For Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and Family Offices, managing client payments is a critical, yet historically cumbersome, process. Each payment -- whether it’s a capital call, a bill, or a distribution -- traces a familiar path involving multiple steps, manual interventions, and significant risk of error or delay.

Over the next several weeks, Atomic Insights will be rolling out new features designed to automate and streamline these workflows, making manual data entry a relic of the past. To better understand what we are doing, let’s look at how we are redefining the four key stages of the client payment lifecycle: Upstream data capture, Workflow Engine automation, Downstream payment execution, and complete cash flow Reporting.

1. Initiation: The Client Request

Traditionally, the payment journey begins with a simple client request -- often transmitted via an email or a call to the advisor: “Can you help me pay this capital call?” This informal communication kicks off a chain of manual tasks that we call the ‘Upstream’ phase. The advisor or operations team must interpret the request, gather relevant details, and start the process of entering payment instructions into whatever workflow tool the firm uses -- sometimes this comes in the form of a basic Excel sheet, sometimes RIAs and family offices utilize more sophisticated CRM-based solutions.

Atomic’s Upstream Solution: Structured Data from Unstructured Client Requests:

In the next couple of weeks, Atomic Insights will automate this Upstream step by using an AI tool that captures payment requests directly from client communications and automatically populate all necessary data fields in our payment workflow tool. Family office and RIA personnel will no longer need to copy and paste or rekey information-reducing errors and saving valuable time.

2. Validation: Checks and Approvals

Once the payment data is entered, the next step is a series of validations. This often includes:

• Manually checking custodial websites for available cash or margin capacity, as well as manually crosschecking client preferences (often via email) as it relates to the use of margin.

• Verifying whether a letter of authorization is on file.

• Confirming the client’s authority to initiate the payment.

• Conducting callbacks to clients or vendors for security.

Each of these steps typically involves logging into multiple portals, cross-referencing documents, and invoking a manual “maker-checker” workflow to ensure nothing is missed. The process is not only labor-intensive but also prone to delays and “fat finger” errors.

Atomic’s Workflow Engine: Automated Validation and Authorization:

Atomic’s Workflow Engine replaces this manual maker-checker workflow with automated validations. By integrating with custodians and internal systems via API, Atomic pre-checks balance availability, LOA status, margin preferences, and more—flagging exceptions in real-time and moving payments through a secure, compliant approval flow.

3. Execution: Payment Processing

After validations, the payment must be executed. Historically, this means manually entering payment details into the custodian’s portal, often requiring a second or third review to ensure accuracy. This step is especially vulnerable to errors, as a single incorrect keystroke can result in failed or misdirected payments.

Atomic’s Downstream Solution: Seamless, Error-Free Payment Execution:

With direct API connections to banks and custodians, Atomic Insights Downstream infrastructure transmits payment instructions automatically, eliminating the need for manual data entry at this critical stage.  The result: faster, more accurate payments with a full digital audit trail.

4. Reconciliation and Reporting

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the traditional process comes weeks or months later, when a client asks, “What was this withdrawal for?” Often, the context for the payment has been lost, requiring teams to dig through emails, spreadsheets, and notes to reconstruct the story. Without a centralized, searchable record, this step is manual, inefficient and stressful, and leaves clients and principals feeling like their teams are not paying attention to the details.

Atomic Reporting: Complete, Contextual Cash Flows, & Audit-Ready:

Every payment processed through Atomic Insights is automatically logged with full context-who requested it, why, when, and how it was approved and executed with the original invoice attached to the transaction to ensure everyone understands why money moved. This comprehensive reporting means client teams and compliance departments can instantly answer questions and provide transparency, strengthening trust and enhancing client relationships.

The Future: No More Manual Data Entry

The traditional client payment lifecycle for RIAs and Family Offices has been characterized by manual data entry, fragmented workflows, and operational risk. Atomic Insights is changing all that. In short order, client teams will never have to enter payment data by hand, validations and approvals will be automated, payments will flow seamlessly to custodians, and every transaction will be fully documented and easily reportable.

To learn more about how Atomic Insights is transforming payment workflows for RIAs and Family Offices, visit us at www.atomicinsights.io.