How to use Unbiased to find an expert

Whether you need a financial adviser, mortgage broker or accountant, Unbiased is the place to find the right professional for you. Our service is free, fast and very easy, so you can just jump straight in and we’ll explain as you go.

But if you’d like to know a little more about how we find you the best available adviser, this quick guide should help.

How do I find a professional using Unbiased?

You can find an expert in two different ways. These are:

• Find me an expert
• Browse professionals

The quickest way (and usually most effective) is Find me an expert. You simply enter the details of what you need and the system searches for the professional who is both the best match and currently available.

Alternatively, you can choose Browse professionals. This calls up a list of suitable advisers in your area, listed in order of distance from your postcode. You can refine this list by selecting particular requirements from the menu on the left of the search screen. You can contact any professional directly by clicking on their profile. Please note that with this method you may have to contact several before you find one who is available to take your enquiry.

Can I boost my chances of finding the right expert?

Unbiased lists over 27,000 financial advisers, mortgage brokers and accountants, so the right professional for you is probably out there somewhere. To find your ideal match, you just need to make your enquiry as accurate as you can.

Tips for an effective enquiry

The following tips should help you achieve the best match with our Find me an expert service.

1. Read the advice categories carefully to choose the one(s) most relevant to you.
2. When specifying your level of savings / assets / mortgage, be as accurate as you can. Think about any assets you may have overlooked, such as old pensions.
3. Enter more details of your enquiry in the free text box provided. If there’s any important financial information you haven’t yet included (e.g. income, other assets) it really helps to include that information here.

All the information you provide is completely secure and is never shared with third parties. It will only be seen by the professional matched to you, once they have accepted your enquiry.

How long does Unbiased take to find a match?

The matching process can be very quick, and may be completed within the hour or even just a few minutes. At other times a match can take longer. If there’s no match within 48 hours we’ll update you on progress.

If we can’t find you an expert straight away, we’ll give you tips on what to do next – such as how to refine your enquiry to have a better chance of finding the right professional.

Why haven’t you found a professional for me?

On the rare occasions when we can’t find a suitable expert for you, this may be due to a number of different reasons. For example:

• You may not have entered enough information. Try using our search tool again, giving as much information as you can.
• You may have requested a specialist service for which no local professionals are currently available.
• If your asset levels are too low, some advisers may decide they cannot offer you good value.

It’s always worth searching again to see if you have a better result. If you still can’t find a suitable professional through our matching service, try Browse professionals or call our team (0800 023 6868) who may be able to help.

How many professionals can I choose from?

If you use the Find me an expert service then you’ll be matched with only one professional. This is because our system searches all professionals in your area to find the one who is most suitable and immediately available. You can therefore be confident that the selected professional will meet all your needs and is able to take you on as a client straight away, if you wish.

If you use the Browse professionals service, then you’ll see a long list of suitable professionals ranked in order of distance from your postcode. You can contact as many of these as you wish. However, a professional contacted this way will not necessarily be available or able to meet your specific needs. So you may have to shop around for a bit longer.

How will I know when you’ve found me an expert?

When we’ve found a professional who’s a good match for you, we’ll send you an email and a notification on your Unbiased account (and on our app, if you’re using that).

Your professional will receive a request to contact you as soon as possible. This will usually be by phone, so please expect their call. Check your email to find out the name of the firm that will contact you, in case a cold-caller contacts you in the meantime. Ask the caller, ‘What firm are you calling from?’ rather than ‘Are you calling from X?’ to ensure they give you the name unprompted.

Do I have to accept the professional matched to me?

When Unbiased matches you to a professional, we aim to make sure they are as good a fit for you as possible. However, you’re under no obligation at all to accept our first result. If after meeting your professional you decide you’d like someone different, then just use our Find me an expert service again.

Equally, you’re never obliged to use a professional you’ve found through Unbiased. Your free first meeting is your opportunity to consider whether or not you’d like to proceed to paid advice. If you decide not to, then that is entirely your choice.

What other help and guidance is available from Unbiased?

Whether or not you choose to use a professional you contact through Unbiased, we have a huge amount of free information you can use. Check out Life’s Biggest Decisions for guidance on everything from family finances to running a small business.