Client service: How can excellence be achieved and why is getting it right so important?
As clients’ needs continue to evolve, as do expectations on service providers. Saffery Trust Associate Director Nicky Kendall and Assistant Manager Chantelle Le Cheminant – who are both Client Service Champions – discuss how our approach to client service prioritises proactive communication, personalised solutions and continuous improvement.
What is Saffery Trust’s approach to client service?
Chantelle: Client service has always been at the heart of Saffery Trust, serving as a longstanding cornerstone of our business plan. We set clear objectives, continually monitor our progress and actively seek ways to enhance our client service offering.
Our dedicated Client Service Team, comprised of staff from various levels and departments, ensures a diverse perspective on delivering exceptional service. The team also runs a quarterly “Client Service Award” scheme, where staff at any level, including non-client-facing team members, can be nominated by their colleagues for outstanding contributions. This supports an ethos where every team member is recognised for their role in delivering first-class service and is rewarded for going above and beyond for our clients.
As an award-winning firm, our clients place high expectations on us and our services. We all take ownership of client service and work together to ensure that these expectations are continually met or exceeded.
How does Saffery Trust’s independence support client service?
Nicky: Our independent structure is an important factor in delivering tailored services. We invest time and resources in getting to know our clients and their needs to identify how we can support their goals effectively.
Our cross-border collaboration with our offices in the Cayman Islands, Dubai and Switzerland provides our clients with access to a global team of experienced professionals within the firm, and an enhanced multi-jurisdictional service.
Our independence also allows us to explore any non-standard asset class on a risk-adjusted basis. We embrace opportunities to expand our services to evolving areas of client interest, which contributed to our status as a leading firm in the digital assets and cryptocurrency sector.
We have the flexibility to partner with any intermediary, enabling us to build a strong global network of expert professionals including lawyers, custodians and investment managers. We seek partners who will support our efforts to offer enhanced services, including advanced consolidated reporting, cryptocurrency bookkeeping and blockchain-based data security.
How does Saffery Trust handle client complaints?
Chantelle: Our approach of prioritising effective communication means we are upfront from the outset about our complaints policy. I was surprised to see in a recent wealth industry survey that 44% of respondents said their provider had not made it clear how to make a complaint, and that some clients waited up to eight weeks for a response about their complaint.
Our comprehensive policy mandates that any complaint is acknowledged within five working days and that we provide an initial response – or final response where possible – within 30 days.
Nicky: We build close and long-lasting relationships with our clients, some of which have spanned decades. We dedicate time to understanding our clients and to identify potential issues before they arise.
In instances where we do not necessarily need to be in frequent contact with clients – for example where their structures are relatively inactive – we will still reach out throughout the year to check whether their circumstances have changed, or whether we can be doing more for them. Our focus on relationships means it is unlikely that a complaint will arise out the blue without any prior knowledge of a client’s concerns.
What do you think is the most important part of client service?
Chantelle: Care and attention. A common grievance that we hear from clients who approach us when seeking to change providers, is a lack of personalised care from their existing supplier. They may feel – or, in fact, be – ‘just another file’ among hundreds assigned to a single team member, resulting in insufficient time and resources dedicated to their needs.
At Saffery Trust, we deliberately maintain an exceptionally low client-to-staff ratio, ensuring that our clients have a clear, dedicated point of contact. This allows our team members the time to proactively anticipate, and expertly address, each client’s needs.
Nicky: There are a myriad of important factors that contribute to delivering a first-class client service, and they all hinge on the competency, capacity and confidence of team members. Ensuring that staff are supported, well-trained and empowered allows them to perform at their best and provide exceptional service consistently.
We support our people in undertaking professional qualifications, offer the flexibility to create their own healthy work-life balance and promote a culture where anyone who asks for help is given it.
What do you enjoy most about client service?
Nicky: It may sound cliché, but Saffery Trust’s approach to client service allows my role to be more than ‘just a job’. I joined the firm over 25 years ago in a secretarial role and was encouraged and supported to create my own career path. If Saffery Trust didn’t prioritise client service the way it does, we may never have invested the time and resources in creating a digital asset and cryptocurrency service, which has shaped my career.
Every day I have opportunities to find innovative ways to enhance our client service offering, with an ethos that nothing is too big to overcome, or too small to care about, which is incredibly rewarding.
Chantelle: For me, the best part about client service is building relationships, both with clients and with my colleagues. Volunteering my time to the Client Service Team has allowed me to collaborate with team members who I otherwise would not have worked directly with. Collegiality, or teamwork, is one of the core values of Saffery Trust and our approach to client service really supports this.
We all contribute to delivering an excellent client service and when we are recognised for this – by clients, intermediaries, colleagues or with awards – it really is a success shared among the whole team, not just at the top.
