Talking regularly to clients during a crisis such as the pandemic ought to be blindlingly obvious but not, apparently, obvious enough, judging by findings of a report from Quilter. One in three adults it polled said they hadn't heard from their advisors.

Advisors who regularly contact clients during the pandemic are more likely to instil confidence - and potentially retain that business - than those who haven't made the effort, as a survey from Quilter recently showed.

Research from the UK wealth management house, covering 1,000 UK consumers, found that one in three advised clients spoke to their advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 65.6 per cent of those who spoke to their advisor during the pandemic have felt very well prepared (29.6 per cent) or quite well prepared (36.1 per cent) financially. This drops to just 42 per cent for those who haven’t spoken to their advisor with just 13 per cent saying they feel very well prepared.

The insights chime with arguments from advociates of what is called "behavioural finance", who say advisors have an important role in helping clients to remain poised amid turbulent times when news headlines are full of disturbing news. Separately, a report by Cerulli Research, the Boston, Massachusetts-based analytics firm, said that advisors must proactively engage with clients because such actions are valued.

Quilter has also issued a report, How the pandemic is changing attitudes towards financial planning.

A note of concern in the research was that during the pandemic (by the end of April) one in three advised clients had not been contacted with their advisor.

“This data shows that clients feel reassured and confident when they’ve had contact with their advisor. Even if they don’t need to make specific changes to their plan, hearing from their advisor is something they value," Mark Pittaccio, business consultant and behavioral economist at Quilter Financial Planning, said.

“There has never been a better time to engender trust. Sharing our experiences deepens that intimacy which is such an important factor in creating and maintaining trust. How advisors assist clients through this crisis will be remembered for a long time, so stock up on goodwill, empathy and compassion and make sure that they know you are there for them," he added.

Fieldwork for the study was carried out in April.