Do financial advisors see their clients as numbers? Yes.
The number that financial advisors are most concerned with is GDC, or gross dealer commission. More GDC means more attention, while less GDC means less attention. Even if your advisor calls you every month, they will still dump you on the AAC (advisor center) faster than you can say GDC if you are not producing enough revenue for them.
This is not really their fault, as they have no choice but to review their books of business and make decisions about where to best spend their time. Their time will always be best spent producing more GDC.
GDC is how financial advisors are judged by their broker-dealers, and there is a "what have you done for me lately" attitude. If you are not growing, they want to get rid of you and replace you with someone who can grow the GDC.
So, where does GDC come from? It comes from clients. It's a 1-for-1 trade. Every dollar of GDC that an advisor produces is essentially a tax on their clients.
In other words, financial advisors are incentivized to focus on clients who are profitable for them, rather than clients who need their help the most. This is a major conflict of interest.
If you are considering working with a financial advisor, it is important to be aware of this conflict of interest and to choose an advisor who is a fiduciary, meaning they are legally obligated to act in your best interests. You should also ask about the advisor's fees and how they are compensated.