmartIQ’s Automated Form Solution

Feature	Epic MyChart	SmartIQ
Form Completion Without Login	❌	✅
Mobile-First Design	⚠️ Limited	✅ Optimized
Channel Flexibility (SMS/Email)	⚠️ Basic	✅ Fully Customizable
Smart Form Routing by Visit Type	❌	✅
eSignature Integration	⚠️ Limited	✅ Seamless
Analytics + Completion Tracking	❌	✅ Real-Time
Automated Reminders	❌	✅

Why It Matters: The Real-World Impact of Preregistration Gaps

Preregistration may seem like an admin issue, but it’s actually a strategic opportunity. When digital patient intake forms are automated, streamlined, and completed before the patient even arrives:

Wait times drop
No-show rates decrease
Operational efficiency improves
Healthcare communications feel more modern
Patients feel prepared, respected, and heard

Most importantly, your staff stops chasing down paperwork and starts focusing on care.

Interested in the other factors that can make or break your patient intake forms? Read “How to Create Digital-First Patient Intake Forms”

The Takeaway: You Don’t Have to Wait for the EHR to Catch Up

Epic is powerful, but it’s not perfect. Modernizing preregistration will help save time and create a smoother, more connected experience for employees and patients alike. When digital tools work alongside your EHR, the entire process feels less like paperwork and more like care.

Schedule a demo to see how SmartIQ helps providers like you bridge the gap.

Don’t Let Budget Season Catch You Unprepared: The Critical Importance of Early Vendor Research

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Scott Draeger

By Scott Draeger, SVP of Product Marketing and Vertical Solutions

Enterprise software budget processes are easy to delay, until it’s too late. Then, you find yourself stuck with legacy limitations for another year.

Budgeting is complex and time-sensitive, yet too many organizations wait until the last minute to gather essential vendor information. This reactive approach leads to delayed decisions, incomplete evaluations, and ultimately, poor ROI outcomes that plague your organization for years.

The Hidden Cost of Inadequate Vendor Research

When budget season arrives and you’re scrambling to compile vendor pricing, feature comparisons, and implementation timelines, you’re already behind. The most successful enterprise software investments begin with thorough vendor research conducted months before budget discussions even start.

This preparation allows you to present comprehensive business cases backed by detailed cost-benefit analyses rather than rough estimates and hopeful projections. This type of preparation puts your project in position to get a “yes!”

Transaction Structure: The Make-or-Break Factor for ROI

Beyond basic pricing and features, understanding how flexible vendors can structure their transactions is critical for achieving positive ROI quickly. Many publicly traded vendors are bringing heavy legacy approaches to their SaaS offerings.

They continue to demand substantial upfront payments, extensive and expensive professional services contracts with high attach rates, and additional fees that delay meaningful returns by years. These legacy models from legacy providers prioritize vendor cash flow over client success, creating financial strain that undermines transformation initiatives.

A Different Approach to Enterprise Partnerships

Smart Communications represents a fundamentally different philosophy in vendor relationships. Rather than demanding large upfront investments that strain budgets and delay ROI, Smart Communications partners with clients through multiyear arrangements designed to accelerate time-to-value to deliver profit and performance faster than expected.

Smart Communications’ innovation isn’t limited to our leading SaaS offerings. Innovation extends through the entire business, offering financing options that enable organizations to begin transformation and migration processes without the crushing financial burden that typically accompanies enterprise software implementations.

Analyst reports are a powerful source of knowledge when researching vendor options. Get started by checking out our latest insights here.

Breaking Down Vendor Silos That Block Your Success

Traditional vendors often operate with internal silos that prioritize their own revenue recognition over client outcomes. This misalignment creates friction throughout implementation and ongoing support. Separate sales teams compete for product revenues in competitive portfolios.

Any professional services discounts can create carve–outs and revenue deferrals that cause a salesperson to rapidly shift focus to another prospect. Smart Communications’ transaction structure aligns vendor success with client success, ensuring that your transformation goals remain the primary focus throughout the partnership.

Start Your Research Today

Don’t wait for budget season to begin your vendor evaluation process. Start gathering comprehensive vendor information now, with particular attention to transaction structures that support rapid ROI achievement.

Done right, budget discussions will become strategic conversations rather than frantic scrambles that leave you and your customers to deal with legacy limitations for another year. Position your project for success in 2026 by partnering with a vendor aligned to your rapid ROI.

Not The Decision Maker, But Interested in Making a Change?

Check out “Building a Business Case for Change: How to Secure Stakeholder Buy-In When Purchasing Enterprise Customer Communications Management (CCM) Software” to arm yourself with the right information to make the case for better CCM software.

Fixing First Impressions: How Automating Data Collection Can Fix These 5 Client Service Bottlenecks in Wealth Management

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Cindy Griffin

By Cindy Griffin, Vertical Marketing Specialist at Smart Communications

At our INNOVATE conference in New Orleans, keynote speaker James Dodkins (aka the CX Rockstar) delivered a powerful message:

“Many first impressions are out of your hands, but they are never out of your control.”

In wealth management, first impressions matter deeply. Whether it’s a prospective client onboarding for the first time or an existing one updating their information because of a life change, the experience they have with your firm shapes how they perceive you.

And yet, many wealth management firms are unintentionally making the wrong impression. Outdated, manual client service processes are creating friction, delays, and frustration; these are the bottlenecks that you must address. Simply stated, these bottlenecks are creating the wrong impression. In this article, I’ll dive into how automating data collection processes can help wealth management organizations overcome these challenges.

Legacy Processes Are a Challenge to Scale

As demand for personalized service grows and advisor-client interactions become more complex, wealth management firms are under pressure to deliver a high-touch experience at scale. But for many firms, the reality looks more like this:

Endless back-and-forth emails for missing documents
Paper forms and wet signatures
Tedious manual rekeying of data into multiple systems

In 2025, the most common client service bottlenecks can be traced to one root issue: outdated data collection processes. Modernizing how your firm collects and conveys data can eliminate friction, unlock scalable workflow automation, and, most importantly, create great impressions on your clients.

Here are the five most common bottlenecks and how you can solve them:

Bottleneck #1: Manually Collecting Data from Clients

Advisors and client service staff often waste hours tracking down forms, missing data, or signatures from clients. These requests are typically handled by email or phone, creating fragmented communication trails and introducing significant room for error.

The Result: Slow onboarding, frustrated clients, and inefficient use of staff time.

The Fix: Replace manual methods with guided, digital experiences that accurately collect data the first time. Intelligent, online, mobile-friendly forms validate inputs, ensure completeness, and eliminate the back-and-forth.

The Smart Approach: Firms using forms automation solution SmartIQ have reduced data collection time by 60% to 75%. And Not In Good Order rates? Organizations leveraging SmartIQ have reduced them from a typical industry standard of 35% to 2%. In short, SmartIQ’s no-code/low-code solution transforms traditional form-based processes into fast, secure, fully automated digital experiences that make it easier for clients to engage and firms to scale.

Bottleneck #2: Fragmented Data Handoffs Between Teams

Even when client data is successfully collected, it often gets stuck in operational limbo or becomes siloed. Staff members email spreadsheets, print forms, or manually re-key information into internal systems, creating bottlenecks and a risk of data loss, incorrect data, or duplication.

The Result: Disjointed workflows and costly handoffs that delay client service.

The Fix: Workflow automation tied to automated data collection allows client information to move seamlessly between people and systems. This eliminates double-handling (unnecessary rehandling of materials or information) or siloed information and creates a single source of truth.

The Smart Approach: SmartIQ eliminates fragmented data handoffs by capturing structured, validated data at the point of entry and routing it through integrated workflows. Instead of relying on emails, spreadsheets, or re-keying, SmartIQ connects with CRMs, portfolio accounting, and other internal systems via prebuilt connectors and flexible APIs. This ensures accurate client data flows seamlessly between systems, reducing manual effort, cutting processing times, and creating a “single source of truth” for every interaction.

Bottleneck #3: Compliance Delays Due to Incomplete Data

A missing checkbox or signature can kick off compliance alerts that start a cascade of manual reviews, rerouting, and rework. These delays aren’t just operational headaches. A recent Capgemini report cited a survey showing a 31% increase in penalties on global financial institutions for anti-money laundering and know your customer violations. Non-compliance can significantly impact profits and regulator relationships.

The Result: Delays that not only make a bad impression on clients, but also increase regulatory risk.

The Fix: Automated digital data collection solutions can prevent errors by collecting the information at the source. Intelligent forms ensure all required fields are completed and compliant before submission.

The Smart Approach: SmartIQ reduces compliance delays by ensuring that data is complete, accurate, and validated before submission. Guided digital interviews dynamically adjust based on client responses, so required fields are never missed. Built-in logic checks and field-level validation reduce the risk of human error, while version control ensures the most current regulatory templates are always used.

Bottleneck #4: Lack of Real-Time Visibility into Client Progress

Too often, advisors and client service teams don’t know where a client is in a process. Has the form been started? Submitted? Is something missing? This lack of visibility leads to redundant follow-ups, delayed services, and poor client experiences. According to an Avaloq wealth management survey, 30% of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients experience onboarding times of three months or more. This is a level of delay that can damage trust and hinder long-term relationship growth.

The Result: Advisors are operating in the dark, and clients can see it, hurting critical retention efforts.

The Fix: Automated systems with a clear view of where each client’s request stands can give teams the visibility needed to support clients more effectively. When everyone has insight into a client’s status, it’s easier to anticipate needs, reduce delays, and provide a more seamless experience.

The Smart Approach: With SmartIQ’s real-time dashboards and progress tracking, teams gain full visibility into where clients are in the journey, enabling proactive support. Built-in audit trails and status updates provide transparency, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Bottleneck #5: Diminishing ROI from Manual Processes

Peak times like tax season or year-end planning place tremendous strain on advisors and client service teams. Advisors and client service teams are stretched or delay non-urgent work. Firms cannot simply add headcount to address this problem.

The Result: Advisors and client service staff are burned out and miss opportunities to deliver high-value client service. Manual work scales costs, not service quality.

The Fix: Automating data collection and related workflows frees up staff for higher-value tasks, like client outreach and strategy. It’s the only sustainable way to scale without increasing headcount.

The Smart Approach: By turning manual workflows into intelligent, digital experiences, SmartIQ dramatically reduces time spent during peak periods on repetitive tasks like data entry, document review, and chasing missing information. This leads to higher operational efficiency, lower costs, and more time for advisors and staff to focus on delivering value to your clients.

The Path Forward for Client Service Teams

Digital transformation isn’t just about modernizing infrastructure. It’s about creating client service operations that are fast, efficient, and, most importantly, leave a great impression.

Automation allows firms to move faster, reduce manual errors, and give clients the seamless experience they expect. And it frees advisors to focus on what matters: building great relationships.

Forward-thinking firms are already reimagining their service model with automation. If your firm is still reliant on PDFs, emails, and manual follow-ups, now is the time to explore how SmartIQ can fit into your roadmap.

Because that first impression? It’s not out of your control, it’s just waiting to be automated.

For more information on how these challenges impact customer experience, and how your organization can overcome them, access a complimentary copy of our 2025 Benchmark report. Be sure to watch the video below for insights from the report.

Redefining Customer Connection & Building Loyalty through Digital Experiences: Insights from the Third Digital Banking Summit | ICC Sydney

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Aaron Everingham

By Aaron Everingham, Sales Director at Smart Communications

At the third Digital Banking Summit, hosted by Forefront at ICC Sydney, Smart Communications’ Aaron Everingham led a thought-provoking discussion on how digital banking leaders are reshaping customer connection and loyalty in a fast-evolving environment.

The panel explored the role of human-centered design, trust, personalisation, and emerging technologies—all within the context of an increasingly digital and regulated banking world.

1. Human Connection in a Digital World

In the early days of banking, connection meant face-to-face interaction. Today, with digital channels dominant, the challenge is preserving that sense of humanity at scale.

One speaker noted that the rise of digital has created hyper-choice, making trust a more critical differentiator than ever before. Another panellist shared that while digital platforms streamline processes like home loan applications, there’s often still a team behind the scenes ready to step in, especially for more complex needs.

Several participants stressed the importance of human-centred design, particularly in emotionally charged moments, where digital alone may fall short. One bank shared how they’ve designed AI-powered systems to hand off conversations to human agents during heightened customer moments—ensuring empathy isn’t lost in automation.

2. Personalisation at Scale: Still the Holy Grail?

While personalisation remains a top priority, its meaning is evolving.

A speaker from a major institution noted that personalisation today is about relevance: providing timely, context-aware interactions, such as reminders for upcoming bills or proactive service prompts. Others made a distinction between personalisation and customisation—highlighting the need to tailor not just messaging, but the entire experience, depending on the user’s profile and preferences.

A digital lender representative acknowledged the technical complexity behind this: managing personalised content and journeys at scale remains a work in progress, particularly for institutions navigating legacy infrastructure.

3. Trust and Connection in a Digitally Regulated Age

As digital becomes the primary channel, building trust—especially in key moments like hardship or lending—has taken on new urgency.

Several panellists pointed out that regulatory pressure and customer protection are driving a shift in experience design. What was once about speed is now about “intelligent friction”—introducing small hurdles to help customers stay safe. For example, first-time payment warnings are now deliberately implemented to prevent scams, even if they slightly slow down the user experience.

Trust, it was emphasized, is not just about UX; it’s about staying true to brand promises, especially for institutions with older or more vulnerable customers. As one speaker put it, “you don’t just design for ease—you design for reassurance.”

4. Loyalty Reimagined

The panel also reflected on how loyalty has changed—and how digital can support, or undermine, long-term relationships.

Traditional points-based loyalty schemes are no longer the only currency. One speaker noted that consistency, transparency, and reliability now play a greater role. For digital-native brands, loyalty is tied closely to their core promise, such as a simplified lending journey.

Meanwhile, open banking and app-based banking aggregation were cited as drivers of customer freedom. As one attendee shared, inertia is fading—customers now expect more, and are quicker to switch when expectations aren’t met.

5. Segmenting Experiences, Not Just Messages

Tailoring communications is no longer enough—banks must now segment the experience itself.

This means adapting everything from tone and flow to channel mix and hand-off points. One example given involved designing different onboarding journeys based on whether a user is a first-time buyer, a retiree, or a digital-native—acknowledging that the same service doesn’t work for every audience.

6. Looking Ahead: Emerging Trends

Finally, the panel looked to the future—particularly the growing role of AI.

While AI offers new levels of convenience and responsiveness, speakers cautioned against over-automation. There’s a risk of disintermediation, where the very connections banks seek to strengthen could erode.

The key, according to one leader, is finding the right balance between automation and human intervention—and ensuring that when a handoff is needed, it happens seamlessly.

Final Thoughts

The panel made one thing clear: building loyalty and connection in banking is no longer about flashy perks or polished UX alone. It’s about trust, consistency, and deeply understanding the moments that matter to customers.

Digital has changed the game—but the fundamentals of human connection remain unchanged.

The High Price of Bad Data: Why It’s Hurting Your Business More Than You Think

Posted on June 2, 2025 by SmartComm

By Smart Communications

You rely on data to guide everything from customer interactions to strategic decisions. But what if the data you’re using is flawed? Whether it’s incomplete, outdated, or just plain wrong, bad data is silently eating away at your business performance—and it’s costing you more than you realize.

In our recent webinar, “Intelligent Interactions to Drive Intelligent Content,” we explored how content is a key component for organizations to engage and support customers. Critically, business leaders are also recognizing that the way the company interacts with its customers is a cornerstone of retention.

We explored those themes in an earlier post, which you can read here. In this article, we’ll focus on how the data your business is able to capture will inevitably inform the content you deliver.

The Hidden Costs of Inaccurate or Incomplete Data

It’s easy to underestimate the real impact of poor data quality. Maybe your CRM has duplicate records, or perhaps your forms aren’t capturing all the necessary fields. These issues may seem minor, but they can snowball into bigger problems fast. Before you know it, you’re spending hours manually cleaning records, chasing down missing information, or reworking campaigns that never should’ve launched in the first place.

Every misstep adds up: wasted marketing spend, lost revenue, poor customer segmentation, and missed sales opportunities. And the damage isn’t limited to your marketing team—every function across your business feels the effects. When your data’s off, your outcomes will be too.

How Bad Data Impacts Decision-Making and Customer Trust

When your decisions are built on shaky data, your strategy suffers. You might be prioritizing the wrong markets, personalizing the wrong messages, or automating journeys that don’t resonate. Poor targeting leads to poor results, plain and simple.

More importantly, bad data erodes trust. Your customers notice when emails are addressed incorrectly, when they’re asked for the same information multiple times, or when your digital experiences just don’t line up. These gaps chip away credibility—and once trust is gone, it’s hard to win back.

You’re also limiting the potential of your AI and analytics investments. Intelligent systems are only as good as the data they’re trained on. Feed them bad data, and you’ll get unreliable insights and automated processes that miss the mark.

Intelligent Content Starts with Intelligent Data

If you’re serious about delivering intelligent content, you need intelligent data. That means structured, complete, and actionable information from the start. And that starts with how you collect it.

SmartIQ™ empowers you to capture better data through intelligent digital forms and adaptive interviews. You’ll eliminate rework, reduce human error, and accelerate workflows across departments. It’s not just about collecting information. Your organization should focus on capturing customer data in a way that’s validated, integrated, and ready to use.

With sophisticated data collection software, you can bolster integrity in the content creation process. That means your content isn’t just accurate—it’s dynamically tailored, personalized, and delivered with speed and confidence.

Turning Things Around: A Smarter Approach to Data Collection

So how do you fix a bad data problem? You start at the source. Your data collection processes need to be as smart as the insights you want to deliver. Look at the front lines and ask yourself these questions:

Are your forms and workflows designed to reduce friction?
Are they integrated into your core systems so data flows where it needs to go—cleanly and automatically?
Are you minimizing manual entry and validating fields in real time?

Equipped with a no-code data collection platform, business users can build intelligent, guided digital interactions that not only improve customer experiences but ensure that every piece of data is complete, accurate, and instantly usable.

Stronger data means more personalized journeys, more reliable analytics, more impactful automation, and better business outcomes overall.

Bad data isn’t just a technical issue, it’s a strategic one; or rather, a lack of strategy. If you want to serve up better content, ultimately enhancing customer experiences and retention, you have to fix your foundation first.

Like What You’ve Read and What to Dig Deeper?

Watch the on-demand webinar to explore more insights or reach out to our team if you’re ready to think differently about how your content can work smarter.

How Intelligent Content Will Enhance Your Customer Experience

Posted on May 14, 2025 by SmartComm

By Smart Communications

In our recent webinar, “Intelligent Interactions to Drive Intelligent Content,“ attendees learned how content is no longer just a marketing asset—it’s becoming a central part of how organizations engage, support, and retain customers. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, you can access the on-demand version here.

Let’s explore some of the key ideas we discussed, and how intelligent content is shaping the future of customer experience.

What Is Intelligent Content—and Why Should You Care?

Intelligent content is a forward-thinking approach to creating and managing content that’s built for adaptability, efficiency, and scale. It moves beyond static formats and one-size-fits-all messaging to deliver content that is:

Modular: Created in reusable blocks that can be adapted for different use cases.
Structured: Tagged with metadata and organized for easy automation and delivery.
Reusable: Designed once and repurposed across channels, touchpoints, and formats.
Technology-enabled: Integrated with systems and tools to power dynamic, personalized experiences.

This kind of content is more efficient and more responsive to customer needs. Whether someone is filling out a form, opening an account, requesting support, or completing a transaction, intelligent content can adjust in real time to reflect who they are and where they are in their journey.

The Connection Between Content Strategy and CX

Your content strategy should aim to holistically support the entire customer experience across forms, applications, onboarding materials, service interactions, and compliance communications. When it’s inconsistent or disconnected, customers notice.

A thoughtful approach to data collection, grounded in intelligent content principles, helps you deliver a seamless, consistent experience across channels. It also reduces the effort required to manage content internally, which eliminates duplicate work, minimizes errors, and improves speed to market.

Real-World Wins: How Smarter Content Drives Loyalty and Conversion

Organizations adopting intelligent content are seeing real results. In highly regulated industries like financial services, healthcare, and insurance, smarter content strategies are helping teams simplify complex workflows, reduce friction in customer interactions, and deliver personalized information faster.

For instance, replacing static PDFs with dynamic, guided forms can dramatically reduce errors and drop-off. Automating document generation from structured content can streamline processes like onboarding or claims intake—freeing up teams to focus on higher-value tasks.

These changes often start small but have a wide ripple effect. When customers experience faster, more intuitive interactions, they’re more likely to complete a process, stay loyal to a brand, and trust future communications.

Getting Started with Intelligent Content

You don’t need to overhaul your entire tech stack or rewrite your content library to begin. Start by identifying key areas where friction exists—maybe a form that’s confusing, a document that’s often sent with errors, or a communication process that feels outdated.

From there, consider these early steps:

Audit what you already have: Look for high-use, high-friction content that could be modularized or automated
Standardize your content structure: Add metadata, tagging, and naming conventions for consistency
Connect content to data: Explore how customer data can personalize and streamline content delivery
Test and scale: Start with one use case, learn from it, and expand

Intelligent content is a long-term strategy, but even small changes can lead to meaningful improvements in customer experience.

Customers today expect experiences that are personalized, efficient, and seamless. Intelligent content helps you meet those expectations while improving internal agility and reducing complexity.

Watch the on-demand webinar to explore more insights, or reach out to our team if you’re ready to think differently about how your content can work smarter.

Cybersecurity Regulations Drive Healthcare Organizations to Act

Posted on April 28, 2025 by John Zimmerer

By John Zimmerer, VP of Healthcare Marketing at Smart Communications

The healthcare industry has become a prime target for cybercriminals due to the sensitive nature of health data and the increasing reliance on digital systems. Recent cybersecurity breaches in Australia, Germany, the UK, and the United States have highlighted the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures.

This blog post will detail these breaches, discuss ongoing security threats, reference recently introduced regulations, and provide recommendations for healthcare organizations to improve their security posture.

Additionally, we’ll explore how SmartIQ™ and SmartCOMM™ from Smart Communications can help healthcare organizations meet regulatory requirements and combat cybersecurity threats.

Cybersecurity Breaches in Healthcare

Australia has witnessed several significant cybersecurity breaches in its healthcare sector. In 2024, 41% of healthcare organizations experienced cyberattacks, with 102 data breaches reported between January and June 2024. One of the most notable breaches involved Medibank, where millions of records were compromised. Another major incident was the ransomware attack on Saint Vincent’s Health network, which resulted in stolen data from hospitals and aged care centers.

Germany’s healthcare sector has also been under siege. In 2024, Germany saw a surge in ransomware attacks on healthcare institutions, emphasizing the need for enhanced protection. A recent attack targeted the Catholic Youth Welfare Department of the Diocese of Augsburg, compromising sensitive patient and financial data. In addition, the University Hospital Düsseldorf ransomware attack in 2020 led to significant operational disruptions and a patient fatality

The UK has faced its share of cybersecurity challenges in healthcare. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 revealed that half of businesses and a third of charities reported cybersecurity breaches in the last 12 months. In 2022, a ransomware attack on Advanced Computer Software Group disrupted NHS services and compromised the data of tens of thousands of patients.

The United States has experienced some of the largest healthcare data breaches. The healthcare sector saw 276,775,457 records compromised in 2024, a 64.1% increase from the previous year. In 2024, Change Healthcare suffered a massive breach affecting 190 million individuals. Other notable breaches included those at Ascension Health and Acadian Ambulance Service.

Ongoing Security Threats in Healthcare

Healthcare organizations face a variety of ongoing security threats, including ransomware attacks, phishing, and data breaches. The increasing use of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices and electronic health records (EHRs) has expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals. Legacy systems and limited cybersecurity budgets further exacerbate vulnerabilities.

Recently Introduced Regulations

The Cyber Security Act 2024 mandates minimum cybersecurity standards for smart devices, introduces mandatory ransomware payment reporting, and establishes a Cyber Incident Review Board. These measures aim to close legislative gaps and align Australia with international best practices.

Germany is implementing the NIS2 Implementation Act, which transposes the EU NIS2 Directive into German law, broadening the scope and tightening cybersecurity requirements across various sectors. This includes enhanced reporting requirements and IT risk management protocols.

The NHS will be adopting a new cybersecurity framework for health and social care organizations. The cyber assessment framework (CAF) will allow these organisations to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of technology and cyber threats.

The US Department of Health and Human services has proposed updating the HIPAA Security Rule. The proposed rule “would require updates to existing cybersecurity safeguards to reflect advances in technology and cybersecurity, and help ensure that doctors, health plans, and others providing health care meet their obligations to protect the security of individuals’ protected health information across the nation.” Additionally, new state-level privacy laws are being enacted, with 11 new comprehensive privacy laws slated to take effect in 2025 and 2026.

Recommendations for Healthcare Organizations

To improve their security posture and conform to new regulations, healthcare organizations should consider the following recommendations:

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA is essential for securing access to systems and preventing unauthorized access.

Conduct Regular Security Audits: Regular audits help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in the system.

Employee Training: Continuous training on phishing and other social engineering attacks is crucial to prevent breaches.

Develop Incident Response Plans: Having a robust incident response plan ensures quick recovery from breaches.

Upgrade Legacy Systems: Replacing outdated systems with modern, secure alternatives reduces vulnerabilities.

Adopt Encryption: Encrypting sensitive data protects it from unauthorized access and breaches.

Compliance with Regulations: Ensure adherence to industry regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and local data protection laws.

How SmartIQ and SmartCOMM Can Help

SmartIQ and SmartCOMM from Smart Communications offer solutions that can help healthcare organizations meet regulatory requirements and combat cybersecurity threats.

SmartIQ

Forms Automation: Transforms traditional paper forms and manual data entry processes into digital, two-way conversations, reducing the risk of data breaches.

Secure Data Collection: Ensures secure, scalable, business-driven member engagement and accelerates omnichannel patient engagement with guided digital journeys

Compliance: Helps organizations comply with IT standards and introduces no risk to business processes.

SmartCOMM

Customer Communications Management (CCM): Provides personalized, omnichannel conversations across the entire customer experience, enhancing security and compliance.

Document Generation: Increases agility and flexibility in document generation processes, ensuring secure and compliant communications.

Integration: Works with best-in-class technology directly and through consulting companies to offer integrated solutions that complement healthcare organizations’ cybersecurity efforts.

Enhance Cybersecurity with Smart Communications

The healthcare industry faces significant cybersecurity challenges, with recent breaches highlighting the urgent need for robust security measures. By adhering to new regulations and implementing best practices, healthcare organizations can improve their security posture and protect sensitive health data. Solutions like SmartIQ and SmartCOMM from Smart Communications can play a crucial role in helping healthcare organizations meet regulatory requirements and combat cybersecurity threats, ensuring a safer and more secure healthcare environment.

To learn more about how Smart Communications can help, get in touch with one of our experts today.

About the Author
John Zimmerer is the Vice President of Vertical Marketing, Healthcare at Smart Communications, where he acts as a subject matter expert on the digital transformation of customer communications and data-centric, often form-based workflows. Most recently, John has been researching and writing about improving customer experience in healthcare and is regarded as a thought leader in this area. John has over 20 years of software product marketing experience. His areas of expertise include market research, analyst relations, public relations, and digital marketing.

Is it Too Late to Streamline your Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCA) Claims Process? Not With SmartIQ™

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Scott Draeger

By Scott Draeger, SVP Product and Vertical Marketing at Smart Communications

With coverage ranging from the BBC to the Money Saving Expert, everyone is being made aware of potential claims against violations of the 2021 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ban on rate-based dealer commissions bundles from auto finance lenders.

As the story gains coverage and filing deadlines are extended to December 4, 2025, consumers are being instructed to contact their dealer or lender to see if they have been impacted. There is no clear direction for consumers, and financial institutions are expecting to receive an influx of claims. Without intervention, confusion and frustration are the likely outcomes.

In this article, you’ll find helpful information on how to avoid these missteps, along with a better way to manage the DCA complaint process.

Are You Accidentally Creating Confusion?

As an auto lender, the decision to postpone action may be an expensive one. The cost of an unclear inbound call escalates quickly as the call moves through the contact center, increasing the cost, time, and frustration level. There has been no clear identification of what constitutes a claim, which creates chaos and opportunities to make data governance mistakes. What is clear is that potentially impacted customers have been instructed to contact their dealers and lenders, which means your contact center will receive the calls.

Lenders can eliminate confusion while removing frustration by accepting claims efficiently with a digital data collection experience that helps consumers gather the required information, provide the necessary information, and submit their claim. This puts lenders in a position to accept, evaluate, and process the claim as efficiently as possible during a difficult situation. A digital forms automation solution like SmartIQ handles even the most complex aprocesses and can rapidly implement applications like multiple vehicles per claimant, early payoffs, trade ins, fleet vehicles, and more.

What’s the Difference Between a Static PDF Form and Forms Automation?

If a customer decides to file a claim, it is best to quickly accept their claim, draw your conclusions, and make your response. Maybe this sounds like a job for a simple web form. But, a simple web form can cause more questions than it answers. A digital-first experience can add context to the experience with embedded videos, tooltips, and links to resources that can help a customer determine if they have a claim. These experiences build accessibility into the process, unlike typical legacy forms.

Digital experiences ensure data is entered correctly, documentation is uploaded, and consent has been documented before the claim is accepted, which improves straight through processing rates. Lastly, a digital experience continues after the customer hits “submit” and is part of the workflow that results in completion of the claim, keeping your customer informed to avoid incurring additional status calls to your organization.

In contrast, your static PDF forms are inflexible. From your customers’ perspective, they lack contextual help and are missing accessibility features many of your clients need. From your organizational perspective, the results often contain incorrect or incomplete information. Static forms also make it difficult for your organization to conform to your security standards regarding protected information, their loan number, registration numbers, and personal details. Smart forms automation experiences deliver the experience and drive completion of the process while supporting compliance.

As Coverage Increases, More Customers Will Submit Claims. Will You Be Ready?

As coverage continues and the deadline nears, more customers will check to see if they are eligible to make a claim. In order to avoid the expense of manually handling calls, it is time to consider how rapidly implementing a digital experience with SmartIQ can reduce the cost of DCA claims by offering a complete self-service experience that maximizes straight through processing and reduces the number of expensive inbound calls.

Ready to Streamline Your Organization’s DCA Complaint Process?

Learn more about how SmartIQ can help, request a demo.

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