BBL goes direct to the top with service gong
BBL Funds Management has been acknowledged as Australia's best provider of retail financial services through a direct channel, according to new findings released by Sydney-based research and advisory group, Knowledgebank.
Rothschild Australia Asset Management and AMP Banking received high commendations - finishing second and third respectively in the inaugural awards programme.
The awards are the result of a comprehensive study into the service standards of 17 financial services organisations.
BBL took first place honours for the most consistent performance across a range of benchmarks and ratings.
Researcher Michael Parker says both Rothschild and AMP performed well in the call centre stakes, but were let down by some elements of their fulfilment.
"Both companies provide prospects with a high quality fulfilment pack, but delivery was a minus," Parker says.
However, he says these companies ranked streets ahead of some of the poorer performers, who were found to be "haphazard" in their performance in nearly all categories.
Also, providers which do not openly admit a direct channel, such as BT Funds Management and Colonial First State, performed middle of the road, not far behind dedicated direct channel businesses such as DirecDial Insurance.
Knowledgebank found organisations that lead their direct channel strategy with a limited number of well-constructed offers and pursue their direct strategy overtly are the best performers.
Recommended for you
While the August financial advice exam saw a lower pass rate of 62 per cent compared with 70 per cent in previous sittings, this expert believes it’s for a positive reason.
With the FY24 reporting season behind us, five major financial advice licensees are looking to achieve growth either through inorganic activity or internal expansion.
An alleged involvement with an insurance claims business has led the Federal Court to vary the orders of a banned adviser to add the threat of jail time.
The investment platform has announced several improvements, enabling advisers to create more bespoke solutions for clients as well as further exclusion options.
