AIM Trimark Investments has switched to the BEA WebLogic portal to deploy its Web site as a way to give its 40,000 Canadian investment advisers more online service options.
Toronto-based AIM Trimark, which originally launched its site in December
2000, said the new technology gives allows BEA to create portals on its site catering to, for instance, advisers in the greater Vancouver area who may want to attend a special event there. BEA said it gets a sense of the identity of the adviser when he or she logs on.
“”Launching BEA is very significant long-term for us because we can basically customize messages for different market segments,”” said Craig Allison, manager of e-business for AIM Trimark. “”It would be very counterproductive of us to post a universal article on the site for everybody across the country.””
BEA WebLogic has also helped the mutual fund company post content by placing each piece of information into a portlet, essentially a self-contained repository of information that can be customized and moved around on the site, explained Allison. Prior to adopting WebLogic, AIM Trimark had to modify HTML pages.
Another improvement can be seen in the way advisers receive marketing brochures, said Allison. “”In the past, when people wanted to order materials from us, for example, they’d have to either give us a call or use a very crude online tool. Now they have this thing called the shopping cart, which means they can go and pick all the different things that they want. It creates an automatic packing slip so that our distribution centre gets it.””
Moreover, embracing the BEA technology now gives AIM Trimark advisers the ability to extend guest invitations to assistants who need to to use the Web site, added Allison. They were forced before to use their boss’s user name and password. He said advisers can now give assistants their own access ID and can customize what they see.
“”They can grant the assistant access to all their client information. Or not. The assistants play a very important role in the financial advisers’ practice. And through this technology, we can actually acknowledge who they are, know them and then over time we can give out special information to them.””
Although BEA Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif., caters to all industries, the financial services sector is a significant customer because the needs of companies revolve around better serving customers and streamlining operational processes, said John Knightly, senior director of financial services solutions marketing.
Knightly said that apart from AIM Trimark, BEA Systems has also deployed its WebLogic portal to Wells Fargo, whose corporate banking clients can gain access to financial information online. Oppenheimer Funds adopted the technology so internal fund managers can find company research produced by brokerages. Toshiba’s Web site for the Americas, meanwhile, allows the dealer channel to search for information and tools to help manage the distribution of products.
Comment: [email protected]
