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Introduction to Document Generation

Janaya Ravji avatar
Written by Janaya Ravji
Updated over a week ago

Introduction to Document Generation

Quick answer: Document generation lets you create Statements of Advice, Records of Advice, annual review letters, and other financial planning documents by combining your templates, client context, and AI - all from within Marloo.

Before You Start

  • You'll need access to the document generation feature. If you don't see Documents in your left sidebar, click Documents and then Request early access - we'll get you set up.

  • Make sure you have at least one client with some context (meetings, notes, or uploaded files) in their profile.

  • Have your document template ready (a Word document of your firm's SOA or similar). If you don't have one yet, you can use one of our example templates.

How Document Generation Works

Think of it like briefing a junior paraplanner. You give them:

  1. A template - the structure and format you want the document to follow

  2. Client context - the meetings, notes, uploads, and company files relevant to this client

  3. Instructions - what specifically you want them to produce

Marloo takes all three and generates a draft document that follows your template's structure, populated with information from your client's context.

Step 1: Set Up Your Client's Context

The better the context you provide, the better your document will be. Navigate to Clients in the left sidebar, click on your client, and make sure these tabs are populated:

Meetings

Ensure all relevant meetings are tagged to the client. Marloo uses the transcript and summary from each meeting as context. To tag a meeting, open it and use the + Add client panel on the right side.

Uploads

Upload any relevant files to the client's Uploads tab - fact-finds, Morningstar reports, product disclosure statements, previous SOAs, or any other reference material. Marloo supports PDF, Word, and Excel files to the clients profile.

Notes

Add any additional context to the Notes tab. You can paste tables from other platforms (the formatting will stick) or type free-text notes. This is great for needs analysis tables, specific client instructions, or information from paraplanning requests.

Tip: You don't need to have everything perfect before your first generation. Start with what you have - you can always add more context and regenerate.

Step 2: Upload a Document Template

  1. Navigate to Templates > Documents in the left sidebar

  2. Click + Add document template

  3. Select Upload a file

  4. Choose your Word document (e.g. your firm's SOA template)

Marloo will analyse your document and convert its structure into a set of AI instructions. This takes roughly 15 minutes. Once processing is complete, you'll see your template with sections like Global Instructions, Document Information, and all the sections from your original document.

Important: Upload your template under Templates > Documents, not Templates > Meetings. Meeting templates are for meeting summaries - document templates are for document generation. This is a common mix-up.

Step 3: Generate a Document

  1. Navigate to Documents in the left sidebar

  2. Click + New document

  3. Choose a client - search for and select the client you're generating for

  4. Choose a template - select the document template you uploaded

  5. Add context - select the relevant information across four tabs:

    • Meetings - tick the relevant meeting transcripts

    • Uploads - tick the relevant uploaded files

    • Company - tick any company-wide context files (fee structures, product info)

    • Notes - tick any relevant client notes

  6. Click Next

  7. Write your instructions - tell Marloo what you want it to create

Writing Good Instructions

This is the most important step. Imagine you're briefing a junior paraplanner. Be specific about:

  • Who the advice is for (individual, couple, entity)

  • What you're recommending and why

  • Where to find key information ("the needs analysis is in the Notes section", "the fact-find is in Uploads")

  • What's in scope and out of scope

Example prompt:

Generate the SOA for [client names]. I am recommending they consolidate their super into a single fund, maintain their current investment portfolio, and update their insurance to reflect recent life changes. The fact-find is in Uploads (up to date), you'll find the insurance needs analysis in the Notes section, and the previous SOA is also in Uploads for reference.

Tip: You can use the microphone icon to dictate your instructions instead of typing them. Many advisers find this quicker for detailed prompts.

Click Generate document. Generation takes roughly 10-15 minutes. You'll see a "Generating..." status next to the document in your list. Once complete, click to open and review.

Step 4: Review and Refine

Your generated document opens in an in-app editor. You can:

  • Edit directly - make changes in the editor using the formatting toolbar

  • Ask Marloo AI - use the chat panel on the right to ask Marloo to refine sections (e.g. "make the reasons for seeking advice section more detailed" or "remove all TBC tags")

  • Export - click Export to download as a Word document

Tip: After exporting, do a detailed line-by-line review in Word. Note everything that isn't quite right - this feedback is gold for refining your template (see the Template Refinement article).

Tips

  • Reuse good prompts - after generating a document, you can view the exact prompt you used. Copy effective prompts to reuse with other clients.

  • Upload company-wide context - put fund flyers, fee schedules, product information, and standard investment documents in Settings > Company > Context. These become available for all client documents.

  • Upload your client list - use the Upload client list button on the Clients page to bulk-import clients via a CSV with two columns: client name and email address.

  • Tag meetings to clients - this is a crucial step. Client tagging links meeting transcripts to clients, giving Marloo the context it needs for document generation.

  • Use the template vs. generation prompt strategically - template instructions are best for "macro" rules (how to handle sections, mandatory vs. conditional content). The generation prompt is best for "micro" instructions specific to this particular client.

Troubleshooting

Problem

Solution

Can't see the Documents section

Click Documents in the sidebar and select Request early access. We'll enable it for you.

Template uploaded to wrong section

Make sure you're uploading under Templates > Documents, not Templates > Meetings.

Document has blank or irrelevant sections

Add a Global Instruction to your template: "Omit any section from the final document if there is no relevant content for that section."

Output doesn't match expectations

Refine your template instructions - 95% of inaccuracies can be traced back to templating. See the Template Refinement article.

TBC tags in the document

Type "remove all TBC tags" in the Marloo AI chat. Or keep them as placeholders if you prefer to fill them in manually.

Generated document doesn't have my branding

Upload a customised branding template in Settings > Company > Document styling.

Excel files not fully interpreted

Marloo can read data from Excel files but won't execute formulas or understand relationships between sheets. For complex spreadsheets, consider exporting key data as a simpler format.

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