TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2016 -- DALBAR released results for its much anticipated Robo-advisor Onboarding Experience study. Opening a new account is a critical first point of contact between a service provider and a client. DALBAR set out to investigate the onboarding process between a robo-advisor and its new clients. The study reveals some robo-advisors are clearly falling short of peer performance as well as of Canadian investors’ expectations for service in the wealth management space. Key service gaps include:
- Funding the account was the biggest challenge facing Canadian robo-advisors.
- Several firms encountered serious technical and logistical challenges using live chat effectively.
- It can take up to 8 steps to complete a new account open with a Canadian robo-advisor.
- Almost all robo-advisors did not discuss when portfolios are rebalanced.
“The fintech revolution is expected to disrupt the wealth management industry, but we can’t lose sight of who is in the driver’s seat, the client will ultimately decide how much they will embrace this new segment and who they will trust to manage their investments…the stakes are very high, tolerance for errors is low, so developing strong client relationships at the onset will be particularly important,” said Anita Lo, Vice President, at DALBAR.
DALBAR employed a case-study approach where 45 mystery shoppers were recruited from across Canada and the US to participate in an investigation of the onboarding process by opening a new robo-advisor account. Mystery shops took place between April and June 2016 at 10 Canadian robo-advisory firms and 5 US firms.
DALBAR, Inc. is the financial community’s leading independent expert for evaluating, auditing and rating business practices, customer performance, product quality and service. Launched in 1976, DALBAR has earned the recognition for consistent and unbiased evaluations of investment companies, registered investment advisers, insurance companies, broker/dealers, retirement plan providers and financial professionals. DALBAR awards are recognized as marks of excellence in the financial community.
For all news media enquiries, please contact: Kamia Grey-Anderson 617.624.7102 [email protected] 303 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210 USA +1 617.723.6400 T +1 617.624.7200 F www.dalbar.com 8500 Leslie Street, Suite 101 Markham, ON L3T 7M8 Canada +1 905.482.3023 T +1 905.482.3065 F www.DalbarRoboAdvisor.com www.dalbar.ca


Annie Altman Amends Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
Star Entertainment Secures $390M Refinancing Deal to Stabilize Operations
CTOC Adds 3,000 Doctors, 500 Hospitals Ahead of Liquidity Push
Russell 1000 Companies Hit $2.2T Cash Record While Aggressively Reinvesting in Growth
Trump Administration Plans 100% Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Imports
SpaceX Eyes Historic IPO at $1.75 Trillion Valuation
MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown
SoftwareONE Posts 22.5% Revenue Surge in 2025 on Crayon Acquisition
Private Credit Under Pressure: Is a Slow-Motion Crisis Unfolding?
Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push
Fonterra Admits Anchor Butter "Grass-Fed" Label Misled Consumers After Greenpeace Lawsuit
KPMG UK Cuts 440 Audit Jobs Amid Low Attrition and Cooling Professional Services Demand
Apple Turns 50: From Garage Startup to AI Crossroads
Nike Beats Q3 Estimates but China Weakness and Margin Pressure Weigh on Outlook
Eli Lilly and Insilico Medicine Forge $2.75 Billion AI-Driven Drug Discovery Deal
First Western Ship Transits Strait of Hormuz Since Iran War Began
Microsoft Eyes $7B Texas Energy Deal to Power AI Data Centers 



