Client Experience Survey Questions for Financial Advisors

Meeting client needs is central to your success as an advisor, as satisfied clients are more likely to stay loyal to you in the long term. Asking the right questions is an effective way to learn more about what they need or expect. A survey can help you gather valuable insight from clients on their mindset and goals.

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Client Survey Questions for Financial Advisors

When creating a survey to send to clients, it may be helpful to segment questions into distinct categories. You might include a mix of yes/no questions, open-ended questions or questions that ask the client to rate their satisfaction from one to five. You may also choose to ask for clients to share demographic information if that would be helpful to your analysis of the data.

With those things in mind, here are some helpful client survey questions to ask.

Yes/No Questions

My advisor understands my financial needs and goals.
My advisor answers my questions promptly and in a way that allows me to understand complex concepts.
My advisor is transparent about the fees they charge and what I’m paying for.
My advisor is knowledgeable about finance, and I feel comfortable having them direct my financial plan.
My advisor actively listens to my concerns and constructively addresses them.
I trust the advice my advisor offers.

Open-Ended Questions

What are your primary areas of concern right now about your financial plan?
Where do you see yourself financially in the next 5 years? The next 10?
What life changes, if any, do you anticipate that may affect the direction of your financial plan in the near future, or in the longer term?
At what age do you hope to retire? What age do you think you will retire, based on your current financial situation?
What financial goals are you working toward? Which goals would you like to begin working on next?
What non-financial goals are you focused on that may impact your financial plan?
What investment strategies are you interested in learning about?
What’s one thing we could do differently to help you reach your goals or feel more satisfied with the service you’re receiving?
Where do you feel we’re exceeding your expectations? Where do you feel we’re lacking?

Rating Questions (One being the lowest rating and five being the highest)

How satisfied are you with the progress you’ve made toward your financial goals?
How satisfied are you with the way we communicate and the frequency of our communications?
How satisfied are you with the frequency with which we meet to discuss your financial plan?
How satisfied are you with the technology solutions we offer for communication and account management?
How would you rate the overall quality of service you receive?
How likely are you to recommend our firm to friends, family members or colleagues who are looking for a financial advisor?

It’s up to you to decide whether to ask these questions anonymously or not. Keep in mind that if clients have the option to answer anonymously, they may be more inclined to speak freely about their fears and concerns or what they like or dislike about your firm.

How to Create a Financial Advisor Client Survey

Financial advisors discussing a client survey.

Deciding which questions to ask is just one aspect of creating an effective survey to deliver to your clients. It’s also helpful to consider what your goals are for surveying clients and how to analyze the data that you collect.

Your objectives can shape the questions that you include in the survey. For example, rather than taking a broad approach you might focus on assessing client satisfaction with communications or ask questions that are specifically related to how they feel about their portfolios or the progress they’re making toward their goals.

Once you’ve determined an objective, the next step is formatting the service. There are software programs you can use to develop the survey, send it to clients and collect responses. You may opt to outsource client surveys to a professional marketing agency for financial advisors to save time, or to help you drill down on what to ask.

After you’ve collected responses, it’s time to analyze them. Here, the goal is to tune in to what clients love about your business and what’s lacking in their perception. More importantly, this is an opportunity to get a sense of what they might be struggling with in shaping their financial plans that you’re equipped to help them with.

The last step is deciding what to do with the information you’ve gathered. For instance, you may need to change the way that you communicate with clients, based on the feedback you receive. Or you may realize that you’re leaving out a critical area of financial planning in your client discussions that needs to be addressed.

Here are a few additional tips for ensuring that your client survey process goes smoothly:

Keep it brief, so that clients need no more than a few minutes to complete the survey.
Monitor the number of responses you receive and send follow-up reminders to encourage clients who have not taken the survey to do so.
Thank clients sincerely for taking the time to complete the survey and provide their feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should financial advisors survey their clients?

Sending our surveys to clients can be an effective way to strengthen relationships and foster loyalty if you’re actively listening to what your clients have to say and implementing changes that are designed to address unmet needs. Asking clients for feedback shows that you value what they have to say and that they are integral to how your business operates.

How often should financial advisors survey their clients?

Choosing the right frequency is tricky, as clients may feel annoyed by recurring requests for feedback. Sending out an annual survey at the beginning or end of the year may be optimal for gauging client needs and expectations. You may also consider asking clients who leave your firm to complete an exit survey to gain a better understanding of why they’ve chosen to move on.

What questions are asked in a financial advisor satisfaction survey?

Financial advisor satisfaction survey questions can include things like:

How happy are you with the level of services you’re receiving?
Is there anything you’re unsatisfied with?
How likely are you to remain our client for the long term?
How likely are you to refer our firm to friends and family?

Bottom Line

A financial advisor reviews a list of client experience survey questions.

If you’re not surveying your clients, you could be missing out on a chance to get to know them better. As you develop your survey, consider how you can tailor your questions to encourage clients to open up and share what’s on their minds. That may enable you to begin some important conversations with your client to help them reach their goals.

Tips for Growing Your Advisory Business

Gaining new clients is one way to build a sustainable business, but it’s often easier said than done. It can be difficult to stand out when competing against other advisors who may be targeting a similar client base. If you don’t have a lot of time to actively spend on marketing, you might consider using an online marketing service that brings leads to you. SmartAsset AMP (Advisor Marketing Platform) is our 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.
Creating some go-to script templates for client interactions can make it easier to get the conversation going. There are a lot of questions great financial advisors ask and if you’re not asking them, you may be missing out on a chance to form deeper connections with your clients. Building relationships with your clients in which they feel comfortable talking with you—and know that they’re being heard—can help you continue to grow if your clients are sending more referrals your way.