Why Sandringham invited 8,000 clients to review them

In November 2019, Sandringham Financial Partners invited all their advisers' clients to review them publicly. The impact on client confidence was powerful.

By Patrick Hickey

12 Feb, 2020 at 09:04

Tim Sargisson, CEO of Sandringham Financial Partners, is a regular commentator on the importance of transparency and trust in the financial advice space. 

He proved that Sandringham ‘walks the walk’ here when in November 2019 the firm invited every adviser’s full client book to review them publicly on VouchedFor, the financial adviser ratings site.

The results were impressive. After just one email 1,974 clients left a review. 1,828 of these reviews had a 5-star rating, 136 had a 4-star rating and 10 had a 3-star rating. 

“We need to encourage more people to seek advice,” comments Sargisson. “There is no doubt that the delivery of properly planned, robust advice improves financial outcomes for clients. However, research shows that the

Tim Sargisson, CEO of Sandringham Financial Partners

public worry that advisers might not act in their best interests.”

The power of reviews in building public confidence in financial advice is clear.

       1,828 of these reviews had a 5 star rating

81% (1,608) of Sandringham’s recent reviewers said they are more likely to refer friends to their adviser having read their reviews. Further to this, 1 in 3 reviewers who became a client after their adviser started building reviews, said their adviser's reviews were helpful in deciding to make contact.

Above: 81% of  Sandringham's reviewers said they are more likely to refer their friends to their adviser having read their reviews.

“Reviews are playing an increasing role in purchasing decisions,” comments Alex Whitson, managing director of VouchedFor. “This is particularly true when the product or service under consideration is important or expensive. Financial advice is of course both.”

VouchedFor conducts stringent checks on the advisers on its platform, as well as verifying client reviews as genuine. VouchedFor also has a 'First Impression' review system, which monitors the outcomes for everyone who contacts an adviser through either its site or a firm's own site. This helps advisers stay focussed on delivering a brilliant experience for everyone who contacts them.

VouchedFor reports that, increasingly, consumers are using its service
as part of their due diligence process in deciding whether to work with
an adviser. Even if they have found the adviser elsewhere.

Whitson continues, “If a member of the public has been recommended an adviser by a friend, the first thing they are likely to do is type the adviser’s name into Google. Finding brilliant reviews from all the adviser’s clients offers powerful, additional validation."

In Sandringham’s case you can see this in action by typing the name of one of its most reviewed advisers, Roger Dekkers, into Google. His excellent client reviews feature prominently.

Above: Roger Dekkers' excellent client reviews feature second in Google's search rankings.

Sandringham’s client feedback helped it become the largest firm to attain VouchedFor’s Top Rated Firm status, as recognised in VouchedFor’s 2020 Guide To The UK’s Top Rated Financial Advisers, which was published in The Times on Saturday 8th February. Sandringham's client rating on VouchedFor is currently 4.9 out of 5 based on 2,520 all-time reviews. Also, 100% of the 'First Impression' reviews left by people who have contacted a Sandringham adviser through VouchedFor has been positive (3 stars or above).

"Encouraging our clients to review us has an important role to play both in maintaining high standards and reassuring the public that we are open to scrutiny. We're delighted to see our efforts reflected in Sandringham being awarded VouchedFor Top Rated Firm status," concludes Sargisson.

VouchedFor is on a mission to help build public confidence in advice by helping great advisers and firms prove they deliver great outcomes for their clients. As decided by...their clients. Want to find out more? Apply for a free 'Starter' profile today.

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For more information on any of the points raised above, please get in touch. You can reach us via email  at customer_service@vouchedfor.co.uk or you can call 0203 111 0580.

© VouchedFor 2020