Lowes Magazine Issue 119

COMMENT

Above and beyond

AS I WRITE THIS, ENGLAND IS ABOUT TO LIFT ALL BAR A few restrictions which were imposed to combat the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. There is no doubt that this has been an unprecedented time for people around the world and our thoughts are with anyone who has lost a family member, friend or colleague as a result of the virus. Let us hope that with the sterling work done by the pharmaceutical companies to develop effective vaccines in record time, we can put this terrible period behind us and in future this virus can be handled much like the flu, with an annual jab for the vulnerable amongst us. Time will tell. This has also been an unprecedented time for businesses. We have all had to adapt to a new way of working where personal contact was no longer possible and staff worked from home. Throughout this 16-month period we have done our best to have a business-as-usual approach, knowing our clients would need reassurance over and above the norm. Our Consultants often found themselves spending time talking to clients not just about their finances but also providing a friendly ear in what has been a very difficult time for us all. Whilst we always strive to do the best we can for our clients, because of the unprecedented times we have all been through, when we sent our biennial client survey this year, we had no specific expectations of the results we might get back. In fact, your response has blown us away. You have rated us higher in pretty much every category than in our last survey in 2019. You scored us higher across a range of key areas: Client service, Level and quality of contact, Depth of knowledge, Professionalism, Integrity, Approachability and Helpfulness – in all of which 96% to close to 99% of you rated us as ‘very good’ or ‘good’. However, three metrics that really stand out for us are that over 97% of clients rated us in the same way for our Investment Advice and for delivering service in accordance with our philosophy of caring for personal finances personally, and over 97% of you said also you would recommend Lowes to family, friends and colleagues. While every one of those metrics

is important to us, the ultimate accolade is that of personal recommendation. It validates for us that, while there is always room for improvement and we are constantly reviewing and assessing what we do and how we do it, overall we are doing a good job. This year we celebrate 50 years serving our clients so it is an extra fillip for us to receive this affirmation. At the core, I believe are the principles upon which Lowes has been built – a friendly family feel to the company, helping clients not just to invest their money but to grow and maintain their wealth, and an investment philosophy that looks long term. This helps clients to ride the inevitable ups and downs of the stock markets knowing they have the experience and expertise of all at Lowes to guide and support them through market upheavals - and pandemics. Thank you to everyone who completed our survey – over a third of advised clients responded – we appreciate your time and your kind comments. Looking forward, I hope by the time of our next magazine in October, we will have been able to put as much of this period behind us as possible. There will be new financial challenges ahead and you can rest assured Lowes will be here to help and support you as they arise.

Ian H Lowes, Managing Director

4

Lowes.co.uk