Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. has completed beta testing of its custom Salesforce integration, and is entering the pilot testing phase.

Brian Shenson, Schwab's managing director of advisor service technology, said the beta test gave a select group of advisors a chance to see how the Salesforce integration fit with Schwab's custodial platform.

"Our goal was to produce an integrated solution that was intuitive and easy to use", he said. Based on the feedback from beta testers, they apparently achieved their goal. One tester who was relatively new to Salesforce was able to perform basic operations within fifteen minutes of being introduced to the system.

As pilot testing begins, a limited number of Schwab's advisor clients will be able to load their own data into the system and begin making full use of the integration. If all goes well, Schwab will announce the full rollout later this year, probably during their annual Impact Conference in early November.

The initial release of Schwab OneView Office, Schwab's turnkey offering that initially integrates the Schwab custodial platform with the customĀ  Salesforce offering and Schwab Portfolio Services (hosted PoertfolioCenter), is currently in beta. Pilot testing is scheduled to begin shortly.

It has been about nine months since Schwab announced their initial integration partners. When questioned about the speed to market, Shenson emphasized Schwab's commitment to deliver quality and its desire to involve their advisor clients in the process. "Our advisors are willing to be patient" he said. "They don't want us to rush something out that has not been fully tested."

For more information on Schwab Intelligent Integration, visit: http://www.schwabadvisorcenter.com/public/advisors/nn/projectc

--Joel Bruckenstein