Corporate Issuers Rate Satisfaction with Transfer Agents, Virtual Shareholder Meeting Services, Proxy Solicitors, and ESG Consultants in Rebranded Annual Group Five Study Now Called Investor Communication and Engagement Services Benchmarking Study

NOVATO, Calif., Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Group Five, a corporate services research company, has released the results of its first annual study of corporate opinions of the services provided by transfer agents, virtual shareholder meeting providers, proxy solicitors, and ESG consultants. The newly expanded Investor Communication and Engagement Services benchmarking research aims to provide the only reliable and independent forum for corporate governance, investor relations, and shareholder services professionals to convey their opinions and priorities based on their experience with various providers. The results are based on survey data from more than 500 U.S. public companies representing over 25 million registered shareholders.

"As the demand for investor communication and engagement continues to rise, we felt compelled to open our study to account for other related services such as virtual shareholder meetings and ESG consultants," said Kathy Huston, President of Group Five. "After 31 years of transfer agent and proxy solicitor research, we know that excellent service is a competitive differentiator and by making client feedback available to more service providers we hope to elevate the service experience for issuers with investor communication needs. We also want to keep issuers informed of service options in the industry, as such, Group Five provides a complimentary summary of the study findings to issuers through our website, groupfiveinc.com."

TRANSFER AGENTS

Issuers' overall satisfaction with their transfer agents is 87% favorable. EQ has the highest overall satisfaction rating at 94% favorable. Loyalty, measured as Net Promoter Score (NPS*), was 46 across the industry. EQ received the highest loyalty rating with an NPS of 54. Expert service to issuers and excellent telephone support for shareholders delivered at a reasonable cost are the keys to satisfied and loyal issuers in the transfer agent industry.

"At EQ we aim to provide best in class service with the goal of exceeding our customers' expectations. In light of the challenges the pandemic brought in 2020, we have taken an even deeper focus on our clients' satisfaction and continue to use the insights we gain from the Group Five survey to help us continuously improve our service levels," said Todd May, CEO of EQ.

VIRTUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING SERVICES

Issuers' overall satisfaction with virtual shareholder meeting providers is 87% favorable with an NPS of 53. Issuers' willingness to recommend their virtual shareholder meeting provider is driven by the responsiveness of client support, ease of access for shareholder participation, and the quality of post-meeting reports. A service provider's responsiveness and their ability to customize the online platform are important drivers of issuers' willingness to renew their contract in 2022.

PROXY SOLICITORS

Issuers' overall satisfaction with proxy solicitors is 91% favorable with an NPS of 59. Professionalism and proactiveness of the proxy firm's representatives are drivers for willingness to recommend. Helpfulness, along with expertise on current governance issues and trends, drives issuers' willingness to renew their contract in 2022.

ESG CONSULTANTS

As the demand for ESG consulting continues to grow, the study this year began collecting data on ESG consulting firms. Issuers' overall satisfaction with their ESG consulting firm is 73% favorable with an NPS of 19. The study revealed that ESG consulting firms offer issuers the most value by providing peer benchmarking, helping issuers to understand ESG reporting requirements, and building an ESG program.

Group Five is a corporate services research firm, best known for its research expertise in investor communications services, shareholder satisfaction, and equity plan administration services.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or Group Five survey results without the express prior written consent of Group Five.

*NPS®, Net Promoter® & Net Promoter® Score are registered trademarks of Fred Reichheld, Satmetrix, and Bain & Company. Net Promoter Scores range from -100 to +100 based upon the difference between the percent of promoter and detractor scores.

SOURCE Group Five

Related Links

http://www.groupfiveinc.com

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