5 Fund Firms With Stellar Advisor Service: Dalbar

By Emily Zulz

December 18, 2017 at 02:03 PM

Share & Print

Financial advisors rely on the contact centers of the financial service providers they work with to transact business and resolve complex issues.

"When an advisor has a complicated issue they need to resolve for one of their clients they want a friendly, knowledgeable, and, above all else, competent professional they can reach out to," Dalbar director Brendan Yeager said in a statement. "A highly effective representative is not only a pleasure to work with; they also make the advisor look good in their clients' eyes."

Financial advisors often interact with client service teams on a regular and ongoing basis. As a result, the quality of the service they are receiving can have a cumulative effect.

According to Dalbar, there is little doubt that the contact center experience influences their selection of products.

This is why Dalbar evaluated financial firms and awarded those they deemed had the best-in-class service providers to financial advisors. It awarded five firms this year with the 2017 Financial Intermediary Service Award.

The award is earned through an "objective and rigorous third-party evaluation of the quality of contact center interactions with financial professionals," according to Dalbar. These interactions are reviewed throughout the year against detailed criteria covering all aspects of the advisor's experience.

In order to qualify for the award, companies must exceed quality thresholds in all criteria. Here are this year's winners.