Morgan Stanley’s Financial Advisors Push Morgan Stanley to the Top of Investment Firms in The US CX Index, 2021
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management has been named the number one investment firm in the Forrester US Customer Experience Index, CX Index(tm), 2021. This is an increase of 15 places from last year.
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management climbed 13 places, landing at number 4 in our rankings.
These large improvements are due to what? The core strength of both firms is their trained army of financial advisors. These firms have a good relationship with their clients and are well-equipped to serve their clients as COVID-19 impacts every area of their lives.
Morgan Stanley financial advisors were there for customers during a global pandemic and market volatility. The firm was the industry leader in rapidly resolving customer problems and issues. Human advisors had a significant impact on the CX Index 2021 rankings, whether they were helping clients find cash sources to pay mortgage payments or just being a sounding board to reassure them.
Because of quarantine restrictions, face-to-face meetings were not possible for clients. However, video, phone and SMS interactions became lifelines for customers. Morgan Stanley was the pioneer in making customers feel valued.
Successful wealth managers will be able to see the positive impact that Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley advisors had on their customers as the global rollout of vaccines continues. They are improving their advisor capabilities through better training and empathic focus, which will enable them to meet customer core needs and make customers feel valued by personal interactions and not only via digital channels. Morgan Stanley’s top ranking means that I expect its advisors to benefit from higher customer retention, greater customer referrals and a larger business book.