Case Study: Client Reassignment

Project Overview

Duration: February 2024-Present

The problem: Our company discovered years ago that many clients were not happy with the process of reassignment to a different advisor after a move or after a financial advisor retired or moved away.

The goal: Create a new process for client reassignment that prioritizes communication and automation.

My role: Project lead, UX Researcher, workshop facilitator, and project advocate for company meetings and gaining prioritization. I conducted primary and secondary research, planned workshop, created wireframes, prototypes, and usability studies.

User Research

In research, the current process map was uncovered via interviews with advisors, district advisors, clients, and home office affected personnel. Our interviews were held in office, via video, and included flying up to Wyoming for an ethnographic study of an office with great customer satisfaction scores.

Primary and Secondary research painted a picture of users who felt unsure and confused throughout the process due to lack of communication and overly manual processes.

Pain Point 1

Clients felt uninformed throughout the process of their options and what was even happening.

Many clients became detractors in their NPS after a reassignment.

"This is asinine"

Pain Point 2

Field staff, at times, struggled to get ahold of the correct and most up to date information of their incoming clients.

"The sending office reaches out to me only about 10% of the time"

Pain Point 3

Many home office employees felt that they were having to do double work because there wasn't a set process across the company.

"Most of my cases are bulk reassignment moves"

Personas

Clients

We needed to explore the perspectives of all clients. We began by focusing on active duty clients.

Advisors

We also needed to explore the perspetives of all advisors, new, experienced, retiring. We paid special attention to advisors who are military spouses and may need to relocate often.

Decision Maker

Our processes needed to exist so that whichever entitiy serves as the final decision maker, the process is still correct.

Workshop

We decided to host a workshop to bring in advisors, district advisors, and office staff from all over the country. We had roughly 2 dozen participants come together with the goal of creating a future state process that focuses on automation and key moments for human interaction (where can we prioritize the human relationship aspect?)

Our agenda for day one included introduction activities, presentation of previous research, summary video of field visit, identifying pain points, how might we for alleviating the pain points, creating future state map, gaining consensus on a single map to move forward. Day two began with a SWOT analysis of existing matching software and then we focused on key pieces of information in creating advantageous client-to-advisor matches.

Workshop Outcomes

Over 175 Pain Points were discoverd in the current process. A new process was created. In the new process we identified areas for automation and areas that were key to the human experience of the process.

Our stretch goal was to begin identifying data for a future state client-to-advisor matching algorithm.

A post workshop survey was sent out. Questions were asked about everything from outcome to premeeting to ease of booking. Overall, our participants were completely satisfied.

Research Post Workshop

Type of Study

We analyzed the process created during the workshop to create a verbose process map within Mural. We then validated our created process with users.

Once the process was established we began prototyping.

Findings

Thus far, the responses to our research have been overwhelmingly positive. Our biggest findings have come in continuing to uncover edge cases. With a complex problem such as reassigning clients, there are a seemingly infiintie number of options.

Insight One

Automation will save advisors and office employees so much time.

Insight Two

The exception processes needs to be clear and we need to ensure they are customer driven.

Insight Three

Auditability of the process is important for fiduciary standards.

Presentation to Stakeholders and C-Suite

To gain prioritization for development times in the upcoming PI plans, we need advocates at all levels of the company. To that end, I, along with our business owner, presented our current progress and our desired road map with the executive leadership team. Many thoughtful questions were posed, especially when I presented our desired metrics to follow improvements.

Methods for Algorithm feedback

I first identified the key factors needed for initial creation of an algorithm to categorize clients based on complexity, based on research with the deciding stakeholders. Then I created a hierarchical ranking of importance and determined method to normalize the data. I proposed ranking cut offs as well.

I presented the information on a Vertical Non-Permanent Surface (learn more about the use of VNPS). I included a simple paper pocket with post-its, a sharpie, and a note asking for any feedback.

Once feedback is incorporaed, I will create the algorithm and test it with a data set of N≥100 and conduct linear regression to see how we may simplify the data points and still get a statistically similar result.

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Accessibility Considerations

There are pieces of the flow that rank aspects of clients and advisors. We took into consideration that indicating by colors alone may be misleading or undistinguishable for different users. We also are ensuring that this process uses the least amount of clicks possible. And we are actively ensuring the categories are not bias.

What I learned?

This project has allowed me to take on a project from the outset and guide it towards a clear launching point. I have learned to leverage the expertise of members and how to tactfully delegate work. I have cross collaborated with members across the company and with clients from various walks of life.

Ownership of a vision, listening to other opinions and determining which align with the overall goal, which may be nice for the future, and which ideas do not align to the project
Managing infinite moving parts
Socializing findings with high level company members
Observational research
Honed my skills in asking clarifying questions
Clearly communicating tasks needed to be accomplished to team members that come along side

Continued Research

We will continue to iterate and test prototypes. We will begin writing features to be ready to vie for prioritization in the coming quarter.

Socialization to adoption teams will start soon to create a roll out plan to field members.

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