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Case Studies

A small selection of work showing how better structure and workflow design improve efficiency

inside an advice practice.

RI Advice Newcastle & Lower Hunter is an established advice practice with three planning teams operating under one business. While the intent was aligned, each team worked differently. Reporting existed but was not consistent across teams, so consistency relied on individuals rather than structure.

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Capacity pressure increased as the business grew.

The Challenge

  • Three teams working differently

  • Inconsistent hand-offs and execution

  • Reporting not unified across teams

  • Accountability varied by team

  • Growing workload without shared structure

What Changed

  • One shared workflow adopted across teams

  • Clear separation between advice, implementation, execution

  • Standardised hand-offs and reporting

  • Automation to reduce double handling and rework

  • Less reliance on one person’s knowledge

The Outcome

  • Consistent way of working across the firm

  • Clearer ownership and accountability

  • Improved visibility across advice and execution

  • Reduced rework and manual follow-ups

  • Stronger foundation for growth without adding headcount

A shared operating model built for consistency, visibility and sustainable growth.​​

When Karinne MacKenzie joined us, I assumed our three planning teams were already working the same way. We weren’t. Karinne’s approach - empathetic, patient, and relentlessly practical - brought our people together to design and adopt unified workflows with clear reporting and accountability.

 

Advisers focus on clients; the Client Service Team focus on execution and we all run on a shared playbook.  We have adopted the automated systems she built and continued to refine and develop them, as a result anyone can pick up another’s work seamlessly when needed.

 

Since her systems went live, the numbers speak for themselves:

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  • our wages cost per revenue dollar dropped from $0.44 to $0.36

  • revenue per adviser grew by more than 170%

  • clients per adviser have grown from 125 to 200

  • EBITDA has more than doubled

  • Staffing to service 200 clients has fallen from 4.1 to 2.7 FTE

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The real win is cultural: Karinne helped us become a learning organisation where teams feel responsible for improving the system, not just using it.

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We’re a pretty IT savvy business but could never have done it on our own.  Engaging Karinne MacKenzie is one of the best investments we have ever made.


— Gil Gordon, CFP, CEO & Senior Financial Adviser, RI Advice Newcastle & Lower Hunter

RI Advice Newcastle & Lower Hunter

Watson Wealth

As the business expanded, clearer workflow structure, reporting and ownership were needed across onshore and offshore teams.

The Focus

  • Strengthening Xplan workflow design

  • Aligning onshore and offshore teams

  • Improving reporting clarity

  • Reducing manual handling

What Changed

  • Clearer task ownership across locations

  • More consistent hand-offs

  • Improved reporting visibility

  • Stronger system foundations in Xplan

The Outcome

  • Greater consistency across teams

  • More reliable offshore support

  • Reduced time spent on manual processes

  • Systems that support continued growth

Karinne made a meaningful contribution to how Watson Wealth operates and delivers advice. Her strengths in Xplan, workflow structure and team alignment brought greater consistency and to how our teams in Australia and Cebu work together.

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She was particularly influential in supporting our offshore team as they developed into the capable, reliable group we work with today.

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Her curiosity around automation and emerging technologies helped refine reporting processes and free up valuable time for advisers. The systems she helped implement continue to support the business as we grow.

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— Elliot Watson, Watson Wealth

Operating below potential becomes the default.

Most inefficiencies are tolerated because there's never time to fix them properly. 

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If you can see the gaps in your workflow, reporting, or ownership and haven’t addressed them, the cost isn’t the effort required to fix them, it’s the ongoing drain on time and the fatigue that comes from carrying work that shouldn't exist.

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