Survey Says…

Continuous improvement is one of Greenleaf Trust’s core values – it is a pillar of our culture and has become part of our DNA. Every tangible improvement we have made on behalf of our clients stems from a disciplined review of our practices. As we look for opportunities to serve our clients better, we begin by listening to those that matter most – our clients.

Our annual personal trust and wealth management client satisfaction survey is designed to gauge Greenleaf Trust’s collective efforts from our clients’ perspective. We not only want to know if we are delivering on our promises, but we also crave candid feedback on ways in which we can better serve our clients. Analyzing the results helps us more closely align the voice of our client with our daily impact and better understand how our clients feel about Greenleaf Trust’s personalized service and customized solutions. The aim is to listen to client comments and suggestions so that we can enhance the services provided on their behalf. Simply put: when our clients speak, we listen.

As an example, looking back at recent years’ survey results, it was revealed a few years back that the format of our investment performance reporting could be improved to better meet the individual needs of our clients as only 84% of respondents found the report meaningful. Given this feedback, we made it our goal to provide more customized, relevant and meaningful performance reporting. We heard what our clients wanted and responded with updated performance reports tailored to their specific needs. As a result, satisfaction with our quarterly investment performance report format jumped to 97% the following year and sits at almost 99% as of 2021’s survey. Similarly, it was revealed that many clients wanted consolidation of monthly statement packaging several years ago. We listened and responded quickly by consolidating statement packaging starting the following January and the corresponding statement satisfaction score registered at 98%. Similarly, themes from write-in comments five years ago centered around our investment platform and online client portal. We took these comments to heart and not only enhanced our investment offering with over 99% of clients now reporting that we are successful in meeting their investment needs, but we also rolled out our revolutionary online portal called MyWealth by Greenleaf Trust, which allows our clients to view their holistic wealth through a safe and secure personal financial website bringing their entire financial picture together in one place like never before. The last two years of surveys revealed a desire for an increased frequency of economic and financial market updates from our in-house research team. We recognized this as a shortcoming and put a plan in place to improve. This included additional investment seminars and the introduction of a weekly “Market Snapshot” intended to provide a weekly recap of market movements as well as provide an overview of events to pay attention to in the week ahead.

When sending the 2021 survey, we again asked for candid responses. Our clients answered in kind with survey participation more than three times the industry average. Thank you to those that took the time to respond – we truly value your feedback. The following is a summary of what we heard you, our clients, say.

While we are pleased with the generally high marks received, we recognize there is always room for improvement. So, in order to enhance the value of our relationship with our clients and to achieve our standing goal of 100% client satisfaction on all fronts, we will intently focus on the specific suggestions and comments received. Two initiatives already under way as a result of the recent survey include a plan to expedite tax reporting and provide additional insights from our in-house research team via enhancements to our weekly market snapshot.

Again, thank you to all of our clients that took the time to respond to our recent client satisfaction survey. The overall response rate was gratifyingly high and the comments overwhelmingly positive. My colleagues and I are always receptive to your suggestions, and we hope you will never hesitate to share your candid opinions with us – when you speak, we listen. Thank you for allowing Greenleaf Trust the continued privilege of serving on your behalf.