The problem.
Most Australians don't have a financial adviser. Cost, complexity, and the awkwardness of "I just have one question" all keep people from getting answers they actually need.
BT had the advisers who could answer those questions, but no scaled product to deliver them through. The brand had reach into a much wider audience than the advice business could ever serve through one-on-ones.
The approach.
Ask one question, get a written answer from a real BT adviser. Free. Each answer compliant. Each customer a step closer to a real financial plan if they wanted one.
- Designed the entry experience so asking a question takes about a minute, not a 20-minute form.
- Built the back-office workflow so advisers could answer roughly five times faster without dropping quality.
- Standard answer patterns for the most common questions. Fast, on-brand, still personalised.
- Compliance built into the workflow from day one, not bolted on at the end.
The outcome.
A category-defining product within BT's advice business. The brand reached an audience that had never engaged with personal advice before.
Questions ranged from "should I salary sacrifice?" to "is my super on track?", the everyday questions people don't otherwise ask. The service answered them, on the record, for free.
Recognised in 2022 with an industry innovation award nomination.
What I learned.
Most product failure in advice happens at the regulator's door. Design the workflow with compliance from day one and you skip a year of rework.
Standardised answer patterns beat AI-generated answers for trust. Customers want a human at the other end, even when the answer is the same.