At the recently concluded LPL Focus 2017 Conference, I had a chance to catch up with Redtail CEO Brian McLaughlin and his team. During my visit, they gave me a demonstration of the latest version of their mobile app. It is a significant improvement over previous versions.
Earlier versions of Redtail mobile were basic and functional, but this latest version offers a much richer experience. Now, for the first time, the Redtail CRM has a mobile app that is worthy of being paired with “the industry’s most popular CRM application” (according the 2017 T3/Inside Information Technology Survey). Now, there are native apps for both iOS and Android, which, as we shall see in a moment, allows the app to take advantage of some of the operating system’s capabilities.
When you log in to the Redtail mobile app, you are taken to the Today page by default. There, you can see all of your activities for the day. You can add activities here, and you can attach activities to a contact. Speaking of contacts, one limitation of the former mobile app was that you needed an Internet connection for view your contacts. With the new app, recently viewed contacts are available offline, so if you temporarily lose your Wi-Fi or cellular connection, you’ll still be able to access the contact records that you recently viewed.
EXPANDED FUNTIONALITY
The functionality of the contact section has been greatly expanded. Previously, the contact information was limited to the basics: names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Now, that has been expanded to include data such as client type, tax ID, marital status, length of client relationship, and much more. In addition, you now have access to all of the additional Redtail tabs. This means that you can access the portfolio data, that is fed in from the custodian or third-party portfolio management and accounting provider, the tab that lists upcoming activities related to the client, and the notes tab. A new note input method is also available. Users can now dictate notes instead of typing them, a major improvement for those who struggle to enter notes with their thumbs on phones.
One result of the move to native apps is that the Redtail app can now take advantage of functionality built into most phones. For example, if you click on an address on a contact’s page, the app will launch the phones mapping software (Maps for iOS or Google Maps for Android) and map the address. You can then use the map app to get directions to the address from your current location if desired.
According the McLaughlin, the Redtail mobile app will continue to improve, adding even more features. Currently, the Redtail development team is making incremental improvements and fixes every two to three weeks.
This new mobile app makes a Redtail CRM license even more valuable. For a retail price of $99.00 per month, a firm can put up to 15 users on a Redtail database. The app is included for up to 15 users per database at no additional charge. Furthermore, many broker/dealers, RIA custodians and industry organizations had discounted Redtail pricing that typically brings the monthly fee down to the $75 per month range.