What happens when people who use Practifi every day get a dedicated space to learn, troubleshoot, and connect with each other? On June 11th in Chicago, we found out.
More than 50 of our most engaged clients joined us at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for the inaugural Power User Forum — a day built specifically for the teams who rely on Practifi every day to run their firms, manage client relationships, and drive growth. The focus from the start: practical value, not theory.
A Day Focused on Real-World Execution
Attendees heard directly from Practifi leaders including CEO Adrian Johnstone and Head of Revenue, Jen Mysliwicz, as well as industry experts and partners from XML Financial Group, Bento Engine, Constellation Wealth Capital, Basepoint Wealth, Egnyte, and SHOOK Research.
Sessions covered AI and CRM strategy, client experience, M&A trends, and the future of wealth management, while giving attendees direct access to peers facing the same challenges, they are.
Key Sessions & Takeaways
The State of AI in Advisory Firms
Speaker: Ryan McClelland, Technical Writer, Practifi Learning Team
AI adoption in the advisory space is moving fast.73% of executives say it’s critical to their future, 51% are already implementing it, and 71% plan to adopt generative AI within three years. One of the session’s sharpest distinctions: deterministic vs. probabilistic AI. In finance, where consistency is essential, AI can still produce errors even in simple calculations, so knowing where to trust it matters as much as knowing how to use it.
Where AI is proving its value is in areas requiring flexibility and interpretation — conversation, synthesis across large datasets, and drafting first-pass content. The most tangible impact is being seen in meeting capture, lead generation, and compliance monitoring, though human oversight remains essential. The broader shift: AI is evolving from a tool focused on efficiency to one that helps firms think more strategically and make better decisions.
Delivering Exceptional Client Experiences Through Operational Discipline
Speakers: Kendra Jones & Debbie Miller, Senior Customer Success Managers
A central reframe from this session: most client experience breakdowns aren’t advice failures, they’re operational failures. With 86% of clients willing to pay more for a better experience, the opportunity to close that gap is both a service imperative and a business opportunity.
The solution lies in four core pillars working together: data hygiene and standardization, workflow consistency through automation, proactive service cadence management, and team accountability through real-time visibility and dashboards. Together, they create repeatable processes that ensure no client falls through the cracks, and free advisors to focus on building relationships rather than managing administrative gaps.
The Future of Practifi: What’s New & What’s Next
Speaker: Adrian Johnstone, CEO, Practifi
Practifi’s next chapter is built around a concept called Intelligent CRM — where AI is embedded at the architectural level rather than added as a layer on top. The goal is a system that delivers outcomes, not just features, built specifically for the compliance complexity of wealth management firms.
A key theme: the hidden cost of fragmented tech stacks. Disconnected tools create data silos, increase friction, and limit scalability. Intelligent CRM addresses this by automatically capturing and connecting data, surfacing insights proactively, and guiding teams toward best practices in real time. For existing Practifi users, no migration or rebuild is required, and current configurations carry forward as AI capabilities continue to roll out. The vision is helping firms move beyond managing systems, to operating with true intelligence.
A Standout Success: The Optimization Desk
One of the biggest highlights of the day was the Optimization Desk, and it quickly became one of the busiest areas at the event.
Staffed by members of Practifi’s Learning, Support, and Technical Consulting teams, this hands-on resource was available throughout the day for attendees to bring their toughest challenges, whether related to workflows, reporting, data, or more.The resultwas real-time troubleshooting, quick wins, and practical improvements that clients could implement immediately.
It’s one thing to talk about best practices, but it’s another to sit down and solve problems together. The energy and engagement around the Optimization Desk made it clear just how valuable that experience was.
Resources from the Event
Whether you attended and want to revisit a session, or missed the day entirely, we’ve organized everything below:
- The State of AI in Advisory Firms: What’s Real vs. Hype — Ryan McClelland’s full session on AI adoption, risks, and where it’s actually working
- Delivering Exceptional Client Experiences Through Operational Discipline — Kendra Jones and Debbie Miller on the four pillars of operational excellence
- The Future of Practifi — Adrian Johnstone on Intelligent CRM and what’s coming next
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A huge thank you to Egnyte and Bento Engine for their sponsorship and commitment to the advisory community.
We’re proud to partner with technology providers that help firms work smarter, operate more securely, and deliver better client experiences.
Want to learn more about our sponsors?
Learn more about Bento Engine →
What’s Next for the Power User Forum
As our first-ever client event, the Power User Forum meant a great deal to our team, and based on the feedback we’ve received, it’s clear this is just the beginning.
From AI and CRM strategy to client experience and what’s next for Practifi, the day was packed with valuable insights and meaningful connections. We hope attendees left with fresh ideas, practical takeaways, and new ways to get even more value from the platform they use every day.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us, and we can’t wait to bring this community together again.
Stay tuned for future Power User Forum events.
