Financial advisers recognise that long-term client relationships are shaped by ongoing conversations, rather than one-off meetings. Yet the reality is that many financial advisers operate with minimum internal support to help them engage clients regularly and with purpose.
Advisers face a constant challenge of balancing their priorities: building a sales funnel, keeping up with compliance requirements, focusing on client engagement, and managing day-to-day business operations. Even the most efficient advisers can find it difficult to maintain proactive and consistent communication under these pressures.
Establishing a reliable, repeatable communication process can be especially difficult when every touchpoint must be initiated, personalised, and recorded manually.
Yet, maintaining timely, clear, and ongoing client communication isn’t merely best practice, it’s a core expectation within New Zealand’s regulated financial advice environment.
What the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) expects
The FMA has made it clear what clients should expect when working with a financial adviser. They place strong emphasis on ensuring clients are kept informed, understand the advice they receive, and are supported in making sound financial decisions over time.
When client communications are missed, things can go wrong for both the client and the adviser. For example, if a client has missed payment on their insurance premium and their policy is about to lapse, it’s in the best interest of both the client and the adviser to get this sorted. Good contact details maintained through regular communication means the adviser can easily contact the client. If the client doesn’t get contacted and the premium is missed, the consequences can be serious. In some cases, the client may lodge a complaint. Without a clear communication record, it becomes much harder to demonstrate that you acted appropriately or met your regulatory obligations.
Most advisers would also recognise that engaging with clients regularly is simply good business practice, one that contributes to long-term relationships and sustainable business growth.
By maintaining regular touchpoints, providing timely updates, and keeping a clear record of client interactions, advisers can meet both regulatory and client expectations. A comprehensive communication process reflects the level of care and professionalism expected in today’s environment.
The risks of inconsistent communication
For many advisers, communication tends to happen in bursts: during onboarding, at review time, or when something urgent comes up. Without a structured process in place, important touchpoints can be delayed or missed altogether.
The risks aren’t always immediate, but they are real. A client who doesn’t hear from their adviser for long periods may start to question the value of the relationship. Missed reviews can result in out-of-date plans, unaddressed premium increases, or even lapsed cover, putting both the adviser and the client at risk.
More importantly, clients who don’t feel valued are less likely to stay engaged and less likely to refer others.
Inconsistent communication also creates operational inefficiencies. Repeatedly sending mail to incorrect addresses, failing to deliver time-sensitive updates, or manually handling returned mail can drain resources and lead to compliance gaps. Without centralised reporting, it becomes difficult to monitor if regular communication is working. And for advisers, it also becomes harder to demonstrate a professional, well-governed advice process when there are gaps in communication and record keeping.
How Dataprint can help
Delivering consistent, high-quality client communication takes time, and for many advisers, time is in short supply. That’s where partnering with a specialist provider like Dataprint can make a significant difference.
Dataprint specialises in the secure and compliant delivery of communications for New Zealand businesses. Whether it’s printed mail, digital messaging, or a combination of both, Dataprint ensures that every message reaches the right client, at the right time, in the right format.
One of Dataprint’s key solutions is Digi-Mail, a secure virtual mailroom that streamlines document delivery via post. Advisers can simply upload print-ready documents and Digi-Mail handles the rest: printing, packing, posting, and managing returns. This helps improve address accuracy, while freeing up valuable time and reducing administrative overhead.
Dataprint’s solutions also help improve visibility. With full tracking and reporting, advisers can monitor communications, identify returned or undelivered items, and maintain a clear audit trail for compliance purposes.
In addition, Dataprint enables advisers to easily manage recurring communications, such as annual review letters or policy updates, without losing the personal touch. These touchpoints create meaningful opportunities for clients to review their plans and for the adviser to assess if the client requires new policies to meet their needs.
Closing thoughts
In financial advice, consistent communication is a critical part of building trust, meeting regulatory expectations, and delivering a high standard of service. For advisers working without the support of a large team, finding a sustainable way to stay in touch with clients can be a real challenge.
But well-executed communication pays off. It keeps clients informed and engaged, supports compliance, and reinforces the value of ongoing advice.
Dataprint provides a practical way to achieve that. By automating routine communications, improving delivery accuracy, and creating a clear record of contact, it becomes easier to stay connected and compliant.
If you’re ready to simplify your process and strengthen your client relationships, it may be time to rethink how you manage communication across your advice business. Dataprint offers practical, proven solutions with the flexibility to match the needs of your business.
