Website Use Combined With Sales Contact Can Lift Advisors' Gross Sales By Average Of 33%, DST Finds

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DST Systems, Inc. DST, a leading global strategic advisory, technology, and operations outsourcing company, through its Research, Analytics and Consulting group, today released its annual research on the digital behaviors and expectations of financial advisors. The report outlines the online experiences advisors say impact their decisions and some of the ways in which asset management firms can deepen their relationships with advisors. 

The Digital Engagement Leadership: What It Takes and Why It's Worth It report analyzed responses from 406 financial advisors surveyed, in cooperation with Horsesmouth, to identify their online behaviors and preferences and the digital technologies they are embracing. Also, DST reviewed and ranked 32 asset managers on the experiences they deliver across multiple channels through desktop and mobile devices. Additionally, DST conducted research to evaluate the sales impact when advisors used websites and emails.

"As financial advisors become more resistant to sales meetings and phone calls, a focus on expanding and deepening digital engagement with existing clients and new prospects can unlock new business opportunities," said Steven Miyao, Head of DST's Research, Analytics, and Consulting. "OppenheimerFunds, Inc. has positioned itself as a leader by fostering relationships with advisors by making their investment experts accessible via social media. It also enables advisors to easily share insights with their social networks."

"In an always on world, advisors have come to expect the information they are seeking to be available at their fingertips.  They are looking for relatable stories and data that they can share with clients which highlight the best intellectual capital our industry has to offer - without promoting one product over another," said Erik Schneberger, Head of Brand and Client Experience at OppenheimerFunds. "Digital engagement is about providing an interconnected experience for our clients across all touch points.  Our website, blogs, email, social media and advertising are fully integrated parts of our marketing mix, with each discrete tactic complementing the others to deliver our firm's best solutions, tools and insights to provide value to our clients."

Other key findings include:

• When combined with sales contact, email engagement can lift an advisor's gross sales by an average of 25%
• 80% of advisors say their digital experiences with an asset manager influences their perceptions of the firm's capabilities
• 72.9% of advisors will choose the firm that recommends relevant content for their needs and interests, when products and performance are similar

Best practices in social media, online tools, personalization, email and more are also showcased in the report. Finally, it also looked at the emerging trends in digital technologies advisors have embraced elsewhere that asset managers should consider as they plan their future digital strategy, such as live chats, text messaging, and voice assistants.  

For more information on DST's Digital Engagement Leadership: What It Takes and Why It's Worth It research, contact Myra Bartalos, Head of Marketing for Research, Analytics, and Consulting at mbartalos@dstsystems.com.

About DST
DST Systems, Inc. DST is a leading provider of specialized technology, strategic advisory, and business operations outsourcing to the financial and healthcare industries. We assist clients in transforming complexity into strategic advantage by providing tools and services to help them stay ahead of and capitalize on ever-changing customer, business and regulatory requirements in the world's most demanding industries. For more information, visit the DST website at www.dstsystems.com.

Media Contact: 
Laura M. Parsons  
DST Global Public Relations
+1 816 843 9087  
mediarelations@dstsystems.com

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SOURCE DST Systems, Inc.