Manual Mayhem to Invisible Ops: Real Workflows, Reimagined
From Coffeehouses to Clicks
In the 1600s, stock jobbers crowded into London coffeehouses, scribbling trades into ledgers by hand and shouting orders across the room. Everything was manual. Everything was messy.
They were the original financial advisers, operating with no systems, no automation, and a whole lot of caffeine.
Fast forward 400 years, and much has changed, but operations at many RIAs still feel like the 1600s.
The onboarding doc you had to chase three times
The statement PDF that needed renaming and manual data entry
The CRM note you meant to log after a call… but forgot
These aren’t one-offs. They’re system-wide friction points.
At Prodos, we’ve sat down with dozens of advisers and mapped the real workflows that steal their time. Even better, we’ve built automation to fix them behind the scenes.
Let’s walk through three of the most common ones.
Workflow #1: Client Onboarding That Doesn’t Drain You
Old Way (Manual):
Client uploads documents with cryptic filenames (e.g.
scan-potato123.pdf)The adviser opens the file and realizes: “Wait… this is just one page. Where’s the rest?”
Adviser sends a follow-up email: “Hey, can you resend the full statement? Looks like only the cover page was uploaded.”
Client sends the file again - this time named
Final_FINAL_UseThisOne.pdfAdviser manually renames it, moves it to a shared folder, opens the PDF, and retypes SSN, DOB, account numbers into CRM or custodian forms
Separately, adviser asks for a photo of government-issued ID
Adviser manually enters ID details (name, DOB, ID number, expiration) into CRM
Chases any other missing fields over multiple emails
With Prodos:
Uploaded files are automatically renamed and routed using firm naming conventions
Page count is verified; if a doc looks incomplete, the client is prompted to re-upload
Key data (SSN, DOB, account numbers) is extracted from statements and mapped to CRM
Government-issued IDs are parsed using OCR
Prodos verifies fields like name, ID number, and expiration
Fields are inserted directly into your CRM with context
Missing info is flagged and follow-up drafts are auto-generated
All steps are logged for compliance
Result: Fewer email back-and-forths. Less frustration. Cleaner onboarding.
Workflow #2: Submitting an In-Kind ACAT Transfer Request
The Old Way (Manual):
Advisor downloads the custodian’s ACAT form and manually fills in client details
Chases down a recent statement from the client
Enters the wrong DTC number or mistypes the account title
Transfer gets rejected - and the clock resets
With Prodos:
ACAT form is pre-filled using client data from CRM and past paperwork
Custodian and counterparty info is cross-checked against known transfer rules
Errors are flagged before submission, no back-and-forth
Result: Transfers go through the first time, and revenue lands faster.
Workflow #3: Compliance, Without the Chaos
Old Way (Manual):
Manually track ADV delivery in spreadsheets
Dig through emails to confirm who received what, and when
Prepare for audits with incomplete records
With Prodos:
ADV/Form CRS delivery tracked automatically across inbox
Confirmations logged in CRM with timestamps
Report exported with one click
Result: Zero guesswork. Clean records. Ready for audits, anytime.
This Is Just the Start
These are just three workflows Prodos automates. But the framework is the same:
✅ Use the tools you already have
✅ Let AI handle the glue work between them
✅ Keep the human touch where it matters
In future posts, we’ll go deeper into how we integrate with your systems, without forcing you into ours.
Want to See It in Action?
👉 Contact our team for a guided workflow audit.
We’ll show you how Prodos can eliminate the bottlenecks that are slowing you down - starting this week.
The days of scribbling in coffeehouses are long gone. Your operations should feel like it.
