"I think yesterday I was given about 60 or 70 total. I got through about 25 to 30."
When asked how many he would usually get through without the software, he answered: "Ten."
— Keaton, Admin Staff at a UK Financial Advisory Firm
This is the reality of admin staff productivity in UK financial advisory firms using AI automation. Not theoretical 10% improvements. Not marginal gains. A genuine 3x multiplication of output—from 10 pension transfer cases per day to 25-30 cases per day—with the same person, same hours, same desk.
This isn't a case study about replacing admin staff. It's about empowering the team you already have to do work they couldn't do manually. Here's what that looks like in practice.
The Admin Burden Problem: Why Financial Advisors Can't Scale
UK financial advisors face a brutal arithmetic problem: every new client means hours of manual data entry for pension transfers, annual reviews, and compliance documentation. Your admin staff process documents at human speed—30 minutes to 1.5 hours per pension transfer—and there's only so many hours in a day.
The Status Quo for Most UK Advisory Firms:
- Admin workload increasing: More clients = more transfers, more annual reviews, more compliance work
- Processing speed fixed: Manual data entry can't go faster than human reading and typing speed
- Growth bottleneck: You hit capacity—either hire more admin staff or turn away clients
- Staff burnout risk: Overworked admin staff dealing with repetitive data entry all day
According to 2025 industry research, UK financial advisors spend approximately 45% of their time on behind-the-scenes tasks like meeting preparation, financial analyses, and data processing. Less than 20% of time is dedicated to direct client meetings. Your admin staff bears the brunt of this workload.
Keaton's Story: From 10 Cases/Day to 25–30
Keaton is an admin staff member at a growing UK advisory firm. Before implementing MonAI, Keaton processed pension transfer documents manually—reading provider statements and PDFs, then copying data field by field into their systems.
What changes: the admin workflow becomes repeatable (upload → click → approve), so output is consistent across the team.
How Admin Staff Actually Use AI Automation
Keaton's experience reveals how AI automation changes the daily workflow for admin staff. Instead of rebuilding the same prep pack by hand, the process becomes repeatable:
Before: Manual Processing
- 1.Receive pension transfer documents (statements, forms, PDFs)
- 2.Manually read through 20-80 page documents
- 3.Find and extract policy numbers, values, charges, dates
- 4.Type everything into your systems field by field
- 5.Double-check for typos and transcription errors
- 6.Time per case: varies (manual prep is slow)
- 7.Daily output: 10 cases max
After: AI-Assisted Processing
- 1.Upload pension documents to MonAI (drag and drop)
- 2.Click once to generate the structured output
- 3.Review and sanity-check the output
- 4.Approve and store it with the case
- 5.Export to your systems or send to advisor
- 6.Time per case: varies (the point is throughput)
- 7.Daily output: 25-30 cases
I'm using it about 100% of my time when working through cases. It's been brilliant. The only thing is just making sure it's been reading things correctly, but I've not had any major issues. It always seems fine.
The Business Impact: What 3x Admin Productivity Actually Means
When Keaton can process 25-30 cases per day instead of 10, the implications ripple through the entire firm:
Business Capacity Unlocked:
Handle 3x More Client Volume Without Hiring
If your admin team can process significantly more cases per day, you can take on more clients without adding headcount.
Faster Client Turnaround Times
Cases that used to take days can now be processed same-day. Clients get their pension transfer analysis faster, improving satisfaction and reducing churn.
Eliminate Administrative Bottlenecks
No more backlogs during busy periods. No more "we're at capacity, can't take new clients right now." Your admin team has breathing room.
Reduce Staff Burnout from Repetitive Work
Admin staff spend less time on tedious data entry and more time on valuable work that requires human judgment. Keaton describes the system as "brilliant"—not stressful or overwhelming.
Why Admin Productivity Matters More Than Ever in 2025
The 2025 UK Adviser Technology and Business Report reveals that automation adoption is accelerating:
2025 Industry Trends:
- →76% of firms report that successful automation implementation directly resulted in improved productivity
- →60-80% reduction in admin load reported by firms using AI and automation tools
- →50% of advisors now prioritize seamless integration, while 41% seek AI-based tools to improve efficiency
- →FTAdviser ranks AI-powered tools as the #1 most-used system among advisers in H1 2025
Translation: Firms that don't automate their admin workflows in 2025 will fall behind. Your competitors are already empowering their admin staff to handle triple the workload. The capacity gap widens every month you wait.
Why Keaton's Firm Chose On-Premises AI
the firm could have chosen cloud-based AI tools like Pano, AdvisoryAI, or Aveni. Instead, they chose MonAI's on-premises solution for one critical reason: data never leaves their building.
Why Data Location Matters for Admin Staff:
Admin staff handle the most sensitive client data daily: National Insurance numbers, pension values, transfer amounts, personal addresses. With cloud AI, every document is uploaded to external servers. With MonAI, everything stays local.
- GDPR compliance: Client data never transmitted to third parties
- Zero cloud exposure: No risk of provider data breaches affecting your clients
- Works offline: Admin staff can process documents even if internet goes down
- No subscription creep: One-time hardware investment, not recurring per-user fees
Common Questions from Admin Staff and Advisors
"Will this replace our admin staff?"
No. This multiplies what your existing admin staff can do. Keaton still works full-time at the firm. The difference is he can now process 25-30 cases per day instead of 10. He still reviews the AI's output, verifies key numbers, and handles exceptions that require human judgment. The AI handles the tedious data extraction—Keaton provides the expertise.
"Is it hard for admin staff to learn?"
No. Keaton was using it "100% of the time" within days. The interface is drag-and-drop: upload documents, click extract, review results. If your admin staff can use email attachments, they can use MonAI. Training takes 2 hours, not 2 weeks.
"What if the AI makes mistakes?"
Admin staff verify everything with source references. MonAI provides hyperlinked references for every extracted data point. Click any number and it highlights the exact location in the source PDF. Keaton's job is to verify—which takes 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes. He notes: "I've not had any major issues. It always seems fine."
"How much does it cost compared to hiring another admin person?"
Designed to cost less than hiring. Pricing depends on your practice size and workflow needs. Book a demo to see the workflow and talk through ROI.
Could Your Admin Staff Process 3x More Cases Per Day?
If you're a UK financial advisory firm processing pension transfers, annual reviews, or compliance documentation, your admin staff are probably at capacity. They're working hard—but they're limited by human processing speed.
Keaton's results are repeatable. This isn't a one-off case. This is what happens when admin staff get AI-powered tools that handle the tedious data extraction while they focus on verification and exceptions.
See It Working With Your Actual Documents
Free 15-minute demo. Bring your pension transfer documents. Watch MonAI process them in real-time. See exactly how much faster your admin staff could work.
The Real Question
The question isn't whether AI automation works for admin productivity—Keaton's results prove it does. The question is: How long can you afford to keep your admin staff working at 33% of their potential capacity?
Every week you wait, your competitors are pulling further ahead. Their admin staff are processing 25-30 cases per day. Yours are still at 10. The capacity gap compounds every month.
Related Reading:
- How One UK Firm Runs Review Prep In Batches →
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- Best Pension Transfer Software UK 2025: Honest Comparison →
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