Taylor Smith looks at how to engage with members in the modern age – no one-size fits all
Given the opportunity to pitch for the biggest account in his company's history, the late Peter Marsh did something only a former actor with a penchant for the flamboyant would do. He made them wait.
Arriving at the offices of advertising agency Allen Brady & Marsh (ABM), the chairman of British Rail and his team were 'greeted' by a listless receptionist and left to seat themselves amongst the debris of the ABM foyer.
As they patiently sat, surrounded by unemptied ashtrays and old magazines that littered the floor, they were given no idea of how long they might be expected to wait. More time passed and eventually the team decided enough was enough. It was only as they began to leave that Marsh appeared. "You've just seen what the public think of British Rail," he said. "Now let's see what we can do to put it right."
An interesting insight into a bygone era of Mad Men-esque British advertising but also a tale from which we, in the pensions industry, can draw comparison.
How many members still find themselves needlessly waiting in that reception area, ill-informed and pretty fed up?
Developments in our understanding led to smoking in the workplace being rightly banished to the annals of British health failings. Have we now reached a point where developments in the needs and expectations of members mean we should consign more traditional elements of administration to the history books?
There has been a perception that a generational gap was responsible for holding back digital service delivery. The reality is that the majority of individuals I encounter are well accustomed to the immediacy of technology over the tired practice of post and paper.
That's not to say that we should forget all about the trusted letter just yet; there is no 'one size fits all' formula and paper communications still have their place. Instead, we should focus on the way individuals communicate and interact in their everyday lives and ensure that we are able to replicate this in our own communications.
Google, and the internet at large, now act as an accessible and accepted extension of our own understanding. Where once member queries may have focussed simply on 'pensions basics', today, a quick search of the internet will return thousands of webpages to which they can turn.
With evolving legislation and more options available to members than ever before, our responsibility as administrators lies in helping individuals decipher these complexities in a way that meets their own expectations of how this should be delivered.
By capturing member's communication preferences whenever possible we can better position ourselves to manage expectations, keep members informed, and communicate effectively with them as individuals.
It's time to stop members waiting and get them to the table.
Oh, and Marsh won the contract by the way.
Written by Taylor Smith, Pensions Administrator at Trafalgar House.
