(January 3 – 10:00 ET) – Reps and dealers will now be able to access transaction confirmations from C.I. Fund Management using the Web.

Optus, a provider of communication solutions for the wealth management industry, has announced the launch of the latest Internet offering from C.I. Funds with electronic transaction confirmations for reps and dealers.

This initiative is the most recent phase in C.I. Funds’ ongoing strategy to provide web-based transaction and reporting alternatives. C.I. began online reporting back in 1999 when it hired Optus to develop the first fully hosted e-statement solution for the Canadian wealth management industry. Today it becomes the first Canadian fund company to provide a fully hosted site for advisors and dealers to receive and review their transaction confirmations online.

A recent study by Optus and DALBAR found that 15% of consumers would prefer a paperless mutual fund transaction confirmation to a printed one. “C.I. has embraced the Internet as a communications tool to demonstrate their commitment to serving customers through their preferred channel, reduce the paper burden and save money for unitholders,” said Ian Madill, C.I.’s senior vice president administration.

“C.I. is also one of the first fund companies to personalize investor compliance documents such as statements, transaction confirmations and annual reports,” according to Optus president Jon Hantho.

Research by DALBAR Inc. also found that 83% of consumers support the concept of personalizing transaction confirmations and including value-added information tailored to a customer’s unique investment priorities or purchase behaviour.

“Compliance documents such as statements and transaction confirmations have a read rate of more than 80% among investors,” said Hantho. “Through personalization, innovative wealth management companies like C.I. can transform these regulatory requirements into exciting customer relationship-building opportunities.”

Optus has also redesigned C.I.’s transaction confirmations to incorporate personalized client messages that vary based on client-specific and account-specific information, and to reflect C.I.’s new brand identity.
-IE Staff