As a central hub for partner content and approval records in our industry, the integration of 4U Platform with other martech systems can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your compliance program while also driving significant productivity gains.
The following insights and implications were drawn from survey responses and in-depth interviews with over 60 investment and wealth management company clients of 4U.
4U is at the center of a complex "martech ecosystem"
On average, investment companies are using a minimum of 3-4 independent software solutions for workflow tracking, compliance and distribution of partner content. Because 4U Connect sits between the "upstream" content production and internal compliance process and the "downstream" sales and marketing distribution process, integration needs extend in both directions.
Implications
Initially, 4U must support the ability to synchronize content records with upstream content and compliance systems of record.
Systems used for internal content workflow and compliance tracking require task-level integration tracking which is often performed on standalone excel documents.
Ultimately, 4U must support the ability for sales enablement and content marketing platforms to stay up to date with version specific content approval codes for each partner company.
Compliance systems are the most reliable "source of truth" for the content and metadata required for 4U Connect.
Across all company segments, the system used for compliance record-keeping proved the only reliable source for upstream updates to the partner content needed in 4U. That said, successful integrations with compliance systems were not prevalent.
Implications
Integrations focused on compliance systems should provide the highest value across 4U client companies.
Lack of interoperability with compliance systems may prove problematic for enabling universal or "turnkey" adaptors.
Companies reporting the most success with integrations prefer to work with open APIs, which maximize their flexibility to bridge systems and data schemas.
Technology resource constraints are often cited as a limiting factor for leveraging integration technologies. So, it is not surprising that most companies prefer “turnkey” integration options when given the choice. That said, these options often fall short in practice due to company specific factors which internal integration teams can address with open API frameworks.
Implications
Open API capabilities will provide the most immediate opportunity for companies to develop effective integration solutions that align with their specific organization's needs.
Once available, turnkey integration options for the most frequently used software will have the most utility for widespread company adoption.