SEI adds Zocks AI assistant to adviser services ecosystem

SEI has partnered with Zocks to add the AI assistant to its advisor services ecosystem, extending its push to bring AI tools to financial advisers.

Built for financial advisers, Zocks automates tasks including meeting preparation, note-taking, client follow-up, CRM and planning updates, onboarding, and forms. The addition is meant to help firms reduce administrative work and give advisers more time with clients.

The partnership adds another specialist software provider to SEI's ecosystem, which connects advisers with third-party services, discounted pricing, and operational support. The network is designed to help advisory firms address issues such as efficiency, practice management, and client experience.

The move also fits into SEI's broader effort to embed AI across its business. The group has recently expanded its senior AI leadership and has been working with IBM on agentic AI as it seeks to reshape internal operations and client-facing services around automation and data tools.

For advisers, the immediate focus is narrower. Zocks handles administrative tasks tied to routine client interactions and aims to turn information from meetings and other exchanges into structured records that can be used across a firm's systems.

That reflects a wider shift in wealth management, where firms are testing whether generative AI can reduce manual work without disrupting compliance processes or client relationships. Advisers have shown growing interest in tools that can document meetings, prompt follow-up actions, and keep customer records up to date, though firms remain cautious about implementation and oversight.

Erich Holland, Head of SEI's U.S. Wealth and Advisor Business, outlined the rationale for adding the product.

"Advisors are moving beyond AI curiosity and looking for practical ways to embed intelligent automation into the workflows that matter most to their businesses. By adding Zocks to our ecosystem of partners, we're expanding advisor choice and making it easier for firms to access resources, education, and support that can help them adopt AI with purpose, discipline, and a clear connection to client service and business growth," said Erich Holland, Head of SEI's U.S. Wealth and Advisor Business.

Adoption focus

SEI intends to support adoption through education and practice management resources tied to AI-enabled workflows. Its message to advisers is that implementation, rather than experimentation alone, will determine whether these tools become part of day-to-day operations.

Shauna Mace, Head of Practise Management and Independent Advisor Solutions at SEI, said: "AI has the potential to transform the advisor operating model, but successful adoption starts with thoughtful implementation. Zocks gives advisors another way to evaluate AI through the lens of their own teams, workflows, and growth goals, while helping them move from time savings to deeper productivity and more proactive client engagement."

Zocks is positioning the relationship as a way to reach a wider adviser audience at a time when software groups are competing to become embedded in wealth management workflows. Vendors in this market are increasingly focusing on software that can sit alongside existing planning, CRM, and compliance systems rather than asking firms to replace them.

Jim Hardeman, Executive Vice President of Product at Zocks, said: "Zocks was built to help financial advisors turn everyday client conversations into actionable intelligence without adding complexity to their practices. SEI inherently understands the operational challenges advisors face and has a strong track record of helping firms evaluate solutions that can create meaningful business impact. Together, we can help more advisors use AI to streamline meeting workflows, accelerate follow-up, improve data quality, and create more capacity for the client relationships that matter most."

SEI manages, advises, or administers about $2.1 trillion in assets. Zocks says more than 5,000 firms use its platform, including six of Barron's nine Top Mega RIAs and two of the top three life insurance carriers.