Here’s how we’ve improved the service we offer you and your clients in 2022

someone rating a service on a smartphone app

As we come to the end of another year, it’s a good time to reflect on what has been an uncertain and sometimes worrying 12 months for you and your clients.

Even going back to this time last year, it was hard to predict that we’d see a land war in Europe, a global energy crisis, and inflation at 1980s levels. You’d also have got very long odds on us being on our third prime minister of the year!

With 2023 fast approaching, here’s a look back at some highlights from the year here at BlueSKY.

A Top Rated firm

Each year, review site VouchedFor publishes their “Top Rated” list, showcasing those individuals and firms who truly “walk the walk” when it comes to transparency and delivering a great client experience.

Based on client feedback, the Top Rated list highlights the best of the best in the UK financial services industry.

This year, VouchedFor named BlueSKY as one of just 55 Top Rated firms nationally. To achieve this status, we had to:

Demonstrate a commitment to transparency by regularly inviting all our clients to leave a review on VouchedFor
Agree to a VouchedFor audit to ensure we had invited all non-exempt clients to review us
Prove our clients are engaged by securing a high response rate on their review invitations
Achieve a high average rating out of five.

As well as achieving Top Rated firm status, Rob, Jeremy, and Mark all achieved Top Rated adviser status, thanks to the high quality of their service and excellent client feedback.

This recognition positions BlueSKY as one of the most trusted financial planning firms in the UK. We’re also the only Top Rated firm in Reading.

If you have clients that would benefit from financial planning, our Top Rated status gives clients the confidence they are dealing with a trusted and respected firm.

4 new members of the BlueSKY team

As part of our commitment to first-class service and advice, we have added four new faces to the BlueSKY team in 2022:

Neil – the PA to our directors
Natasha – our trainee paraplanner
Nicola – our paraplanning team manager
Gemma – our new administrator.

All have settled in really well and are helping us to provide great service – particularly when it comes to sensitive and time-dependent issues such as obtaining pension valuations and Pension Sharing Reports for your clients.

In addition to our new starters, Jack is now advising clients and has passed his first exam on the journey to becoming a Chartered financial planner.

Thanks for your recommendations

We’re always thrilled when a professional we work with introduces us to a client, colleague, or family member.

This year, we have received more recommendations than ever before from the solicitors we work with. We do genuinely appreciate these introductions, and the vote of confidence you have in BlueSKY that you’re happy to trust your clients with us.

If there is anyone you know who would benefit from our services, we’re always very grateful for the introduction.

Some changes to our internal systems are coming in 2023

As part of our commitment to constant improvement, we have changed our back-office administration system in 2022 to Xplan.

This means that all clients will see a new version of our cashflow modelling software in 2023.

We’re also in the process of making some changes to the BlueSKY website to make it easier for you to find the information you need. Again, we’ll provide a further update in 2023.

A rocky year for investors

2022 has been a tough year for investors. The war in Ukraine, rising inflation, a looming recession, rising interest rates and, in the UK, political uncertainty have all contributed to volatile markets.

Here are the performances of the major stock indices in the year to the end of November 2022.

Source: JP Morgan

It’s interesting to note that, despite all the negative headlines you will have read about the UK economy this year, the FTSE All-Share index ended November in positive territory for the year.

While it has been a rocky few months, all the BlueSKY portfolios are performing in line with their peer groups.

It’s likely to be similarly uncertain in 2023. So, encouraging your clients to focus on their long-term goals, and maintaining a well-diversified portfolio aligned with their tolerance for risk will leave them well-placed when the economic situation inevitably improves.