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Redefining productivity through technology

At TechFest2025, FSPHub’s Craig Grasko and Sean Barrett revealed how automation, integration, and empathy are redefining broker productivity - turning technology into a true enabler.
Written by
Craig Grasko & Sean Barrett
Published on
September 18, 2025
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Why automation, integration and empathy will define the broker of the future

Productivity has become the battleground for brokers and advisers in a rapidly shifting financial services environment. Compliance requirements are growing tighter, administration is piling up, and digital adoption has often added more systems rather than simplified them. At TechFest2025, the second fireside session tackled this head-on, with Craig Grasko, Business Development Director at FSPHub, and Sean Barrett, the company’s CEO, offering a refreshing vision of how technology can become an enabler rather than another burden.

Productivity in a changing environment - As Grasko pointed out, the speed of business has accelerated dramatically in recent years. Remote work, client expectations for immediacy, and evolving regulatory frameworks such as COFI have reshaped the way intermediaries operate. What once could be handled manually now requires systems that can deliver transparency, traceability and speed, without compromising compliance.

The fireside highlighted an important truth: productivity and compliance cannot be separated. When compliance is embedded directly into workflows and automated across processes, advisers reclaim time that would otherwise be lost to box-ticking. Technology, used in the right way, turns compliance into a value-adding function rather than a distraction.

The single view of the client

One of the strongest takeaways was the transformative value of integration. Barrett explained how consolidating communication channels into a single client view eliminates duplication and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. Whether the contact comes by email, WhatsApp, SMS or a phone call, all interactions and documents sit in one central record.

The benefits extend beyond efficiency. A complete client view allows advisers to respond quickly, accurately and with greater confidence. It projects professionalism, strengthens trust, and elevates the client experience, which, in a relationship-driven business-like insurance and financial planning, is everything.

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Technology, used in the right way, turns compliance into a value-adding function rather than a distraction

Craig Grasko & Sean Barrett
FSPHub

Automation intelligence, not artificial intelligence - Grasko introduced a powerful reframing of AI. Instead of focusing on futuristic ideas of artificial intelligence, he spoke about automation intelligence, practical tools that automate routine tasks so advisers can focus on what truly matters.

Imagine a system that reads emails, understands what action to take, automatically creates tasks, allocates them to the right person, and prompts follow-up. That is the type of background automation FSPHub is building. The goal is not to replace advisers but to remove the administrative drag that keeps them from client engagement and relationship-building.

This redefinition is both pragmatic and empowering. Productivity will not be won by “more tech,” but by smarter, quieter automation that simplifies complexity and gives advisers more time for human connection.

Adoption without disruption - A common fear among FSPs is that implementing new technology will consume too much time, cost too much money, or alienate older professionals. The fireside session directly challenged that assumption. Grasko described how FSPHub’s agile onboarding approach allows firms to adopt standard workflows and templates quickly, often within weeks rather than months.

Interestingly, adoption has been high even among experienced professionals, with more than 30% of users over 45. The lesson is clear: when technology is intuitive and immediately valuable, it overcomes the resistance that often holds firms back.

For Barrett, customisation is the differentiator. By embedding compliance rules, empathy-driven engagement and business-specific processes into workflows, advisers don’t lose their unique culture. Instead, technology becomes a natural extension of it.

Looking ahead: 2027 and beyond - The conversation closed with a look at the future. Both speakers agreed that consolidation, data quality, and ecosystem collaboration will be decisive. Brokers cannot remain productive if they are juggling six or seven disconnected systems. The winning model will be one where data and workflows are centralised, duplication is eliminated, and automation drives seamless collaboration across insurers, platforms and clients.

Yet, crucially, the goal is not to dehumanise financial services. Grasko stressed that automation should create space for the human touch, enabling advisers to bring empathy, judgment and trust into every client interaction. Technology takes care of the background processes; advisers focus on the relationships that define their value.

Conclusion - The fireside session distilled a vital lesson for today’s intermediaries: productivity is not about working harder but working smarter. Compliance, integration and automation are not enemies of the human touch but its enablers.

By embracing automation intelligence, creating a single view of the client, and customising workflows to reflect culture and compliance, brokers can reclaim time, reduce risk and deliver a superior client experience.

Looking ahead, the most successful intermediaries will not be those who resist digital change, nor those who drown in too many tools. They will be the ones who harness technology as an invisible partner, amplifying empathy, professionalism and trust while redefining productivity for the future.

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