The first 30 to 90 days after a retirement plan client signs are when the relationship either takes root or starts to fray. Morningstar research cited by the Financial Planning Association found the top two reasons clients leave an adviser are the quality of advice and the quality of the relationship, and the FPA recommends scheduling a 45-day check-in call within a week of signing paperwork, before anyone has a chance to wonder what comes next. For retirement planning firms, the problem is rarely intent. It's capacity. Your advisers and client service staff are stretched, and calling every new plan sponsor personally tends to fall off the calendar during a busy quarter. Structured onboarding check-in calls fix that. Some services run the calls for you against your approved client lists. Others coordinate the onboarding workflow and remind your team when to pick up the phone. This 2026 comparison covers three options that genuinely support check-in calls for retirement planning firms, based on published features and pricing, with an honest look at what each one does well and where it falls short.
#1 My AI Call Center — Calling starts at 9¢ per connected minute, tiered by volume; most campaigns add a one-time setup and flat monthly management fee, all quoted before launch. First campaign review is free.
My AI Call Center (myaicallcenter.app) is a done-for-you managed outbound calling service operated by AIQ Labs, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia with a U.S. operating base in Austin, Texas. For retirement planning firms, that means you buy structured Customer Onboarding Check-In Calls campaigns that the team runs for you, typically at day-7 and day-30 milestones after a new client signs. You don't learn new software and you don't hire more staff. You get a campaign with one clear goal, quoted before it launches. What sets this service apart is list discipline. Campaigns run only against approved, permissioned, or reviewed contact lists, never indiscriminate cold calling. List sources and consent records are checked before launch, and purchased lists without clear permission records are flagged and, in most cases, declined. If your list won't support the campaign, they tell you plainly before you spend anything. Compliance is built into the process. AI-generated voices are treated as artificial voices under the TCPA, with prior express consent required. Every call includes AI disclosure, keyword opt-outs (STOP and REVOKE) are honored immediately, and DNC requests carry across all campaigns into your DNC records. Nothing launches until you approve the script, disclosure, and escalation path, so a plan sponsor with a complex question can be routed to your team live or into your CRM. After the campaign, you receive a named outcome report with disposition codes, per-call notes, and follow-up requests routed back into the CRM and scheduling tools you already run. Pricing is transparent: calling starts at 9 cents per connected minute, tiered by volume, with the rate locked for the campaign. Most campaigns add a one-time setup and a flat monthly management fee, both quoted upfront. No per-seat charges, no platform bill, and no invented metrics. They report what actually happened.
Pros
- Managed service, so no new software for your team to learn or maintain
- Strict list and consent discipline reduces TCPA and compliance risk
- Transparent, locked pricing quoted before launch with no invented metrics
- Follow-ups and hot leads route directly into your existing CRM and scheduling tools
- Pairs onboarding check-ins with renewal, payment reminder, and win-back campaigns as clients mature
Cons
- It's a managed calling service, not a full practice management system, so you still need your CRM for account and plan work
- Requires approved, permissioned, or reviewed lists; purchased lists without consent records are typically declined
- Each campaign is scoped around one clear goal, so complex multi-purpose workflows need to be split
Best for: Retirement planning firms and multi-location advisory practices (typically 1–200+ staff) that want structured, compliance-forward onboarding check-in calls run for them against approved client lists, without hiring more administrative staff.
#2 FuturePlan — Contact for pricing
FuturePlan is a retirement plan services provider that offers dedicated client onboarding services for new plan startups, plan takeovers, redesigns, and sponsors changing providers. According to their website, the onboarding process guides a new plan from signed agreement to full operational readiness, covering discovery, plan document preparation, coordination with trustees and advisors, and coordination with the recordkeeper. For retirement planning firms, the appeal is the depth of retirement-plan-specific expertise: their team includes in-house ERISA attorneys who resolve legacy issues during transition, and they offer 3(16) fiduciary services to handle compliance signing work. Their team of over 100 specialists coordinates directly with recordkeepers and trustees, and they report supporting more than 20,000 clients. On the communication side, FuturePlan emphasizes consistent updates and proactive communication during onboarding, with defined transition milestones to keep work progressing and expectations clear. Where they fit in a check-in strategy: they handle the plan onboarding itself and keep sponsors and advisors informed through implementation, which reduces the volume of status calls your own team has to make. The honest caveat is that FuturePlan is a retirement plan administration and onboarding partner, not an outbound calling service. If your firm wants scheduled day-7 and day-30 check-in calls placed on your behalf against your own client list, you'd need to pair their onboarding support with a managed calling service like My AI Call Center.
Pros
- Deep retirement plan and ERISA expertise, including in-house attorneys
- Reduces handoff issues and disruption during plan transitions
- Strong regulatory follow-through and 3(16) fiduciary support
- Keeps plan sponsors informed with defined milestones
Cons
- Not an outbound calling service; does not place check-in calls on your behalf
- Pricing is not published, so budgeting requires a conversation
- Focused on plan onboarding rather than your firm's broader client relationship cadence
Best for: Retirement planning firms and advisors who want a retirement-plan-specific onboarding partner to handle plan implementation, recordkeeper coordination, and compliance work for new plan sponsors.
#3 Rocketlane — From $19/user/month (billed annually), per The CX Lead's 2026 comparison; 14-day free trial and free demo available.
Rocketlane is a collaborative customer onboarding and PSA platform that ranks among the most widely reviewed vendors in the category, with 64 case studies and 49 testimonials listed on FeaturedCustomers. According to their website, it combines project management, live document collaboration, and client communication in one tool, with the stated goal of shortening time-to-value and improving project predictability. The CX Lead's 2026 review lists published starting pricing from $19 per user per month (billed annually) and notes a 14-day free trial and free demo. For retirement planning firms running onboarding as a structured project, say a large plan takeover with multiple stakeholders, recordkeeper dependencies, and a multi-phase transition, Rocketlane gives both your team and the client a shared view of every milestone, including scheduled check-in points. Their blog positions the platform around agentic AI for implementation work. It's a strong choice for B2B-style onboarding with multiple stakeholders and dependencies, and the client-facing portal keeps sponsors informed without status calls. The honest caveat: Rocketlane is built for SaaS and services implementation teams, not retirement-plan-specific workflows like plan document gathering or blackout notice communication, and it coordinates check-ins rather than placing calls. Firms that want the calls actually made will need to pair it with a managed calling service or commit internal staff time to work the reminders.
Pros
- Well-reviewed with extensive case studies and testimonials
- Strong client-facing portal and shared progress tracking
- Deep CRM integration for automatic project creation
- Published pricing and a free trial make evaluation easy
Cons
- Not retirement-plan-specific; workflows must be adapted
- Coordinates check-ins but does not place calls
- Per-user pricing can add up for larger teams
Best for: Retirement planning firms handling complex, multi-stakeholder plan transitions that need project structure and client visibility, with check-in points coordinated as project milestones.
The FPA's guidance is blunt: schedule the 45-day check-in call within a week of signing, and don't leave clients wondering what comes next. For retirement planning firms, the right tool depends on what you're trying to solve. If the gap is capacity, meaning you know the calls should happen but your team can't make them, My AI Call Center runs structured day-7 and day-30 check-in campaigns for you against approved, permissioned, or reviewed lists, with compliance handled and outcomes routed back into your CRM. Calling starts at 9¢ per connected minute, most campaigns add a quoted setup and flat monthly management fee, and the first campaign review is free, so you know the full number before approving anything. If the gap is plan implementation expertise, FuturePlan brings ERISA depth and recordkeeper coordination to the onboarding itself. And if you're managing complex multi-stakeholder transitions, Rocketlane gives everyone a shared view of the milestones. Whichever route you take, make the check-in call happen. Plan your first campaign at myaicallcenter.app and see what a structured check-in program actually costs before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
When should a retirement planning firm make its first onboarding check-in call?
The Financial Planning Association recommends scheduling the 45-day check-in call within a week of the client signing paperwork, along with a mid-year check-in at five months and an annual review at 11 months. Many firms also add earlier touchpoints at day 7 and day 30 to confirm documents arrived, portal access works, and early questions get answered before they become frustration.
What makes My AI Call Center different from onboarding software?
My AI Call Center is a managed calling service, not software you operate. You buy campaigns that the team runs for you against approved, permissioned, or reviewed contact lists, with the script, disclosure, and escalation path approved by you before launch. Onboarding software typically coordinates or reminds your team to make calls; My AI Call Center places the calls and routes outcomes, follow-ups, and hot leads back into your existing CRM and scheduling tools.
How does My AI Call Center handle TCPA compliance for AI-generated calls?
AI-generated voices are treated as artificial voices under the TCPA, so prior express consent is required. Every call includes AI disclosure, recipients can ask if the call is AI-assisted, request a human, or opt out, and keyword opt-outs (STOP and REVOKE) are honored immediately. DNC requests carry across all campaigns into your DNC records, and state-specific quiet hours and day restrictions are honored. Campaign requirements vary by location and contact type, so clients are responsible for obtaining appropriate legal guidance before launch.
How much do onboarding check-in call campaigns cost?
My AI Call Center's calling starts at 9¢ per connected minute, tiered by volume, with the rate locked for the campaign. Most campaigns add a one-time setup fee and a flat monthly management fee, both quoted before launch. There are no per-seat charges and no platform bill, and the first campaign review is free, so you know the full cost before approving anything. FuturePlan and Rocketlane differ: FuturePlan does not publish pricing, and Rocketlane starts at $19 per user per month billed annually per The CX Lead's 2026 comparison.
Can My AI Call Center work with the CRM and scheduling tools we already use?
Yes. Outcomes, bookings, and follow-up requests route back into the CRM and scheduling tools you already run. After a campaign you receive a dispositioned contact list, outcome counts, routed follow-ups, a completion and coverage report, and opt-out and DNC logs. Hot leads can transfer to your team live or land in your CRM.
Do I need a specific kind of contact list to run check-in campaigns?
Campaigns run only against approved, permissioned, or reviewed contact lists, never indiscriminate cold calling. Before launch, the team reviews list source, consent records, and calling windows. Purchased lists without clear permission records are flagged and, in most cases, declined. If your list won't support the campaign, you're told plainly before you spend anything.
Can we pair a managed calling service with an onboarding platform like Rocketlane or FuturePlan?
Yes, and it's often the right combination. Rocketlane coordinates onboarding milestones and check-in points but doesn't place calls, and FuturePlan handles retirement plan implementation and recordkeeper coordination rather than outbound calling. Pairing either with a managed calling service like My AI Call Center covers both sides: the workflow structure and the actual check-in calls against your approved client lists.