Getting Started with Outsourced Xplan Paraplanning

This article is part of our Xplan Paraplanning service. For a broader look at how Xplan fits within the platforms we support, see our software capabilities overview. For the general paraplanning workflow that applies across all platforms, see Our Standard Paraplanning Process.

This guide covers what is specifically different when getting started on Xplan, from access provisioning through to your first live jobs. For what the day-to-day engagement looks like once you are up and running, see What to Expect from Outsourced Xplan Paraplanning.

How does Xplan access get set up?

Xplan is hosted by IRESS and accessed through a web browser. No VPN, no remote desktop. Your practice needs to provision a user account before anything else.

There are 2 access pathways:

• Dedicated support staff login - a separate Xplan user account created specifically for the Felcorp paraplanner. This is the preferred option because Felcorp creates dedicated file notes attached to the paraplanner's specific login, ensuring clear audit logging. Xplan's built-in permission system also allows you to restrict module access and limit client visibility
• Shared adviser login - the paraplanner uses an existing adviser login with shared credentials. Faster to set up, but you lose the granular permission controls and it becomes unclear who created file notes, creating audit logging and issue tracking complications

Which should you choose? If audit trail matters to your practice (and it should), go with the dedicated login. Most practices already have support staff user types configured, so provisioning a new one is straightforward.

If credentials are ready and the user type exists, access can be provisioned in under 20 minutes.

If a new support staff user type needs to be created or IRESS needs to provision additional licences, budget up to 7 business days. That licence provisioning timeline is the most common delay in getting started on Xplan, not the platform setup itself.

What about two-factor authentication? IRESS manages 2FA through their own authentication system. Felcorp recommends 30-second rolling codes (time-based OTP) rather than SMS or email codes. Make sure the paraplanner's login is configured with 2FA before the first session.

What is the biggest setup blocker to watch for?

Email provisioning. Your practice must set up a firm-controlled email address for Felcorp access. Do not use a Felcorp-provided email.

Why does this matter?

• Security policy enforcement - the practice can impose strict conditions adhering to their own security policies, rather than relying on Felcorp's email infrastructure
• Audit trail - the practice can access the email to see exactly what has been sent and received, maintaining full transparency
• Control - the practice maintains greater control over access credentials and security infrastructure at all times

Many practices initially assume they can simply use a Felcorp email. Establishing the firm-controlled email principle early prevents delays later.

How does Felcorp learn your templates and preferences?

This is discussed during the discovery call or onboarding. Felcorp requests sample SOAs to understand your practice's output format and quality standards.

The key diagnostic question: does your practice have a strong, well-maintained managed Xplan library? If yes, it is an easier workflow. If you run Word-based strategy templates, that is equally valid but a different workflow.

Xplan's template ecosystem is more established than most platforms. Many practices have invested significant time building out managed paragraph libraries and strategy templates within Xplan. If your practice has done this work, Felcorp works directly within that system. If you run Word-based templates alongside Xplan, that works equally well.

The split is roughly 50/50. About half the practices we work with on Xplan use third-party connector tools with managed content for document assembly. The other half use Word-based strategy templates. This proportion matters because it determines the SOP documentation approach and the QA methodology applied to each engagement.

What does the SOP cover and how long does it take?

The SOP is built during the trial period and typically takes 1 month to finalise.

Why that long? Efficient processes are not determined upfront. They emerge through real work. Rushing the SOP means missing optimisation opportunities, so the timeframe is necessary to get it right.

The SOP documents 6 areas of the paraplanning process:

• Data collection process - how client data is gathered, verified and prepared before paraplanning begins
• Strategy modelling approach - how current and recommended scenarios are modelled, including assumptions, tools used and documentation of projections
• File notes during paraplanning - how notes, assumptions and flags are recorded within the client file as the work progresses
• Advice document generation - how SOAs and ROAs are assembled, including template selection, managed paragraph configuration and compliance sections
• QA review process - how completed files are reviewed against the brief, compliance requirements and practice standards before handback
• Handback to adviser post-management review - how completed files are returned to the adviser, including notification protocols and sign-off workflows

Many practices also leverage Felcorp's business expertise during this phase to optimise their procedures. Process changes are made as the engagement progresses and by the end of the trial the SOP is locked in and ready to govern the full-time engagement.

How does the trial period work on Xplan?

The trial structure follows Felcorp's standard paraplanning trial framework. Xplan practices tend to move through the trial phase efficiently because there is no training overhead needed on the platform itself. The focus is process-level amendments only.

Around 50% of practices use Xplan, so Felcorp's experience base is deep. Your paraplanner is likely to have prior hands-on Xplan experience.

How many SOAs get done in the trial? Most practices complete between 6 and 10 SOAs during the 1-month trial period. Volume varies based on practice organisation, workload, prior outsourcing experience and Xplan competency.

This volume is diagnostic, not representative of steady-state performance. Performance typically increases by 30 to 40 percent once the trial ends and the engagement goes live, because by then the SOP is finalised, the paraplanner is fully embedded and they have complete understanding of your file systems and workflows.

How is success measured? Against your practice's own expectations. If you previously used another paraplanning provider, Felcorp benchmarks performance against that baseline.

If there is no prior baseline, Felcorp benchmarks against similar firms by size, nature and complexity, presenting data to your practice showing your comparative position. From there, Felcorp helps your practice define what success actually means for your specific situation.

Those expectations are then formalised into SLAs and built into the contract with guaranteed performance metrics. The data from the trial (turnaround times, time taken per job type, case complexity) feeds directly into SLA calibration. For example, if turnaround during the trial averaged 24 hours for a standard SOA, that becomes the 24-hour SLA.

What do the first jobs look like?

Felcorp deliberately starts with simpler cases. The first 1 or 2 jobs are straightforward - often basic retirement or single-asset advice - because the goal is to map your file structure, understand how you organise advice recommendations within Xplan's client file system and locate key information across Xplan's modules.

Once the paraplanner has completed a couple of simple cases successfully, complexity ramps up progressively to match your actual workload.

Should you expect more back-and-forth early on? Yes. Expect 2 to 3 times more correspondence on early jobs compared to steady-state. This is primarily logistical rather than about planning competence:

• Clarifying document locations - where specific files, templates and supporting documents are stored within Xplan's document management system
• Identifying process gaps - areas where the workflow needs clarification or documentation
• Troubleshooting access issues - resolving module permissions, user access levels and system configuration
• Establishing SOPs - building standard procedures from real job experience

The trial period explicitly covers all of these operational issues. By the time the full-time engagement begins, these friction points have been resolved. Full operational speed is typically achieved within 1 month.

What does the day-to-day workflow look like once live?

Once the trial is done and the engagement is live, the workflow becomes straightforward. The practice sends a brief notifying Felcorp that a new case is ready. Felcorp completes the work. At the end of each day, the paraplanner sends an end-of-day report detailing:

• What was completed
• What is in progress
• What is pending
• Any blockers requiring adviser input

How should briefs be submitted? Felcorp recommends a clear preference hierarchy:

• Felcorp portal - uses bank-grade encryption and is specifically designed for secure data transmission. This is the safest option
• Team messaging - Microsoft Teams or Slack, if your practice already uses these platforms
• Email - available as a fallback but least preferred due to security risks, particularly when confidential client information is involved

The same hierarchy applies to ongoing communication. Felcorp strongly discourages sending confidential or personal client data via email.

What mistakes should you avoid when getting started?

The most common mistake is assuming outsourced paraplanning is plug-and-play. It requires baseline maturity in several areas and outsourcing magnifies pre-existing operational weaknesses.

• Disorganised file structures - inconsistent use of Xplan's document management system, client groups and filing conventions makes it difficult for the paraplanner to locate documents
• Poor security practices - ad hoc email security and unstructured data handling erode efficiency and create compliance risk
• Uncoordinated submission channels - using email one day, chat the next and the portal another means data gets lost, duplicated, or forgotten

A specific Xplan pitfall: some practices have accumulated years of legacy data and inconsistent file structures within Xplan. If your Xplan instance has not been maintained with discipline, the paraplanner will spend additional time navigating disorganised client files. Cleaning up your Xplan file structures before onboarding pays significant dividends.

Xplan's depth and flexibility can also work against you. Practices that have customised Xplan heavily over the years sometimes have unique workflows that are not documented anywhere. The SOP-building process during the trial is designed to surface these, but practices that come prepared move through onboarding faster.

How is Xplan different from other platforms for getting started?

The onboarding methodology is identical across platforms. Xplan, like Plutosoft, AdviserLogic, and Intelliflo, has its own quirks that must be understood, but the process is the same.

The real difference is maturity and institutional knowledge. Around 50% of practices use Xplan, so Felcorp's experience base is deep. Your paraplanner is more likely to have prior hands-on Xplan experience, which typically shortens the onboarding curve compared to newer platforms where training overhead is higher.

But Xplan's depth also means there is more to learn about your specific configuration. Practices that have customised Xplan extensively over the years (custom fields, bespoke workflows, tailored managed paragraph libraries) will need to invest more time in the SOP phase to ensure those customisations are properly documented.

One important scope clarification: Felcorp provides paraplanning delivery services. Template building, where needed, focuses on delivery and workflow optimisation, not regulatory architecture. If your practice requires compliance-focused template engineering, that is a separate engagement outside the scope of paraplanning delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to buy a separate Xplan licence for the paraplanner?

Not necessarily. Most practices already have support staff user types within their Xplan instance. If a spare licence is available, provisioning a new user takes minutes. If additional licences need to be purchased from IRESS, budget up to 7 business days. A dedicated login is always preferred over a shared adviser login for audit trail and permission control reasons.

How long before the paraplanner is fully up to speed?

Full operational speed is typically achieved within 1 month. Xplan engagements often ramp faster than newer platforms because there is no training overhead on the platform itself - the focus is process-level amendments only. The speed depends on workload volume and feedback velocity from your practice.

What if we have heavily customised our Xplan instance?

This is common. Many practices have built extensive managed paragraph libraries, custom fields, bespoke workflows and tailored reporting templates over years of use. The trial period is designed to surface and document all of these. Come prepared with an understanding of your own customisations and the SOP will be stronger for it.

Can we outsource data collection as well as paraplanning?

Yes. If your practice is not confident in its in-house data collection, outsourcing this to Felcorp removes the biggest upstream risk to paraplanning quality. Speak to us during onboarding about including data collection in the engagement scope.

What should we have ready before the trial starts?

At minimum: a firm-controlled email address for the paraplanner, a decision on dedicated vs shared login, sample SOAs showing your current output standard, your template setup documented (managed paragraphs or Word-based) and clean, organised file structures in your Xplan instance. The more prepared you are, the faster the SOP is built and the sooner the engagement reaches full speed. For more detail on what to expect during the trial, see the onboarding process.

How do I know if I need a paraplanner or something else?

If you are unsure whether paraplanning is the right fit, see Help me choose which paraplanner I need. If your needs lean more toward admin support, see Help me choose which admin support I need.

Written by Tobias Fellas, Founder & CEO at Felcorp Support.