In today's world, we are often left with the loss of an individualized experience with the gain of convenience or automation. But in finding financial professionals, have we not always turned to friends for referrals and references? We sit down with Lucas Smith, Head of Customer Success, to discuss Ageras' personalized matchmaking process, the value of creating valuable customer connections, and more.

Ageras offers people a personalized customer service experience when they request and receive quotes. In your opinion, why is it important to have this matchmaking process done by a live person?

At Ageras, creating a person-to-person connection is at the heart of what we do. When someone is reaching out for help from an accountant or bookkeeper, whether it’s for their business or their household, it usually means that they’ve encountered an issue that they aren’t able to solve on their own. Having a real person on our end of the process means that clients can have the confidence that we’re evaluating their needs and making a match based on more than just the numbers.

Some would argue that using the software could be more efficient. What makes the consultant experience better than using consumer tech based on an algorithm?

Algorithms are incredible, but they aren’t always the best listeners. The personal approach that our Ageras team takes gives us the opportunity to ask that extra question of a client or to just give them the space to share that inconsequential detail that might end up being hugely important. I think the best professional connections occur when the qualitative factors are in sync with the quantitative ones. Having a trained and empathetic team lets us keep that balance. 

I think that when you’re looking for the right person or firm to support some important aspects of your financial life, you want your needs and preferences to be fully understood. Having a connection that’s handmade gives you confidence in it.

Explain more about the matchmaking process. What goes into finding the right professional for each client’s needs?

Our team takes matching very seriously. We categorize each client’s needs across a number of different vectors and our internal systems give us a preliminary list of possible professionals with which they might match. Then we dig deeper, evaluating based on communication style, future goals, and more specific areas of expertise before finally connecting clients to the professionals in our network. By the way, we take that same care in the other direction as well.

 

Lucas joined the Ageras team in August 2019 during the company's expansion to the United States.

 

LinkedIn has recently named Customer Success as one of the top emerging roles in 2020. Does this nomination surprise you? Why do you feel that Customer Success is at the forefront of many industries?

The growth in the demand for talented Customer Success professionals makes sense in a world where systems keep adding features and complexity but the client demand for simplicity stays constant. The best teams serve as navigators, advisors, and advocates - putting customer needs at the forefront of their priorities and creating experiences that feel seamless.

The final question, what is it that you personally enjoy about Ageras as both a company and client experience?

Ageras adds care, precision, and transparency to an experience that can be frustrating for a lot of people. Getting to help people solve problems each day, not to mention helping an incredibly talented and diverse roster of financial professionals grow their businesses, is a great feeling.

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