Pensions - Articles - Time for administrators to raise their game

 Garry Wake, Managing Director of Trafalgar House said: “It is now almost six months since the new ‘Freedom and Choice’ changes came into force, changes that were good for many members. But, with these changes comes new requirements. Members have more decisions to make and they need help to make sure they are fully informed to do so. Administrators are often a scheme members’ first port of call so there is a huge responsibility to get it right – web provision and customer service must be a priority.

 “Tools and information must be easy to understand – this is no easy challenge when you consider the many ways we communicate with members; in writing, by email, on the phone, and more and more so online. It is online that, at best, the industry could be considered to have ‘fallen behind’. The vast majority of schemes don’t have a website for members and of those that do only provide static information. If the recent ‘Freedom and Choice’ changes doesn’t stir some life into providing first-class online information, tools and modelling facilities for members, then we will have failed them.

 “We also need to provide access to technically competent people who know about their scheme and choices, rather than being routed through impersonal technology or speaking to people who do not understand their needs. Members deserve better than they’ve generally had in the past and they will certainly need more in the future. As an industry we must respond to members and their evolving needs. The right mix of technology and expert people is the only way to move forwards.”