As soon as the Ark-H team met the people from Edward Jones Ltd we felt very 'comfortable' - an immediate sense of being at the start of a strong relationship. It was only later that we learned that this is one of the hallmarks of the firm.
Edward Jones has been around for a long time. Founded in 1922 in downtown St Louis, the founding Director (Edward Jones) brought his own strong principles to bear in the creation of the firm. They endure to this day. In 1998, the UK affiliate began trading.
The firm and its affiliates, still privately owned, now have branches across the US, Canada and the UK. The firm has over 350 branches across the UK. Yet despite its phenomenal growth success the firm has adhered to its original principles of exceptional levels of customer service. This slightly self-deprecating firm says of itself: "Our approach might be unfashionable. But if it means helping our clients achieve their goals & it's an approach we plan to stick to."
The firm chooses its people with care and invests heavily in their development. The company is consistently voted among the best companies to work for wherever it operates in the world. (2nd in the Sunday Times 2008 and 2009 list of UK Best Companies To Work For).
So it is no surprise that Ark-H was pleased and proud to be chosen as Edward Jones' fulfilment partner in the UK. The relationship began with an extensive selection process in 2007 and the contract was awarded to Ark-H in May 2008.
On behalf of Edward Jones in the UK Ark-H looks after the needs of their extensive and growing network of Financial Advisers. We fulfil a large and growing number of complex orders on a weekly basis. We integrate our systems to their American ordering and stock management systems - to provide maximum visibility for the US office as well as for the UK headquarters in Canary Wharf.
The processes are rigorous and the reporting is robust. Weekly conference calls and monthly reviews ensure the relationship remains strong. Steve Barber and Giovanna Jagger, who head up the team looking after Edward Jones, confirm that they are an outstanding client. "They are great people to work with. They keep us informed. They treat us fairly and when we help them out of a hole they never fail to say thank you. They also tell it like it is. If, as unfortunately does occasionally happen, we get something wrong they let us know - but they are invariably fair and open in the way in which they deal with us."
Edward Jones knows that the success of their business rests with the service that their Financial Advisers provide to their clients. That is why they place so much importance on the services that they provide to those Financial Advisers.
Ark-H shares those values of service and commitment to people and our aim is to make sure that we provide our Edward Jones consumers (the FAs) with the level of service that they have every right to expect. We have just celebrated the first anniversary of the relationship and we are looking forward to a long-term partnership.
Edward Jones Limited does business in the UK as Edward Jones and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edward D. Jones & Co. LP, a Missouri limited partnership. Edward D. Jones & Co. LP does business in the US as Edward Jones and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Jones Financial Companies, LLLP, a limited liability limited partnership.