Quilter’s telephone-based service, launched to help customers who are unable to access face-to-face advice, is offering a full financial planning service, including advice on mortgages, protection, investments and pensions.
Its focus is on customers with less than £50,000 in investable assets who have been unable to access face-to-face advice, or those who simply prefer a telephone-based service.
The new service was officially launched earlier this year but went fully operational in April and is manned by five advisers, with plans to recruit a further two in the near future, as well as six support staff made up of paraplanners, admin staff and appointment makers.
According to Quilter, the new service had amassed 2,000 clients by early April, with average customer assets of around £25,000.
Darren Sharkey, managing director, Quilter’s national advice business, said: “We know there are millions of people in the UK that would benefit from having financial advice. And this is not just in terms of pounds and pence, which is obviously important. This is about that feeling of financially security and wellbeing. Something that is priceless, particularly in the current climate.
“However, not everyone is able to access face to face advice. We also know that many advisers are approaching capacity and there is considerably more demand for advice than there are advisers. One of Quilter’s primary goals is to make advice more accessible and with this telephone-based team QFA will have the capacity to help more households receive the advice they need.”
