Diverging Views: How Clients and Planners Value Financial Planning Attributes and Virtual vs. In-Person Meetings

Abstract

Understanding service quality is essential for improving client satisfaction and fostering loyalty in the financial planning industry. This study applies the SERVQUAL model to examine how clients and planners differ in their views on key service quality dimensions, namely, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, reliability, and tangibles. Findings reveal that clients consistently rate responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and reliability as less important than planners assume. Clients also perceive virtual meetings as less productive than in-person meetings. Preferences for meeting formats (tangibles) are shaped by the value clients assign to specific qualities in service delivery. These results emphasise the need to align service delivery with client expectations to enhance financial planning outcomes.