1 August 2008

A survey sponsored by Financial Objects and Microsoft has found that 68 per cent of private client wealth managers in the UK outsource to third-party administrators (TPAs), but 54 per cent would consider taking outsourced processes back in-house.

The survey, conducted by Summerson Goodacre found that 75 per cent of respondents felt improvements could be made to outsourced services, particularly in the mid-front office functions of asset management, client reporting and performance and trade execution. Furthermore, while outsourcing is deemed to deliver more cost benefits, when it comes to the quality of client service, insourcing was overwhelmingly favoured.

Quality and cost were deemed the most decisive factors for wealth management firms looking to outsource, and the TPAs surveyed also cited this as the most important aspects their clients look for. When asked about pricing model preferences, most wealth management respondents opted for a hybrid of fixed fee and volume based. While most TPAs said they offer this, most also offer pricing models with additional charges for ad hoc user requests, which is the pricing model wealth management firms least prefer.

"Our survey results show that in most cases, third-party administrators are in tune with what their clients want and as a result, most wealth management firms are satisfied with their outsourced services," said Brent Randall, managing director of the wealth management division at Financial Objects. "However, the findings also show that some needs still aren't being addressed. For example, less than 15 per cent of respondents were satisfied with client reporting and performance measurement services. Clearly, technology can improve this, so TPAs must ensure they are using the right tools to best service their clients."

Ian Wilkinson, financial services industry manager at Microsoft commented: "Most wealth management firms want their third-party administrator to provide portfolio modelling, yet the majority of TPAs don't yet include this in their service offering. If service providers are to fend off competition, they must listen to the needs of their clients and make better use of technology to show differentiation."

The survey results also found that 85 per cent of third-party administrators would consider adding a third party tool if it increased their competitiveness. Among wealth management firms, 83 per cent of wealth management firms already use third-party systems and 85 per cent said that technology was highly important in supporting business growth.

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