Asset Managers Raising the Bar in Client Service

U.S. Investment management firms continue to build their client service capabilities as a means of deepening relationships.

This broad commitment to client service is reflected in the list of 2014 Greenwich Quality Leaders in Overall U.S. Institutional Investment Management Service and includes in alphabetical order: Adage Capital Management, Baillie Gifford, Colchester Global Investors, NISA Investment Advisors, and Silchester International Investors.

Client Service Standards Raised
The increased emphasis on client service is driven by an emerging willingness among institutions to introduce new products and strategies that help them meet their investment targets both within their portfolios and for their organizations more broadly.

Satisfying these new customer demands with high-quality client service can have clear and significant benefit to managers.  “Our research demonstrates that strong client ratings for service quality are linked to higher rates of asset retention during times of underperformance and to increased rates of cross-selling,” explains Greenwich Associates consultant Andrew McCollum.

Many larger firms are installing a new layer of relationship managers tasked with providing support to large clients at a very high level. Firms large and small are hiring client service professionals with significant experience, many with CFAs.

“There has been an important shift away from transactional product sales to a more consultative process based on client needs,” says Andrew McCollum. “Achieving that consultative role requires client service professionals capable of having in-depth conversations with institutions, spanning a wide range of topics and developing a real understanding of the client’s needs.”

2014 Greenwich Quality Leaders
The new focus on service quality is raising standards across the industry. Every year, Greenwich Associates asks institutional investors participating in its U.S. Institutional Investors Study to rate the asset managers they employ in a series of investment and service categories.  These results are used to compile Greenwich Quality Index (GQI) scores for each manager.

Adage Capital Management, Baillie Gifford, Colchester Global Investors, NISA Investment Advisors, and Silchester International Investors are the 2014 Greenwich Quality Leaders in Overall U.S. Institutional Investment Management Service Quality.