THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Our vision is To have a close personal and professional connection with every one of our clients. Only in that way can we help them be wealthier in all the ways important to them.

In order to one day achieve that level of connection, we have to understand our clients deeply.

This year’s client satisfaction survey, prepared and administered by an independent third party, Absolute Engagement, shows we are making major steps forward in those endeavours.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! As promised, for every completed survey, we are donating $25 to the Surround Foundation. We are very pleased with the number of responses – 72 – and with the resulting donation: $1800.

The Surround Foundation was created in 2019 to give money and support to causes our clients care about. Each year, we sit down as a team to decide which causes (at least a few) to support.

WHAT DID YOU TELL US IN THE SURVEY?

Here are the highlights:

• 97% of our clients strongly or somewhat agreed that they are satisfied with their long-term investment performance and returns
• 95% of our clients strongly or somewhat agreed that they had a clear plan in place to reach their financial goals
• 95% of our clients strongly or somewhat agreed that they are confident they will reach their financial goals
• 93% of our clients strongly or somewhat agreed that we demonstrate leadership by reassuring them during turbulent markets
• 92% of our clients strongly or somewhat agreed that their objectives were being regularly reviewed, to understand if their needs have changed
• 90% of our clients are very or somewhat satisfied with the overall relationship with our team

We are happy with these results, and at the same time, we know they’re not perfect. That’s why we will continue to focus on our mission, which is all about constantly getting better: We don’t just focus on the next day, we focus on the next level. (Click here to see our entire Brand Foundation.)

In pursuit of always being better, the most important thing we can do is follow up on the specific issues clients may have raised in the survey. Provided you gave your name on the survey, rest assured we will discuss with you, no later than your fall meeting, your feedback and how we are going to take action to fulfill your wishes.

WHAT OTHER FEEDBACK STOOD OUT?

Meetings

While many clients indicated a preference for videoconferences (on Zoom, Teams, etc.), many still prefer in-person meetings when possible. Whatever your preference, we will be pleased to accommodate you. In our meeting with you this fall, we will be asking what you prefer, and also how many meetings you wish to have each year.

Educational Events

We continue to receive great feedback about our monthly Surroundup newsletter (an edition of which you are reading right now) and our webinar educational events. The responses from the survey indicated that many of our clients find these very or somewhat valuable – so we will certainly continue to produce them. If you are not currently subscribed to The Surroundup and would like to be, simply scroll to the bottom of this page and sign up.

Click to watch our recent webinars:

June 9, 2021: Understanding Your Tax Return

April 14, 2021: The Role of the Executor:  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Feb 10, 2021: Let’s Talk Tech!

WHAT IF YOU DIDN’T COMPLETE THE SURVEY?

If you did not get a chance to complete the survey, or didn’t feel comfortable in answering its questions, please know that we are here to listen. Some respondents chose to remain anonymous in the survey, which makes it more difficult for us to respond directly – however, we take all responses seriously. If you have a concern (or praise) to share, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We will be happy to review the questions from the survey with you in a one-on-one format.

SPEAKING OF SURVEYS…

Assante ranks Number One in Canada!

In its 2021 survey, J.D. Power has ranked Assante Wealth Management highest in overall investor satisfaction with full-service investment firms, including ranking first in trust.

Click here for the press release, which includes comment from Assante president Sean Etherington, and from Kurt MacAlpine, the CEO of Assante’s parent company, CI Financial Corp.

SPEAKING OF TRUST…

The greatest compliment we can receive is a referral to someone you care about. Someone who may need assistance with financial planning, or someone who may not be receiving the level of service that you have been receiving here at Surround.

As it happens, something the survey uncovered is that many of our clients actually don’t know how to refer us. What are they to say, for example? What kinds of clients can we best serve? To whom on our team should the potential new client be directed?

At the suggestion of a current client, we are in the process of preparing a simple one-page document that will answer these questions. Please stay tuned.

HAPPY SUMMER

Summer is here! It’s almost hard to believe, but Covid cases are down, vaccinations are up and pandemic-related restrictions are being relaxed – all just in time for summer. We are not out of the woods quite yet, but at least we can spend some time in them.

On behalf of the entire team here at Surround, I wish you a HAPPY, HEALTHY and SAFE summer season.

Any questions or comments? We’re here to listen. You can contact me at ahawryluk@assante.com or 1.905.335.1950.