Wealth Insider Insights: Designing experiences for the digital-first client

• Technology is transforming the advisor-client relationship, with AI and data reshaping how firms deliver value.
• Client experience is becoming more intelligent and intuitive, as firms move toward hyper-personalised, data-driven engagement.
• Digital assistants and smart automation will redefine service models, enabling faster, more scalable, and more human-centred advice.

The wealth management industry is entering a new era—one where data, AI, and digital tools are fundamentally reshaping how firms operate and how advisors serve clients. In this edition of our Wealth Insider Insights series, we spoke with Michael Boardman to explore how the industry is evolving, what the future of client experience looks like, and how firms can prepare for the next wave of transformation.

Watch the interview

Data and technology have always played a role in wealth management, but their importance is only going to grow. When I think back to the start of my career—from PCs to the internet to AI—the tools have changed dramatically, but the core of what we do as advisors hasn’t. We still ask questions, understand client needs, and build the right team around them.

What’s changing is how we do that. We’re going to get much better at ingesting and leveraging client data—tax returns, financial statements, estate documents—not just for one client, but to benefit others with similar needs. That kind of intelligence at scale is a game changer.

The structure of client service teams is also evolving. Traditionally, you had an advisor, an assistant, and maybe some support staff. Going forward, we’ll see a third layer emerge: smart assistants or agentic AI. These tools will help us access the right data and insights faster, and clients are becoming increasingly comfortable with that kind of interaction.

AI is going to have a massive impact—and we’re already seeing it. I think about the client experience in four phases: first impressions, onboarding, service delivery, and fulfilment. AI can support every one of those.

In the early stages, marketing will become far more personalized. We’ll be able to tailor messaging down to the individual level. Onboarding will be faster and more digital—think e-signatures and streamlined data collection.

During the service phase, we’ll be able to ingest large volumes of client data and generate next-best actions—not just for one client, but across the book. And in fulfilment, we’ll be able to deliver more relevant content, invite clients to events they’ll actually enjoy, and create that special, personalised touch that builds loyalty.

It’s a huge opportunity to improve every part of the client journey.

From a personalisation standpoint, we’re going to be able to do amazing work in the industry going forward with artificial intelligence. For example, we can now take information that clients provide when they first become clients and figure out what the next best action should be. We’ll be able to work with them in ways that fit into their regular lives - and that’s the expectation now. The digital experiences clients have in their everyday lives are what they expect from us as well.

One major change will be the ability to truly customise to a segmentation of one. We’ll be able to figure out what a client is most interested in, what’s the most relevant information they want, and what experiences they value most. When I think about competition, it’s hard to compete on products alone. What we can influence, and control is the client experience—the advisor experience and the marketing experience. For every client going forward, we need to figure out how to work with them in a way that makes them feel like they’re our only client.