Kelly Kilpin – Director of Financial Services, Brookson Financial
What’s one conversation happening in your industry right now that deserves more attention?
Everyone is talking about AI, automation and efficiency, but I think we’re not talking enough about how technology can help close the advice gap in the UK.
Millions of people could benefit from financial advice but don’t believe they have enough wealth, enough complexity, or enough reason to seek help. The industry has an incredible opportunity to use technology to make advice more accessible, more engaging and more affordable without compromising quality.
The real question isn’t whether technology will change advice, because it already is. The question is how we use it to bring more people into financial planning and improve long-term financial wellbeing across a much broader population.
In a market driven by technology, where do human relationships still matter most?
They matter most when people are making life-changing decisions. Whether someone is approaching retirement, protecting their family, investing a lifetime of savings or navigating uncertainty in their business, those moments are emotional as much as they are financial.
Technology can provide information, insight and efficiency, but trust is still built between people. Clients don’t just want answers. They want reassurance, perspective and confidence that somebody genuinely understands their circumstances and goals.
The firms that will thrive in the future won’t choose between technology and relationships. They’ll use technology to create more time for meaningful human conversations.
What’s changed most about customer expectations over the last few years?
Customers now expect the same experience from financial services that they receive from the best digital brands in any sector. They expect information quickly, processes to be simple, communication to be personalised and updates to be available when they want them.
At the same time, they still want expert advice and professional guidance. What has changed isn’t the value of advice, it’s the tolerance for friction.
Customers increasingly ask, “Why can’t this be easier?” and that’s a challenge the industry should embrace. The businesses that remove unnecessary complexity whilst maintaining high standards of advice will create the strongest customer relationships.
What’s one challenge the industry still hasn’t solved properly yet?
The biggest challenge remains connecting the entire customer journey into one seamless experience. Too often, customers still experience different systems, repeated requests for information and fragmented processes across advice, administration, providers and platforms.
The industry has made significant progress, but there’s still a huge opportunity to improve data connectivity and create genuinely integrated experiences.
When we reach the point where information can move securely and efficiently between all parts of the advice journey, advisers will spend less time on administration and more time delivering value to customers. That’s where technology can have its greatest impact.
Looking ahead, what gives you the most optimism about the future of the industry?
What excites me most is that we’re entering a period where technology can genuinely enhance the quality of advice rather than simply making processes faster.
The combination of AI, smarter data, integrated platforms and digital engagement tools has the potential to help advisers provide more proactive, personalised and valuable support than ever before. I’ve worked in this industry for a long time, and one thing has never changed: people want confidence about their financial future.
The opportunity ahead is to combine the trust and expertise that great advisers provide with technology that removes barriers and improves accessibility. If we get that balance right, we’ll help more people, deliver better outcomes and make financial advice relevant to a much wider audience than ever before.
Website Link: www.brooksonfinancial.co.uk
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-kilpin-0980981a/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brookson/
