In October 2015, we conducted an anonymous, optional client survey, and to date we have received 36 responses.Our reason for running the survey was to gauge how satisfied our clients are with our services, and also to identify any areas where we could improve.We are delighted to report that the responses were overwhelmingly positive, with clients citing the following as words they’d used to describe us (we’ve aggregated words that had a similar meaning, and the numbers show how many people made the comment):· Friendly/personable/approachable/welcoming/immediate rapport/easy to deal with (26)· Professional (23)· Informed/knows the rules/intelligent/knowledgeable/competent/experienced (14)· Genuinely cares/personal attention/has my personal interests in mind/respect my requirements/listens/understanding (14)· Helps me feel confident/secure/relaxed/reassured/look forward to a worry-free future/calm (13)· Responsive/proactive/efficient (11)· Best and most honest planners I’ve met/trustworthy/integrity/ethical/upfront/open and honest conversations (11)· Quality advice/good advice/excellent advice/sensible advice/sound/effective (10)· Attention to detail/thorough/careful/reliable/methodical (10)· Supportive/enthusiastic/helpful/excellent customer service (7)· Clear/concise/provides clear options/plain terms I understood/uncomplicated (7)
· Makes things possible/makes things happen· Not associated/obligated to specific products/sellers· Collaborative approach· Innovative/progressive/versatile· Practical/logical· Balanced· Amazing· Patient· Clear point of difference in the financial advice market· Has a long term approach· Nice people· Awesome jobWe also received some suggestions about areas we could make improvements in. As transparency is something we value, we think it is fair to share this information too. Of the 36 responses, we received 11 suggestions for improvement. These were in relation to:1. Post meeting follow through (3)2. Improved communication throughout the year (3)3. Better accuracy in documentation issued for our action (1)4. Offering of more investments throughout the year (1)5. Speedier tax return process (1)6. Availability of an online tracking program for our income and expenses (1)7. Measurement of progress and costs (1)The actions we have taken to rectify these issues are as follows:1. We are developing new workflow communications to ensure clients are kept informed about progress following meetings.2. By instigating step one, and also through better efficiencies we expect to gain through a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system introduced in 2016, we will be able to improve the frequency of communications.3. Again, we are focussing on workflow systems to improve the timeliness and accuracy of our administration.4. We have recently expanded our investment offering.5. We have hired new staff in our tax division to focus on speedier outcomes for clients.6. Our online cash flow tool is now active.7. Each client at review now receives a “Value of Advice” sheet which articulates expenses and benefits received.We are very grateful to each person who took the time to respond to our survey. It’s terrific to have this feedback!These survey results will help us to reinforce what we are doing well, and to know what improvements to focus on.We plan to conduct another survey towards the end of the year so we can continue to refine and improve what we do.If you have any questions about the survey, please contact us.