Brendan Appe

Insight

To gain firsthand knowledge of how financial advisors (FAs), branch office administrators (BOAs), and clients navigate these processes, our three teams conducted contextual inquiries across nine Edward Jones branch teams in Kansas City, Dallas, and Ft. Lauderdale.
The branches represented a diverse range of perspectives—from newer financial advisors still building their book of business to more tenured branch teams with long-standing client relationships. During these on-site observations and interviews, we explored:

How branches approach goals discovery, account opening, and portfolio management.
The challenges they face when working with existing systems and processes.
What future solutions could alleviate their pain points and improve efficiency.

The research resulted in the creation of six key personas:

Critical User Insights: Challenges & Opportunities

Goals-Based Advice
Capturing client priorities is manual and fragmented, making it hard for advisors to provide seamless guidance. Clients want a clear financial journey, but current systems lack a cohesive view. Additionally, "goals" and "discovery" mean different things to clients, branch teams, and the home office.

Account Opening
Processes vary across branches, requiring repetitive data entry and leading to workarounds. BOAs could play a larger role, but their involvement is limited. Clients appreciate e-signatures, making new account setups smoother.

Portfolio Management
Clients think big picture and rely on FAs for investment decisions but want to understand the “why” behind recommendations. Advisors struggle with scattered information, and BOAs remain uninvolved in portfolio creation. Some clients have specific investment preferences, including favorite stocks and socially responsible options.

These insights formed the foundation for an enhanced Edward Jones financial advisory experience, balancing regulatory requirements, business needs, and user expectations.