Mr Doherty told ifa that as demand for a comprehensive or principal financial advice offering grows, “convergence is encouraging adaptive advisers to establish themselves as the central customer relationship-owner, utilising specialist skills from outsourced service providers to meet all the needs of each of their clients”.
“The wealth adviser’s role is becoming tougher than ever due to increasing regulation, changing consumer expectations, volatile investment markets and the emerging robo-advice threat,” Mr Doherty said.
“Investment research and portfolio management is a hugely time-consuming exercise, frequently with unsatisfactory outcomes. Advisers need to spend more time developing growth strategies, fostering customer relationships and prospecting for new ones.”
Mr Doherty said partnering with investment specialists allows advice businesses to achieve added capacity and deeper expertise to tackle challenges concerning customer centricity; business strategy; human resources; unforgiving markets; robo-advice; business differentiation; and investor demand for direct shares.
“Outsourcing reduces administrative burdens… boosts service sophistication… drives scale and efficiency… [and] helps advisers generate pleasing returns for customers while minimising the chance of capital loss,” Mr Doherty said.
Adviser-investor collaboration is crucial for advisers who want to “work more effectively, free up their time for strategic activities, reduce costs and gain better outcomes for their customers.”
