Peter Nicholas realises the scope of online communications and how the pensions industry could benefit.

I thought it would be a great idea to buy a table tennis table, a game the whole family could play.

It would provide the opportunity for a bit of family bonding; an activity to prise technology from the hands of my teenage daughters and something that is not weather dependent.

How did I implement? Straight to my smartphone, onto Amazon looking for deals. So many to choose from, how was I expected to know what to do? As I'd not bought one before, I needed some guidance and relied heavily on the reviews of other buyers. I had no way of telling if these were informed comments or the conflicted votes of the manufacturers.

I continued regardless and pressed the big red button. It was easy, my table tennis table, however good or bad, was to be delivered within the week.

And it was, in a huge FLAT PACK! I did recall that the website said "some assembly required", but what confronted me was 100s of components, screws, nuts and bolts with clear instruction that two adult assemblers would be required to complete construction.

I grasped the 12 page brochure and braced myself for the ensuing battle of comprehension. But then there it was, emblazoned on the front page of the brochure - the YouTube logo! I didn't have to work it out for myself, I could click through to a 12 minute, step-by-step YouTube video!

Within two hours we were playing ping pong. The video made the incomprehensible handbook obsolete. It took me through everything from unpacking the box, to the correct order of construction, highlighting how to avoid common pitfalls and confusions.

Now the table tennis table may or may not deliver on its lifestyle promise, but it did provide a salient lesson in communication. It showed the power of the moving image - the power of video or animation to easily explain the unfamiliar and the complex.

So why do we not use it as the cornerstone of pension communication? Even if it can't fully replace all written material (just as the table came with a brochure), it provides a compelling medium to convert information to understanding and understanding to knowledge.

As the prevalence of mobile devices continues unabated, there is a readily available and measurable delivery channel for video communication with members. They use this channel for most other aspects of their life, so why not pensions?

This also applies to pension guidance. Although we cannot cross the personal advice line, the information that we can provide on what a member could do, rather than what they should do, can be easily and effectively communicated through well-structured videos and animations.

We can also facilitate the sharing of case studies of what others have done.

By the way, I bought a dust cover for the table tennis table. It was recommended online and others had made the same purchase. At least it will protect it from dust in the garage, along with the running machine, the bikes, the skateboards.

Written by Peter Nicholas, Managing Director/CEO, AHC.