Why Advisory Firms Struggle to Maximize Client Time and What to Do About It

The Time Crunch Holding Advisory Firms Back

Advisors are trusted for their knowledge, experience, and planning expertise, but their most valuable resource is often the one they have the least of — time. Client demands are increasing, internal tasks are piling up, and advisors are being pulled in too many directions. That tension shows up in how firms operate.

Even the most client-focused advisors often find themselves buried in paperwork, chasing follow-ups, and reacting to bottlenecks. The result is fewer meaningful client conversations and more stress on operations. Time is being spent, but not always where it matters most.

Understanding the cost of that time imbalance is the first step toward changing it.

The True Cost of Administrative Work

Recent studies have confirmed what many advisors already know. Administrative work eats up a major portion of the workday.

A recent survey from J.D. Power revealed that nearly one-third of advisors do not feel they have enough time for their clients. The biggest culprit is the constant demand from time-consuming back-office tasks. Advisors are spending hours each week on “non-value-added” tasks like entering data, managing compliance steps, and organizing paperwork.

On average, about 20% of an advisor’s time goes to general administrative duties. Another 30 percent is spent preparing for client meetings. That means for every hour spent engaging with a client, advisors are spending two more hours on behind-the-scenes support tasks.

This workload might feel manageable day to day, but it compounds quickly. Multiply that time across an entire week, then across an entire book of business, and it becomes clear how heavily admin work cuts into client-facing capacity.

Why Time With Clients Drives Growth and Retention

Clients want timely communication, personalized advice, and regular check-ins. But when advisors are consumed by internal processes, that experience starts to erode.

Advisors who feel stretched thin often struggle to maintain consistent outreach. Missed calls, delayed follow-ups, or rescheduled meetings add up and affect client trust. In one study, firms that spent less time with clients showed significantly lower Net Promoter Scores.

Client satisfaction is directly tied to the quality of the relationship. That relationship cannot thrive if there is not enough time to nurture it.

One survey found clients fire their advisor when they are unhappy with the following:

• Quality of financial advice/services (32%)
• Quality of relationship with their advisor (21%)
• Absence of quality communication (9%)

Personalized financial advice requires a deep understanding of each client’s goals and values. That level of insight only comes through meaningful time spent listening and collaborating. When client time drops, so does the ability to deliver high-touch service.

The biggest reasons clients fire their advisor include weak communication, lack of perceived value, and a strained relationship. Each of those points is rooted in time—or the absence of it.

Where Time is Lost Inside Most Firms

Even the most organized firms lose time in the same places.

Manual data entry creates errors and slows down onboarding. Email chains stretch simple follow-ups into multi-day tasks. Hand-off gaps between advisors and support staff create confusion and repetition.

Many firms have process documents or checklists, but those static tools cannot track progress or adjust to real-world complexity. As firms grow, the pressure on the back office increases, and without better systems in place, the client experience suffers.

Firms that want to expand their capacity need more than just headcount. They need scalable operations that ensure every team member knows what to do and when to do it—without relying on memory or micromanagement.

Taking Back Control of Advisor Time

Reducing the time spent on non-client-facing work begins with rethinking how work is managed across the firm. The most effective teams today are building workflow systems that eliminate ambiguity, streamline communication, and reduce duplicated effort.

When teams have clear visibility into client progress, automated task assignments, and built-in accountability, they spend less time reacting and more time delivering consistent service.

Back-office work will never fully go away, but it should never take priority over the advisor-client relationship.

Hubly Gives You Time Back Where It Counts Most

Hubly helps advisory firms free up their time and scale their operations with intelligent, customizable workflows. By centralizing tasks, automating assignments, and creating visibility across the team, Hubly ensures that nothing falls through the cracks—and that more of your time goes where it matters most.

With Hubly, you can reduce time spent on prep work, keep every client on track, and empower your team to deliver high-quality service at scale.

Start your free 30-day trial and see how much more you can accomplish when your workflows work for you.