Twenty7tec latest ELEVATE podcast explores the launch of Steppl, the role of AI and automation

07 September 2026

The latest episode of Twenty7tec's ELEVATE Podcast Series explores the launch of Steppl, the changing expectations of advice clients, the role of AI and automation, and how technology can help firms move from individual transactions towards longer-term client relationships.

The episode is hosted by Ellisha Jade and features CEO James Tucker and product owner Jon Guerra Fernandez.

Steppl has been developed to address fragmentation across the advice journey, where client information, communications and documents can often be spread across multiple channels and systems.

The platform creates a secure digital environment connecting advisers and their clients, designed to reduce unnecessary administration and make it easier for customers to provide information and documentation throughout the advice process.

Jon Guerra Fernandez, Product Owner at Twenty7tec, said:

"The aim is to reduce the tasks that don't really add value, so advisers can spend more time doing the things that do, providing advice and building relationships with their clients."

Twenty7tec has positioned Steppl as more than an onboarding solution, with ongoing client engagement forming a central part of the platform's development.

Speaking during the ELEVATE episode, Tucker highlighted client retention as a significant commercial opportunity for mortgage advice businesses, particularly against the increasing cost of acquiring new customers.

James Tucker, CEO at Twenty7tec, said:

"The cost of acquiring new clients is so high that losing a significant proportion of your existing client base without servicing and retaining them effectively is a real issue for advice businesses.

"That has to be addressed through ongoing engagement with the client, and increasingly the best way to do that is digitally. Steppl is the start of that journey for us, helping advice firms not only onboard new clients more effectively, but build stronger relationships with them once they've got them."

Steppl also reflects Twenty7tec's wider strategy of improving the digital experience clients receive from their adviser.

Tucker said consumers increasingly expect financial services technology to match the intuitive digital experiences they encounter elsewhere in their everyday lives, making client-facing technology an increasingly important consideration for advice businesses.

The platform has been designed to support firms operating across mortgages, protection and wealth, with the longer-term aim of enabling ongoing communication and engagement throughout a client's financial journey.

AI and automation will also play a role in reducing adviser administration. During the podcast, Guerra Fernandez explained that Steppl can use AI to support tasks such as extracting information from documentation while retaining human oversight, allowing advisers to review and validate information before it progresses through the advice process.

Watch the episode:

🔗https://youtu.be/Jt5RyDizp74