How to Build a Better Client Experience as a Financial Advisor

One key aspect of your success as an advisor is your ability to deliver a superior client experience. Clients who feel valued are more likely to remain loyal to your firm, and they can be a vital source of referrals, which in turn helps you grow. Developing a plan for your firm and enrolling in client experience training for financial advisors are two ways to both enhance your value and increase engagement. 

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Elevating the Client Experience, Step by Step

Improving client experience takes time and effort, but if done properly, your investment can pay dividends for years to come. Creating a better client experience requires paying attention to the right areas of your business.

Here’s how to ensure your clients are fully satisfied and have no reason to look for another advisor. 

1. Talk to Your Clients

You’re not a mind reader, and if you want to offer clients a better experience, it makes sense to go straight to the source. Ask clients if they’d be willing to share feedback, either directly or through an anonymous client experience survey. The second option may encourage them to air their thoughts a little more freely than they would during a face-to-face conversation. 

Once you’ve collected some feedback, review it and look for the common themes. If multiple clients are pointing to the same issues or challenges, that’s an obvious hint at where you may need to make some adjustments. 

2. Revisit Onboarding

Onboarding is a key client experience, and it can set the tone for the entirety of your professional relationship. Paperwork is a tedious task, and your onboarding process should make it as painless as possible for the client. 

Look at onboarding through the eyes of the client and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the onboarding system easy to navigate?
• Are there clear instructions about what to do?
• Do the steps follow a natural order?
• Is there a clear timeline for when each step of onboarding should be completed, both by the client and by the advisor?
• Does the client have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them and the timeline for completing onboarding?
• Will the client have access to a secure dashboard or portal to enter and track their information?
• If the client needs help, is there a clear pathway to get support promptly?

If you answered ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure’ to any of these questions, that’s an indication that your onboarding process probably isn’t making the best impression on your clients. Improving the system (and retraining your team, if necessary) might be a priority.

3. Hire Help

If there’s room to expand your team, you could consider hiring a client relationship specialist. This is an individual whose primary role is improving the client experience and building stronger client relationships.

Do financial advisors need a client relationship specialist? Not necessarily, but bringing one on board has its benefits. 

Your client relationship specialist can also act as a bridge between you and your clients when you’re not available. They can handle client communications and offer administrative support or handle account maintenance tasks. That leaves you with more time for other key business tasks, without leaving clients feeling neglected. 

4. Offer Resources

Clients come to you for financial advice, but they may also be searching for resources or tools to help them navigate their journey. Consider what you could offer that could provide a better client experience. 

Your list might include:

• A library of educational articles or blog posts
• Exclusive seminars and webinars that educate clients around a particular financial planning topic
• Interactive calculators or quizzes
• Financial planning templates or worksheets
• Weekly or monthly email newsletters that include market updates, firm news and financial planning tips

Clients may also appreciate having access to other professionals in adjacent fields. For instance, if you have an estate planning attorney or CPA in your circle of influence, you may refer clients to them for services beyond the scope of what you provide. This is a way to strengthen trust with your clients, assuming the person you refer them to takes the client experience as seriously as you do. 

5. Simplify

Simplicity can lead to a better client experience if it makes their relationship with you easier to manage. Examples of simplicity at work include:

• Talking to clients conversationally, without overloading them with jargon
• Using a client meeting agenda to plan out your conversations so that when you sit down with clients, you aren’t wasting their time
• Creating automated workflows for client processes and minimizing the number of steps required
• Offering clear, concise directions or instructions to clients when needed
• Choosing communication methods the client prefers, and setting appropriate expectations for how long it will take you to get in touch when a client reaches out
• Using digital paperwork that the client can sign from anywhere, versus paper forms that must be signed in person

Taking a less-is-more approach can keep the client from feeling overloaded, and result in a better experience. 

Client Experience Training for Financial Advisors

What if you’ve implemented the steps above and still feel the client experience is lacking? This is where training can help. 

Several organizations offer client experience training for financial advisors who want to improve their skills. Training options include online courses, seminars and webinars. Some are free, while others require a fee. 

Here are a few examples of client experience training programs for advisors:

• Orion. Orion offers a client experience course that qualifies for free continuing education credits¹. The course is designed for advisors who are pursuing CFP® marks and other certifications, and professionals who would like to deliver an exceptional client experience. 
• Cannon Financial Institute. Cannon Financial Institute offers an online course in sales and practice management that also covers the client experience². The course also has an on-site option for those enrolling in 2026. 
• UCLA. UCLA offers an online course on the topic of AI and how advisors can use it to improve the client experience³. The course is free and offered remotely, though you’ll need to register through the UCLA website. 
• Harvard. Harvard’s online course on transforming customer experiences isn’t exclusive to advisors, but financial professionals may find it valuable. The course is four weeks long and self-paced, which may be ideal for your busy advisor schedule⁴. 

If you plan to invest in a course on client experience training, be sure to take a look at the details. What format will the course take? What aspects of improving client experience are covered? Do past course-takers have anything to say about its quality? Looking at the complete picture can help you decide if it’s worth it.

Bottom Line

Client experience can make a difference to your long-term success, so consider where you might be able to improve. And look at what your competitors are doing that’s helping them to consistently attract and keep new clients. That may serve as inspiration for changes you could make that your existing and future clients might appreciate. 

Tips for Growing Your Advisory Business

• Building a thriving practice takes discipline and dedication, but you’ll also need a solid marketing plan. If you’re looking for ways to expand your digital footprint, you might consider partnering with an advisor marketing platform like SmartAsset AMP. SmartAsset AMP (Advisor Marketing Platform) is a holistic marketing service financial advisors can use for client lead generation and automated marketing. Sign up for a free demo to explore how SmartAsset AMP can help you expand your practice’s marketing operation. Get started today.
• Education is part of business development, and whether you’re interested in client experience training or something else, there are plenty of online courses that can help you learn the skills you need to grow. When considering online advisor education, look for courses that allow you to earn continuing education credits for any professional certifications you may hold. That way, you can pursue two goals at once.

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