BT Financial Group launches crowdsourced ratings on adviser site

BT Financial Group has launched a new website aimed at helping consumers better source relevant financial advisers based on their location, skillset, qualifications, and what other consumers think.

The mobile responsive BT Adviser View website was created by SapientNitro and provides a listing of Australian financial advisers employed by BT and its parent company, Westpac Group. The highlight feature is a crowdsourced ratings system, which allows users to rate their advice experienced based on four questions, as well as provide verbatim feedback. Advisers will then be given a one-to-five star rating based on these questions.

Advisers will in turn, be rated on the number of ratings given by users, the unique visitors to their profile, and leads generated from the site. BT said aligned advisers will also be featured on the site shortly, but will need to adhere to BT’s ‘Advice Commitment’ service and standards.

In a statement, BT Financial Group chief marketing officer, Mark Murray, said the site was a tool helping customers find appropriate help around financial advice. It's the first time the financial group has provided a registered list online of all of its advisers.

“Customers can search by location or by a planner’s name, and they will find a planner that meets the high ethical and professional standards of the BT Financial Group Advice network,” he said. “It is simple, but this really means something to our customers and it means a lot to us.

“It is the game changer in our industry that puts customer needs first and empowers them to take control of the financial advice experience.”

Related: BT Financial’s analytics chief: Deep customer knowledge is now a “hygiene factor”

SapientNitro was initially brought on board two years ago to help redesign the BT.com.au website. Its Australian managing director, Marcos Kurowski, claimed the Australian financial services industry is in a state of flux, leaving many consumers seeking out appropriate financial advice.

“Despite a high level of professionalism in the industry, high levels of regulatory change and consumer scrutiny have turned the spotlight on the ability of the industry to be relevant to more Australians,” he said.

“With the Adviser View site we created for BT Financial Group, they’re now first to market with a crowdsourced ratings solution – think TripAdvisor but for financial advice. The site aims to set a new benchmark for the financial advice industry by making financial advice client-driven.”

The site went life officially on 17 October and comments will go live within the next few weeks, a spokesperson told CMO.

"The adviser site was a brief from BT, and we worked together to create a solution that would inherently benefit BT’s customers," the spokesperson said.

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