Focal is an AI meeting assistant for financial advisors. The Focal integration for Maximizer pushes meeting summaries and tasks straight into the right Contact, Household or Lead in Maximizer, and keeps your client list in sync between the two platforms.
Focal maintains the step-by-step setup guide. This article explains what the integration does, what you need before you start, and answers common questions. For full setup instructions, see Focal's Maximizer integration guide.
What the integration does
- Pushes meeting summaries to Maximizer as Notes or Interactions. After a meeting, send a structured summary to the matching Contact, Household or Lead. Your firm admin chooses whether summaries arrive as Notes or Interactions, and which record types advisors can attach them to.
- Pushes tasks with owners, dates and priority. Send meeting follow-ups to Maximizer as tasks with a subject, due date and time, priority, and assignment to the right Maximizer user.
- Syncs contacts both ways. Contacts or Households from Maximizer appear in Focal automatically, and edits to core fields sync in both directions.
Before you start
- You need an active Focal account. Focal is licensed separately from Maximizer.
- The integration supports Maximizer cloud (Maximizer CRM Live) and on-premise deployments. A minimum Maximizer version may be required. To check your version, go to Administration > Version and Storage space in Maximizer.
- Setup has two parts: a Focal firm admin connects and configures Maximizer once for the whole firm, then each advisor connects their own Maximizer account.
- Have your Maximizer company alias ready. In Maximizer, click your profile icon in the top-right corner to find it, or check your Maximizer login URL. If you can't see it, ask your Maximizer administrator.
How to connect Focal to Maximizer
Find Focal in Maximizer
- In Maximizer, click App Directory in the left navigation.
- Find and open Focal.
- Follow the link to Focal's setup guide, then complete the steps below in Focal.
Firm setup (admin)
- In Focal, go to Settings > Firm integrations > Maximizer and click Configure.
- On the Overview tab, review what the integration enables, then click Connect.
- In the Maximizer sign-in window, enter your company alias, then your Maximizer email and password.
- Choose your firm's settings. Focal recommends:
Setting Recommended value Enable Focal to sync contacts from your CRM Yes. This fills Focal's Clients tab with your Maximizer contacts. Person object to sync Contact. Focal uses the email address and phone number to detect who is in your meetings. Save summaries as Note or Interaction, depending on how you want summaries to appear in Maximizer. Advisors can attach summaries to Contacts / Leads / Households Yes for all three, so advisors can choose the right record.
User setup (each advisor)
- In Focal, go to Settings > User integrations > Maximizer and click Connect.
- Sign in with your Maximizer credentials.
- Go to Clients in Focal's left sidebar and check that your Maximizer contacts have appeared.
We recommend sending one meeting summary and one task end to end and checking that they landed where you expect in Maximizer before relying on the integration day to day.
For screenshots and the latest steps, see Focal's Maximizer integration guide.
How syncing works
Contacts (two-way)
- Maximizer to Focal: new contacts added in Maximizer appear in Focal automatically.
- Focal to Maximizer: edits to core contact fields made in Focal under Clients sync back to Maximizer.
Meeting summaries (Focal to Maximizer)
- In Focal, go to Conversations and open a conversation.
- At the bottom, choose the Maximizer record from the Select CRM contact dropdown.
- Click Send to CRM.
The summary is saved on that record as a Note or an Interaction, depending on your firm's settings.
Tasks (Focal to Maximizer)
- In Focal, go to Conversations and open a conversation.
- Open the Tasks tab and check the box next to each task you want to send.
- Choose the Maximizer record from the Select CRM contact dropdown.
- Click Send to CRM.
The tasks appear under that record in Maximizer.
Maximizer data in Ask Focal and Meeting Prep
You can ask Focal questions about your clients. Ask Focal searches your Focal conversations and a set of Maximizer profile fields. Past Maximizer notes and tasks aren't included yet.
Limitations
- Ask Focal and Meeting Prep use a limited set of Maximizer profile fields. Past Maximizer notes and tasks aren't supported yet. Send feedback on fields you'd like to see to support@meetwithfocal.com and support@maximizer.com.
- A minimum Maximizer version may be required, especially for on-premise deployments.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The connection fails on the first attempt | In Focal, go to Settings > Firm integrations > Maximizer, click Disconnect, and repeat the firm setup steps. |
| Contacts don't appear after connecting | Refresh your browser and go to Clients. If they still don't appear, disconnect and reconnect the integration. |
| Signing in to Maximizer fails | Make sure you're using your Maximizer credentials and that your Maximizer account is active. |
Support for the Focal integration is provided by Focal. If you're still stuck, contact Focal support.
Frequently asked questions
What is Focal?
Focal is an AI meeting assistant for financial advisors. It captures client meetings in person, on video or by phone, then creates structured notes and tasks that you can send to Maximizer.
Where do my Focal meeting summaries appear in Maximizer?
On the Contact, Household or Lead you choose when you click Send to CRM. Depending on your firm's settings, the summary is saved as a Note or an Interaction.
Do Focal tasks become tasks in Maximizer?
Yes. Tasks you select are created in Maximizer with a subject, due date and time, priority, and the assigned Maximizer user.
Can IQ Boost use my Focal summaries?
Yes. Focal summaries sent to Maximizer are available to IQ Boost, so you can ask questions about what was discussed and get further insights on the client.
Where do I find the Focal integration in Maximizer?
Go to App Directory in Maximizer's left navigation and open Focal.
Does the integration work with Maximizer on-premise?
Yes. The integration supports both Maximizer cloud and on-premise deployments. A minimum Maximizer version may be required.
Who provides support for the integration?
Focal. Contact support@meetwithfocal.com for help with setup, syncing or the Focal app.
Is my client data secure? Where is it stored?
Focal is SOC 2 Type II certified and stores Canadian customer data in Canada. Focal does not use customer data to train AI models. Maximizer's anonymizer keeps client data out of third-party AI models, and who can see synced notes in Maximizer follows your existing Maximizer permissions. For details on Focal's security practices, contact Focal.
How do I disconnect the integration?
In Focal, go to Settings > Firm integrations > Maximizer and click Disconnect.
Do I need a separate Focal subscription?
Yes. Focal is licensed separately from Maximizer. Visit meetwithfocal.com to learn about plans.