Change management in professional services is notoriously tricky. Everyone's busy, clients have expectations, and there's always that one team member who'd rather stick with the old way of doing things. So when two Australian financial advice practices successfully rolled out LivePreso Advice to their teams with minimal fuss, we had to dig deeper into how they pulled it off.

Darren Wright from Acuity Private Wealth and Sherree Coffey from Inspired Money both implemented LivePreso Advice in their practices, but their approaches couldn't have been more different. Yet both achieved smooth transitions that left their teams happier and more efficient. 

The Starting Point: Frustration Drives Change

Both practices were dealing with the same headache that plagues the industry. Wright put it bluntly: "It's often a struggle to get engagement with the traditional look and feel of ROAs and SOAs, which require a lot of work to create. People don't read them."

Meanwhile, Coffey's team at Inspired Money was already trying to solve the problem with PowerPoint presentations, but "each Statement of Advice presentation required 1–2 hours of time to create, including a lot of manual data entry."

The lesson here? Sometimes the best catalyst for change is when everyone's already feeling the pain of the current system. Neither practice had to convince their teams that there was a problem – they just had to present a viable solution.

Two Completely Different Approaches, Same Great Result

The "Just Jump In" Method: Acuity Private Wealth

Wright's approach was refreshingly simple. He screen-recorded himself using the new platform, shared it with his paraplanner, and by the end of the day, she was creating presentations for clients. No lengthy training programs, no complex rollout phases – just practical, hands-on learning.

But here's the crucial part: Wright didn't rush to show clients the new format. "We didn't put it in front of clients until the team was comfortable. There's no need to run it in front of clients on day one - instead we tested it ourselves from the client's POV, using the scenarios and customisations."

The "Steady as She Goes" Method: Inspired Money

Coffey's team took a more structured approach with three clear phases:

• Phase One focused on the technical foundation – understanding how their existing systems would integrate and getting templates set up properly.
• Phase Two involved a controlled pilot with one senior adviser's client base (180 annual reviews), allowing them to test and refine before broader implementation.
• Phase Three expanded across the entire practice, with the early adopters becoming internal coaches for the remaining team.

The beauty of this approach was that it built momentum naturally. Coffey explained: "These team members subsequently became advocates for the rollout across the business, assisting in onboarding the remaining advice team."

Training That Actually Works

Both practices discovered that traditional training methods weren't as effective as peer-to-peer learning. The screen recording method Wright used tapped into something powerful – seeing a colleague navigate the system in real-time, making real decisions, and dealing with actual scenarios.

Coffey's team found that "training was hands-on with collaborative team learning. Peer support and internal meetings were crucial, while our paraplanner acted as the champion to handle and escalate complex cases."

The key insight here is that people learn better from their colleagues than from formal training materials. Your team members speak the same language, understand your specific workflows, and can relate to the challenges everyone faces.

The Champion Strategy

Both practices, whether intentionally or not, identified internal champions who became the go-to people for support and troubleshooting. At Inspired Money, the paraplanner took on this role officially. At Acuity Private Wealth, Wright naturally became the champion through his early adoption and screen-recording training.

These champions weren't necessarily the most senior people – they were the ones who picked up the technology quickly and enjoyed helping others. This distributed expertise model meant that team members always had someone to turn to for help, reducing frustration and speeding up adoption.

Managing the Inevitable Bumps

When Team Members Struggle

Not everyone adapts to new technology at the same pace. Some team members are inevitably going to be less comfortable with technology than the rest. Rather than pushing harder or providing more formal training, simply planning to provide extra support if needed proved effective for Inspired Money.

The result? After a few presentations, the team member became much more confident. Sometimes the best approach is patience and peer support, rather than additional training pressure.

When Clients Push Back

Both practices encountered some client resistance, primarily from older clients who preferred traditional formats. The solution wasn't to abandon the new approach, but to provide choice during the transition period.

Wright noted: "Older clients weren't immediately comfortable with the change, but got used to it eventually. Having the ability to share the ROA as a PDF certainly helped." By maintaining PDF options as well as the more interactive option, practices could introduce change gradually without forcing certain clients into uncomfortable situations.

Technical Challenges: The Power of Team Problem-Solving

The most significant hurdle both practices faced was understanding how their existing systems would integrate with the new platform. Rather than relying on individual troubleshooting, both practices found that collaborative problem-solving worked better.

When internal expertise wasn't enough, both practices maintained direct communication with LivePreso's support team. The key was treating technical challenges as team learning opportunities rather than individual problems to solve.

What Success Actually Looks Like

Success in technology adoption isn't just about getting everyone using the new system – it's about creating genuine enthusiasm for the change. Both practices achieved this, but the indicators were subtle.

At Acuity Private Wealth, Wright observed that the workflow was simplified and took some steps out of the process. When new technology makes work easier rather than more complicated, you know you've succeeded.

At Inspired Money, the success was evident in how the team naturally expanded their use of the platform. They moved from pilot testing to full implementation and then began introducing additional services like 6-monthly portfolio updates – a sign that the technology had become integral to their thinking rather than just another tool to manage.

Says Coffee:

"Client feedback has been very positive. They can access the LivePreso RoA before review meetings, allowing them time to digest and ask questions. Additionally, we are able to measure client engagement by monitoring which clients have viewed the Record of Advice (RoA) before the review meeting and how much time they have spent on each slide. This allows us to concentrate on important topics during meetings, leading to more meaningful discussions.

For our advisers, creating LivePreso SoAs now takes about 10 minutes per SoA (down from 1-2 hours), and RoA’s are significantly faster again."

The Real Best Practices

Based on these two very different but equally successful implementations, here are the change management principles that actually matter:

Before You Start

• Know Your Culture: Technology-forward practices can move faster, while others benefit from structured approaches. There's no universal "right" speed for adoption.
• Find Your Champions: Look for team members who naturally embrace new tools and enjoy helping others. They don't need to be the most senior people.
• Set Realistic Expectations: Make it clear that mastery takes time and that it's okay to maintain old methods during the transition.

During Implementation

• Team First, Clients Second: Get your people comfortable before external presentations. Nothing kills confidence like fumbling through a new system in front of clients.
• Embrace Collaborative Learning: Screen recordings, team problem-solving sessions, and peer support work better than formal training for most people.
• Maintain Flexibility: Keep traditional options available during transitions. Choice reduces resistance.

After Launch

• Create Feedback Loops: Regular check-ins with team members help identify issues early and build continuous improvement into the process. 
• Let Success Stories Spread: When team members see colleagues succeeding with new tools, adoption accelerates naturally.
• Monitor Stress Levels: If people are struggling, provide more support rather than more pressure.

The Bigger Picture

Wright summed up the broader implications nicely: "Learning it is incredibly easy. There's no need to present it publicly until you're comfortable with the content, and happy with your customisations."

The real insight here isn't about any specific technology – it's about creating conditions where change feels manageable rather than overwhelming. Both practices succeeded because they focused on their people first and the technology second.

What This Means for Your Practice

The experiences of these two practices offer a crucial lesson: successful technology adoption is more about change management than technical capability. Whether you're implementing presentation software, new CRM systems, or any other practice technology, the principles remain the same.

Start with understanding your team's comfort level with change. Identify natural champions. Choose an implementation speed that matches your culture. Focus on collaborative learning. Maintain flexibility during transitions. And always remember that your team's confidence matters more than perfect execution from day one.

The future belongs to practices that can adapt quickly while maintaining quality. These two practices show that with the right approach, technology adoption doesn't have to be a painful disruption – it can be an energising step forward that brings teams together rather than driving them apart.

Summary

• Screen Recording Works: Simple peer-to-peer training via screen recordings proved more effective than formal training programs
• Champions Are Essential: Appointing internal advocates who can troubleshoot and support others is crucial for smooth adoption
• Two Speeds, Same Success: Both rapid same-day implementation and structured phased rollouts can work equally well
• Team Before Clients: Getting your team comfortable with new technology before client presentations maintains professionalism and confidence
• Collaborative Problem-Solving: Team-based troubleshooting beats individual learning for complex technical challenges
• Flexibility Reduces Resistance: Maintaining traditional options during transitions helps manage client and team concerns
• Early Adopters Become Evangelists: Enthusiastic team members naturally become advocates who drive wider adoption
• Feedback Loops Are Gold: Regular check-ins with both team and clients enable continuous improvement and buy-in

Find out more at livepreso.com/advice