Inside First Command’s Client-Centric Transformation: From Brand Promise to AI Practice
- Kellie Richter, EVP, Chief Operating Officer at First Command
- AI and Automation, Customer Experience (CX), Digital Transformation, Managing Org Transformation, Other Martech, Platform and Data Integration, Strategy and Trends
When Kellie Richter joined First Command in late 2016, she discovered a mission that brought her career full circle. After 36 years across Ameriprise (then IDS), AIG, and Provasi Capital Partners, she was drawn to First Command’s purpose: coaching those who serve in their pursuit of financial security. The firm primarily helps military families build wealth, rather than merely manage wealth already amassed—a focus that resonated with her early-career roots serving “middle America.”
But purpose wasn’t the only pull. Brand awareness in First Command’s core market was low, and the company needed a disciplined marketing engine to match its mission. “It was a chance to make an impact alongside a great culture,” Kellie recalls. Nine years on, she is now Chief Operating Officer, having bridged marketing, client experience, and operations into a single, client-centered operating model.
But purpose wasn’t the only pull. Brand awareness in First Command’s core market was low, and the company needed a disciplined marketing engine to match its mission. “It was a chance to make an impact alongside a great culture,” Kellie recalls. Nine years on, she is now Chief Operating Officer, having bridged marketing, client experience, and operations into a single, client-centered operating model.
Watch the full interview with Kellie Richter, where she shares her thoughts on the importance of living up to your brand and how AI can help. This is a must-watch interview!
Closing the gap between brand and reputation
Kellie’s first major move was to link the company’s brand to its lived experience. “Your brand is who you say you are, but your reputation is what others say about you,” she says. The mandate: Make those two tightly aligned.
Rather than rely on intuition, First Command built a measurement system grounded in client truth:
— Always-on listening: broad-based surveys to establish baselines and track shifts in client sentiment
— Deeper discovery: targeted focus groups to explore expectations and friction points in context
— In-person observation: ethnographic-style studies in offices to see how advisors and clients actually behave
Those insights informed a structured way to measure whether the firm was delivering the experience its brand promises. Crucially, the approach didn’t stop at dashboards. First Command tied advisor and internal staff recognition and incentives to the specific behaviors that create a consistent, positive client experience. In other words, client centricity became not just a slogan, but a system.
Rather than rely on intuition, First Command built a measurement system grounded in client truth:
— Always-on listening: broad-based surveys to establish baselines and track shifts in client sentiment
— Deeper discovery: targeted focus groups to explore expectations and friction points in context
— In-person observation: ethnographic-style studies in offices to see how advisors and clients actually behave
Those insights informed a structured way to measure whether the firm was delivering the experience its brand promises. Crucially, the approach didn’t stop at dashboards. First Command tied advisor and internal staff recognition and incentives to the specific behaviors that create a consistent, positive client experience. In other words, client centricity became not just a slogan, but a system.
Leading through crisis: How a mission shows up
That system and the culture behind it was tested during the recent government shutdown, which hit many military families with uncertainty and anxiety. First Command moved quickly with tangible support, extending more than $10 million in financial support to military families and federal workers.
For clients, the firm offered pay continuity: zero‑interest credit for up to six months, effectively fronting the paycheck that would have arrived from the government. Clients who opted in saw no disruption. For those who didn’t need full paycheck replacement but needed flexibility, the bank waived penalties (for example, early CD withdrawals).
Recognizing that not every affected service member is a client, First Command extended its help through the broader community as well, providing a $5 million interest-free line of credit for up to six months to military relief organizations so they could, in turn, support service members in need. It wasn’t the first time. The firm took similar steps during the 2018 shutdown. The throughline is clear: Show up where it matters, in ways that matter.
For clients, the firm offered pay continuity: zero‑interest credit for up to six months, effectively fronting the paycheck that would have arrived from the government. Clients who opted in saw no disruption. For those who didn’t need full paycheck replacement but needed flexibility, the bank waived penalties (for example, early CD withdrawals).
Recognizing that not every affected service member is a client, First Command extended its help through the broader community as well, providing a $5 million interest-free line of credit for up to six months to military relief organizations so they could, in turn, support service members in need. It wasn’t the first time. The firm took similar steps during the 2018 shutdown. The throughline is clear: Show up where it matters, in ways that matter.
Data and AI: Ambition anchored in responsibility
As digital banking and AI evolve at breakneck speed, Kellie is pragmatic: No one has it all figured out. To give First Command the right foundation, the firm consolidated data and AI under one accountable leader. The Chief Data Officer—who oversees data management, governance, architecture, engineering, and data science—also serves as Chief AI Officer. The logic is straightforward: AI is only as strong as the data that powers it.
Just as importantly, the firm’s AI agenda is explicitly strategy-led and compliance-first. As a bank, broker-dealer, and registered investment advisor, First Command faces high regulatory and fiduciary bars. That means safeguarding client data, understanding model outputs and outcomes, and aligning every solution with both policy and purpose.
The company has prioritized two AI pathways:
1. Operational efficiency: First Command automates manual, low-value tasks to enhance speed and accuracy while upskilling employees to take on higher-value, judgment-rich work that should not be delegated to machines.
2. Client centricity at scale: The company protects and amplifies what Kellie calls the “10 percent that’s uniquely First Command”—the coached experience clients receive. Whether delivered by a financial advisor, a digital tool, or an associate over the phone, interactions must feel like guided coaching on a financial journey.
Despite rapid advances in technology, Kellie is clear about the priorities: “We’re not an AI‑for‑AI’s‑sake organization.” It is a philosophy that keeps the company grounded in trust and human guidance, ensuring every technological step forward deepens the support First Command provides to military families.
Just as importantly, the firm’s AI agenda is explicitly strategy-led and compliance-first. As a bank, broker-dealer, and registered investment advisor, First Command faces high regulatory and fiduciary bars. That means safeguarding client data, understanding model outputs and outcomes, and aligning every solution with both policy and purpose.
The company has prioritized two AI pathways:
1. Operational efficiency: First Command automates manual, low-value tasks to enhance speed and accuracy while upskilling employees to take on higher-value, judgment-rich work that should not be delegated to machines.
2. Client centricity at scale: The company protects and amplifies what Kellie calls the “10 percent that’s uniquely First Command”—the coached experience clients receive. Whether delivered by a financial advisor, a digital tool, or an associate over the phone, interactions must feel like guided coaching on a financial journey.
Despite rapid advances in technology, Kellie is clear about the priorities: “We’re not an AI‑for‑AI’s‑sake organization.” It is a philosophy that keeps the company grounded in trust and human guidance, ensuring every technological step forward deepens the support First Command provides to military families.
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