The Human Touch in a Digital Age

Time to read: 5 minutes
Time to read: 5 minutes

The Human Touch in a Digital Age

Ultra-wealthy families want speed and simplicity from their technology. But they still judge value by responsiveness, trust and judgment, and they reward firms that blend machine efficiency with human service.
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The paradox at the heart of digital wealth

Digital tools have become part of everyday wealth management. In 2023, global high-net-worth individual (HNWI) wealth grew by 4,7% and their numbers rose by 5,1%, according to Capgemini’s World Wealth Report 2024. In 2024, the trend continued: wealth rose another 4,2% and the population grew by 2,6%. Among the ultra-wealthy, the number of people with more than USD 30 million increased by 6,2%. Looking ahead, Capgemini expects USD 83,5 trillion to be passed on to heirs by 2048.

The problem is that rising wealth also brings rising complexity. EY’s 2025 Global Wealth Research, based on nearly 3,600 investors in 30+ markets, found that half feel underprepared for transferring wealth between generations, and 45% say their needs are more complex than just two years ago.

That sets up a paradox: wealthy clients want digital tools to cut through the noise, but they judge their providers most by the human basics such as trust, speed and judgment.

What clients actually value

Altoo’s own client survey highlights this. The Swiss wealth-tech platform reports that more than 90% of clients use its system daily or weekly. The platform achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) above 50 and over 60% said they would be very disappointed if they lost access to it. Clients come from more than 20 countries.

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What they value most is not just the technology but what it enables: a single view across banks and assets, clear reporting, and the ability to collaborate securely with family members and advisers. As Ian Keates, CEO of Altoo AG, explains: “Clients see Altoo as a trusted partner and a source of truth for their global wealth.”

The second episode of the Altoo Insights Podcast puts it even more plainly: “Responsiveness is non-negotiable.” Some clients prefer email, others an in-app chat, but all expect quick, clear answers. What matters is that they feel understood and taken seriously. This can mean support in their own language, sensitivity to cultural nuances, or just someone picking up the phone when needed.

Personalisation at scale

Research shows that personalisation now makes the difference between growth and decline. EY finds that wealthy clients expect firms to “exceed expectations for personalisation” if they want to win long-term loyalty. Capgemini’s data shows HNWIs now put around 15% of their portfolios into alternative assets, up from about 13% just a few years ago. That shift reflects demand for nuanced allocation tools and the ability to track investments that don’t fit neatly into traditional categories.

Altoo’s platform responds to this demand. It consolidates both bankable and non-bankable assets, liabilities and documents in one place. It offers performance and fee reporting, collaboration features and a secure digital vault. The firm’s mobile app makes it possible to monitor holdings, set alerts and share documents securely while travelling.

Why trust is the currency that matters

If personalisation drives growth, trust keeps clients from leaving. Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer notes that financial services are becoming more trusted globally, but confidence is fragile: it can evaporate quickly after a single data incident.

For wealthy families, the most fragile asset is not money but information. Altoo takes a typically Swiss approach: data hosted in Swiss data centres, full GDPR compliance, strong encryption, and three-factor authentication. As Altoo puts it, even if someone managed to obtain a password, the data would still be unreadable without multiple further authorisations.

The link to business performance is clear. Bain & Company’s research on Net Promoter Scores shows that firms with more “promoters” grow faster and more profitably than their peers. Altoo’s score above 50 therefore signals not just happy clients but a more durable business model.

Redefining what “responsive” means

Responsiveness is often treated as a soft concept, but it can be measured. For family offices, it shows up in:

  • Speed: how quickly data feeds reconcile across custodians.
  • Access: whether key staff can rely on updated dashboards every day.
  • Service quality: whether the first response actually solves the problem.
  • Recovery: whether errors are fixed quickly and transparently — something research shows can actually strengthen trust.

Altoo’s set-up reflects this. One client team handles client onboarding, bank connectivity and queries. Another ensures data quality and reconciliation. Together they ensure that when a client gets an answer, it is both fast and correct.

Where AI fits, and where it doesn’t

Robotic advice has gained traction in retail wealth, but ultra-wealthy clients are different. Altoo´s CEO is pragmatic: artificial intelligence can help with reporting and portfolio rebalancing, but it cannot replace human judgment in complex scenarios.

Capgemini’s data supports this. More than half of wealthy clients say they want robust digital channels, but most also demand a hybrid model that blends technology with human advice. The practical role of AI will be in anomaly detection, predictive alerts and faster reporting. But the human role with empathy, judgment, cultural understanding remains irreplaceable.

The next generation is less patient

Demographics add urgency. Capgemini reports that 81% of heirs plan to switch advisers within one to two years of inheriting wealth. That means providers must win over digital-native beneficiaries who expect mobile-first, transparent services that travel with them.

Family offices are more global and mobile than ever, often juggling assets and tax obligations in multiple jurisdictions. For the next generation, clarity matters.If an app can’t explain in plain language on a smartphone why something in their portfolio changed, they will look for one that can.

The measures that count

Companies that succeed will focus on three indicators:

  1. Usage intensity: Daily or weekly active use above 90%, as Altoo reports, shows the platform is part of a client’s routine.
  2. Advocacy quality: Not just NPS, but the reasons clients recommend a platform:
    in Altoo’s case, data quality and responsiveness.

Recovery performance: How fast issues are resolved, and whether clients feel more confident afterwards.

Think digital, act human

Digital wealth management has matured into essential infrastructure for UHNWIs and family offices. But clients don’t judge platforms on features alone. They judge them on whether a COO can close the books faster, whether a principal gets a call back within minutes, whether a reporting error is fixed before a board meeting, and whether the system makes it clear why an asset has moved — not just that it did.

The evidence is consistent across research and client surveys: personalisation drives growth, trust keeps clients loyal, and the decisive factor is still the quality of human service.

Altoo’s own client survey numbers show that when you combine Swiss-grade security with responsive human service, families notice.

In a world where wealth is more mobile, portfolios more complex and clients more digital, the winning approach is straightforward: use technology to handle the work and put clients at the centre of the experience.

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