Using Digital Scan to Make Perfect Advisor Matches

Through its partnership with DNA Behavior, a  Top 25 RIA firm transformed its custodian referral pipeline using Digital Scan’s predictive behavioral insights.

By leveraging AI-based behavioral matching, the firm achieved higher conversion, retention, and satisfaction, turning each referral into a uniquely personalized client journey from day one.

Paving the Road from Referral to Satisfied Client

Referrals from top-tier custodian referral programs represent a significant growth channel for independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firms. For a Top 25 RIA firm, these referrals are both an opportunity and a challenge.

Each referral introduces the potential for a lifelong client relationship. And, matching clients to the right advisor from day one is one of the best ways to foster a relationship that will thrive.

To address this, the firm adopted DNA Behavior’s Digital Scan, a behavioral AI tool that predicts an individual’s financial behavior and communication style using only basic inputs such as name, job title, and company.

The Problem With the Referral Intake Process

While the custodian referral program delivers a steady stream of qualified leads, the firm’s leadership observed three recurring challenges: 

1. Mismatch Risk – Even highly skilled advisors occasionally failed to connect with new prospects because of differing decision styles or communication preferences.
2. Speed of Engagement – Advisors needed a fast way to personalize outreach before the first call, without requiring clients to complete lengthy questionnaires.
3. Scalability – With hundreds of advisors and thousands of clients, manual behavioral mapping was unsustainable. 

The firm sought a solution that could blend seamlessly into its referral intake process, one that combined predictive accuracy with the immediacy needed for first impression success.
 

Integrating Digital Scan into the Referral Workflow

Digital Scan instantly uncovers behavioral traits using AI, powered by DNA Behavior’s proprietary database of millions of real-world behavioral insights. 

Here’s how the firm integrated Digital Scan into its top-tier custodian referral workflow: 

1. Referral Intake 
   As soon as the custodian sends a new lead through the referral system, the firm’s CRM automatically triggers a Digital Scan using the client’s name, job title, and company.
   
2. Behavioral Profile Generation 
   Within seconds, the Digital Scan AI model, built on Python-based machine learning and large language model (LLM) technology, analyzes web and demographic data to generate a full predicted behavioral report. The profile provides insight into how that client prefers to make financial decisions, communicate, and build trust.
   
3. Advisor Matchmaking 
   The platform’s behavioral matching algorithm compares the client’s predicted traits with those of the firm’s advisors. Advisors are tagged by their natural decision-making and communication styles, enabling a best-fit match for the initial introduction.
   
4. Personalized Engagement 
   The assigned advisor receives an insight summary highlighting the prospect’s communication style and potential trust drivers. For instance, the system may reveal that the client is goal-driven but detail-averse, prompting the advisor to focus on outcomes rather than data depth in the first meeting.
   
   

The Results of the New Process

Since adopting Digital Scan, the firm has seen measurable improvements in engagement metrics and conversion rates across its referral channel.

Quantitative Outcomes:
*aggregated across 12 months of program data

• 38 percent improvement in referral-to-client conversion rate compared with pre-implementation.
• Reduction in early-stage client churn by 33 percent, attributed to improved advisor-client alignment.
• Advisors report saving 1.5 hours per referral on pre-meeting preparation thanks to automatically generated insights. 

Qualitative Outcomes:

• Enhanced Advisor Confidence – Advisors enter calls with personalized talking points and communication cues, leading to warmer initial interactions.
• Elevated Client Experience – Clients consistently report feeling understood earlier in the relationship.
• Scalable Behavioral Intelligence – The firm now processes more than 5,000 Digital Scans annually, enabling a behavioral data layer across marketing, sales, and service teams.
   

The Accuracy of the Behavioral Data

The Digital Scan engine operates within a secure Microsoft Azure cloud environment, using multiple predictive layers: 

• Machine Learning (ML): Correlates job titles, demographics, and career paths with behavioral archetypes. 

• Behavioral Matching Algorithm: Scores compatibility between prospect and advisor profiles in real time. 

This approach requires no effort on the part of your client or prospect, giving you a head start at personalizing their experience. Digital Scan provides instant behavioral data at scale with over 70% predictive accuracy. It's a great way to enhance client onboarding! At a later stage, you can invite clients to take the full 46-question Natural Behavior Discovery to build an even richer behavioral profile with 97.1% accuracy.
 

The Business Impact of Using Psychometric Tools

By embedding behavioral intelligence into its custodian referral process, the RIA firm turned what was once a manual, intuition-based step into a data-driven advisor client matching system.

The results reach beyond referral conversion: 

• Client Retention Up – Early trust alignment leads to deeper relationships and higher lifetime value.
• Operational Efficiency Up – Less trial and error assignment of leads saves staff coordination time.
• Brand Differentiation Up – Demonstrating behavioral science in onboarding reinforces the firm’s reputation as an innovator.

A senior partner summarized it this way:

“Before Digital Scan, a referral was just a name. Now, it’s a relationship blueprint before we even make the first call.”
 

Using Digital Scan for More Than Referrals

The success of Digital Scan within the top-tier custodian referral program has prompted expansion across other client acquisition channels. The firm now uses Digital Scan insights to:

• Personalize marketing nurture sequences by behavioral segment. 

• Match high-net-worth families with planners who mirror their communication values. 

• Support merger integration teams by aligning advisor groups across acquired firms. 

For DNA Behavior, this case exemplifies how Digital Scan can enhance both client experience and advisor performance, bridging psychology and data science to create measurable business impact.

Book a Call with one of our experts to see how easy it is to add a layer of behavioral intelligence to your CRM!