In the WealthTech Talks interview series, we interview senior executives from leading wealth management firms, solution providers, and WealthTech influencers to learn more about them, their journey, their perspectives on the market, and how they see the future of wealth management.
For this issue of WealthTech Talks, we caught up with Sharon Clapp, Operations Director of Investor in Customers, which provides independent, evidence-based insight and accreditation – helping organisations clearly understand and evidence the experience they deliver.
In sectors such as financial services, where trust, consistency and scrutiny are critical, many firms are collecting feedback but not always gaining clear visibility of what it is telling them.
Investor in Customers’ approach is deliberately external. It brings together client, employee, and leadership perspectives and compares them, highlighting where experience is aligned and where it isn’t. This creates clarity that is difficult to achieve internally.
Investor in Customers goes beyond headline scores to deliver detailed management insight, benchmarking, and actionable recommendations.
Where criteria are met, this is underpinned by recognised accreditation, including Investor in Customers Gold, Silver, or Bronze, and A Company That Cares.
The result is a clear, unbiased understanding of performance, stronger credibility, and a more consistent customer experience.
Could you provide a brief introduction to your business?
Investor in Customers was founded to give organisations a clear, independent view of the experience they are delivering – not just what they believe is happening.
For over 20 years, we’ve worked with service-led and regulated organisations, including financial services, where trust, consistency and transparency are critical.
What differentiates our approach is that we sit outside the business. We bring an objective view, combining client, employee, and leadership perspectives to create a clear, evidence-based picture of what is actually happening.
In the wealth management sector, what types of clients do you primarily work with and target?
We typically work with wealth managers, financial advisers, pension providers, and firms supporting the sector.
This ranges from mid-sized organisations to larger, more complex businesses, often where there is already a strong focus on client relationships and retention.
In many cases, these firms are not starting from scratch. They are delivering a good service, but want a clearer, independent view of how that experience is perceived and where it can be strengthened.
Why do your existing and target clients choose to work with you? What makes your solutions relevant and distinct from your competitors?
In financial services, perception matters – but independent evidence matters more.
Our clients choose us because we provide:
- a genuinely external, unbiased view of their organisation,
- detailed management insight that goes beyond headline scores,
- benchmarking, so they understand where they sit relative to others,
- recognition that reflects real experience, not internal perception, and
We work closely with organisations to interpret what the data is telling them and where the priorities sit.
Where the criteria are met, that insight is underpinned by formal accreditation – Investor in Customers Gold, Silver or Bronze, or A Company That Cares – which provides credible, independent validation.
This combination of insight, benchmarking, and recognition is what sets our approach apart.
What's next for your business? Can you share the firm's current focus and future plans, such as product development, market expansion, and strategic goals?
Our focus is on helping organisations move beyond simply collecting feedback to actually understanding it.
We are continuing to develop our management insight and benchmarking capabilities, particularly for organisations operating in regulated environments where clarity and evidence are essential.
At the same time, we are expanding the accessibility of our offering through A Company That Cares, providing a simpler entry point for organisations that want an independent, structured view of how they are performing. Plus, we have developed CPD-accredited individual CX training the IIC Ambassador Award.
Based on your experience in the wealth management sector, what key opportunities and challenges do you foresee for firms today and in the next three years?
The biggest challenge is not a lack of data – it is a lack of clarity.
Most firms are collecting feedback, but it is often:
- high level,
- disconnected, or
- not independently validated
At the same time, expectations are increasing, and scrutiny is higher.
The opportunity sits in being able to clearly demonstrate:
- how clients experience the service,
- how that compares internally, and
- how the organisation is acting on it
Firms that can do this, with credible external validation, will be better positioned in terms of trust, retention, and reputation.
About Investor in Customers
Investor in Customers is an independent provider of customer experience insight and accreditation.
By combining client, employee and leadership perspectives, the organisation delivers detailed management insight, benchmarking and external validation through recognised accreditation, including Investor in Customers Gold, Silver and Bronze, Managed programmes, Consumer Duty document testing and analysis, IIC Ambassador and A Company That Cares.
Its independent approach ensures organisations gain a clear, unbiased understanding of the experience they deliver, enabling informed decisions and measurable improvement.
Find out more here.
About the WealthTech Talks Interview Series
Read the latest editions in the series below!
- Robert O’Boyle, Chief Revenue Officer of PureFacts Financial Solutions - click here to read the interview
- Rob Flatley, CEO of TS Imagine - click here to read the interview
- Jim Marks, CEO of WealthHub Solutions - click here to read the interview
