Bento Engine with Philipp Hecker | E288

A next best content and conversation engine for financial advisors.

In this episode of Fintech Impact, Jason Pereira talks to Philipp Hecker, CEO of Bento Engine. It is a cutting-edge content and conversation system designed for financial advisors. The system's primary goal is to assist financial advisors in cultivating stronger client relationships and expanding their businesses.

Episode Highlights 

  • 0.49: Bento Engine aims to help advisors focus on crucial moments in their clients' and prospects' lives. It operates as a B2B SaaS solution, integrating with widely used CRM systems through APIs.

  • 2.05: During his time at JP Morgan's Wealth Planning and Advice unit, Phil witnessed the power of comprehensive advice in action. This unit included various financial planning teams across JP Morgan's private bank, broker-dealer business, and TRACE network.

  • 5:30: As per Jason, some advisors opt to limit the number of households, they serve to provide high-level service, which may restrict their income potential. This approach often leaves the bottom end of their client base underserved.

  • 8.28: Bento Engine uses APIs to extract client information from CRM systems and alerts advisors of upcoming advice opportunities.

  • 10.00: Bento Engine has a bidirectional integration with CRM systems to mine and analyze client data. The CRM serves as the platform to initiate workflows for advisors, providing next.

  • 13.41: Bento Engine triggers opportunities for gifting and personalization, and it often leads to fulfilment needs and product opportunities. Bento Engine is delighted to see the various directions that clients take in utilizing the platform's opportunities for the benefit of all involved parties.

  • 15.06: By avoiding the need for a separate login or app, Bento Engine becomes a background system that enhances the CRM experience and provides advisors with timely opportunities and materials. 

  • 17.35: The platform is focused on practical and problem-oriented solutions rather than chasing AI hype. Bento Engine aims to use technology to solve real problems faced by advisors and their firms without unnecessarily complex or flashy solutions.

  • 19.40: AI language is an inefficient form of communication, and understanding clients' needs and concerns requires empathy and expertise.

  • 22.38: Philip suggests using AI to tailor deliverables, language, and visuals for different client segments to improve the chances of effective communication and engagement. This level of customization can help advisors break through the noise and connect more meaningfully with their clients. 

  • 25.50: As the industry moves forward, it is essential to maintain a focus on professionalism and the highest level of service to ensure that financial advisors can continue to provide value and support to their clients in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

  • 27.15: The idea of fail-fast is important to us, and Philip is thrilled about the reception of their solutions in the ecosystem. Philip is grateful to the early adopting firms for their support and feedback, which has driven much of our innovation.

3 Key Points

  1. Bento Engine serves as a tax solution that integrates with popular CRM systems, making it the central hub of client-centric technology for advisors. By mining and leveraging client data, advisors can shine during crucial moments that matter in their clients' lives. 

  2. Jason envisions that users of Bento Engine can use the triggered events to initiate other workflows, allowing for customized touchpoints with clients.

  3. It's crucial to strike the right balance between AI-driven automation and the personalized human touch to ensure a successful and ethical implementation of AI technology in the financial advisory space.

Tweetable Quotes

  • "Many financial advisors talk about providing holistic advice but may not consistently deliver it across their entire client base. Bento Engine aims to address this opportunity by providing a technology-driven solution that allows advisors to offer comprehensive advice consistently and efficiently to all their clients and prospects." - Philipp

  • "Bento Engine sees the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models to unlock valuable insights from unstructured data within CRM systems." -  Philipp

  • "AI will not replace financial advisors; instead, it will make them more efficient, effective, and capable of serving more clients." -  Philipp

Resources Mentioned:

Fintech ImpactJason PereiraFintech