Pensions software provider Mantle has reported strong member engagement with its award-winning My Pocket Pension app, following a recent phase-one pilot rollout by one of its clients.

The results arrive at a time when the pensions industry continues to grapple with one of its most persistent challenges: getting members to engage with their pension in the first place. For Defined Benefit (DB) scheme administrators, low engagement has long translated into higher volumes of routine queries, inaccurate member data, and increased pressure on already stretched teams. 

My Pocket Pension was designed to address this directly, and the pilot results suggest it is doing exactly that. The rollout, completed with around 300 members (full rollout will be to circa 28,000 members) found that 92% chose to use the mobile app over the web app, highlighting growing demand for simple, accessible digital pension tools. The finding is significant in itself: in an industry where even well-designed web portals struggle to attract regular member visits, the overwhelming preference for the mobile app points to something more fundamental than interface design. When members are genuinely inclined to engage, they will seek out the experience that works best for them, and, increasingly, that means mobile and apps.

Members have also responded positively to the app’s usability. 93% rated its overall usability as 4 or 5 out of 5, while 90% rated the registration process 4 or 5. A further 87% gave the same score for ease of checking benefits, with 75% rating ease of understanding benefits as 4 or 5. These figures are particularly notable given the accessibility and financial literacy barriers that have historically made pension communications and digital tools difficult for many members to navigate. 

The findings point to the potential of digital self-service to improve pension engagement while reducing pressure on administration teams. When asked how they planned to contact administrators in future, 53% of members said they would use the app, compared with 41% who said they would email. For administrators, this shift is meaningful; routine queries that would previously have required manual handling can instead be resolved independently by members through the app, freeing up time for more complex, value-added work. 

Mantle has also seen operational benefits where My Pocket Pension has been adopted more widely. In deployments where the app has achieved at least 30% member uptake, administration teams have seen a 30% reduction in workload – a significant efficiency gain for in-house schemes managing stretched capacity. 

The results come as Mantle prepares to roll out a major upgrade to My Pocket Pension, designed to make managing and understanding pensions simpler for both members and administrators.

The upgraded version, due to go live between May and early June, introduces a cleaner, more modern design, improved navigation, biometric login and enhanced mobile accessibility. The mobile app will meet AA accessibility standards, aligning it with the existing web app.

The platform has also been rebuilt behind the scenes to support future enhancements, creating a foundation for further improvements to the member and administrator experience.

---

Graeme Riddoch, Chief Revenue Officer at Mantle said: “We built My Pocket Pension with one goal in mind, to make pensions feel less complicated for the people who matter most: the members. Seeing those satisfaction scores come back, and knowing that administrators are genuinely feeling the benefit too, is incredibly rewarding. The upgrade we’re rolling out moves us on again, and reflects everything we’ve learned from working closely with our clients and their members. This is just the beginning of what we have planned.”

Graeme Riddoch

Chief Revenue Officer

The transition to the upgraded app will be seamless for existing users. Members will continue to access My Pocket Pension in the same way, with no disruption and no need to re-register. Mobile app users will receive the update automatically where automatic updates are enabled, while web users can continue using their usual link.

Mantle’s My Pocket Pension app is designed to help pension scheme members access key information, check benefits, update personal details, and engage with their pension more easily through mobile and web applications.

Ends

Media Enquiries: For media enquiries and further information, please contact Susan O’Neill at Susan_Oneill@mantleservices.com or on 02895 210 225

About Mantle Services

Mantle is a cloud-hosted pensions platform that unifies administration, payroll, treasury, accounts, and actuarial services in one system. Mantle licences its software to in-house pension schemes, third party administrators, actuarial firms and buy-out providers. Used by thousands of schemes and administrators, it automates 100% of benefit calculations, improving accuracy and efficiency. With over 1.7 million member records hosted and £1 billion in payments processed annually, Mantle delivers real-time insight, secure digital access for members, and a streamlined experience for pension providers.

---

With communication forming such a key part of pension management, let’s fully explore what it entails, what makes for good comms, and how the right tools and approach can make it sustainable.

---

What is pension member communication?

Pension member communication covers everything a scheme does to keep its members informed, supported, and connected to their pension. It is the line of communication between trustees and pension administrators running the scheme and the members at the heart of it. Good member communications keep people informed and help them to understand their options and the rules governing their pension. Effective communication is essential to help members navigate their pension options.

With the right approach, members can feel like they understand what they have and how their pensions can support their retirement plans. They will be able to make better decisions, with confidence and without feeling overwhelmed.

What does good member communication actually involve?

When firms engage members via communications, a basic standard must be met. These are important conversations, and so they need to be made as accessible as possible for everyone. Due to this, it is wise to consider the following when constructing membership communications:

Write in plain English

By their very nature, DB pension communications can be rather complicated and difficult to interpret. Members may not have a good technical grasp of what they are entitled to in their scheme, and they won’t keep reading past the first paragraph if they don’t immediately understand it.

The challenge for administrators is translating it into language that members with no pensions background can act on, providing clear communications that minimise jargon and speak in plain English. While in-house conversations can remain on a high, technical level, they must be simplified when speaking to customers.

Communicate timely

Members will appreciate timely communications. Pensions often require their members to make informed decisions. For DB scheme members approaching retirement in particular, timely communication can make a meaningful difference – ensuring they understand their options with enough time to consider them properly, rather than feeling rushed into decisions that will affect the rest of their retirement.

Signposting the right tools at the right moment matters too. Calculators, dashboards, and self-service resources are only useful if members know they exist and are prompted to use them when they’re most relevant.

Tailor communications

All communications need to be tailored to their audience. A DB scheme can have an enormously varied membership – deferred members with decades until retirement, active members approaching it, and pensioners already drawing their benefits. The right message for one group might be completely inadequate for another.

For example, members who are still in work will require different communications to those who have retired and are drawing on their pension. By tailoring messaging to the right audiences to reflect where they are on their journey, makes it far more likely that those communications will actually land and those audiences will feel confident and well-supported in return.

Collect feedback

Pension schemes cannot just send out communications with no idea as to how effective they are. Delivery metrics such as open rates and click-throughs can tell pension administrators how their communications are being received and interacted with. They don’t tell you whether it was understood.

Collecting regular feedback such as direct feedback or surveys on what members think of the communication is key. This will also help to provide evidence of customer care as part of regulatory or compliance scrutiny. The goal should always be to improve upon the level of communications currently delivered.

What should be communicated?

Member communications can be incredibly varied, as there is a wide variety of information that needs to be conveyed. Some of the most common communications will include:

• Annual pension statements
• Responses or clarifications to questions and requests
• Updates about changes to the scheme and how it may affect them
• Information about how to access funds in retirement as that milestone draws near

By communicating regularly and with clarity, schemes can ensure that members have all the information they need to effectively manage their pensions.

Defined Benefit (DB) vs Defined Contribution (DC) pension communications – why the difference matters

A great example of why communications need to be varied comes in the differences between defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pensions. Since these pensions are structured differently, their respective members need to be informed of differing information and options.

Communication for DB pensions will focus more on clarity and reassurance. The scheme promises a defined outcome, so less decision-making is required. Members will not need a deep financial understanding, as risk mostly sits with the employer and scheme. Good communications will focus on making the scheme rules easy to understand for all, when members can access their funds, and what options are available to them at retirement.

Conversely, communication for DC pensions will be more guidance-led. Outcomes here are much more uncertain, so communications need to help individuals understand their options, simplify complexity, and encourage action. Comms may need to explain more technical topics, such as investment or longevity risk or the impact of inflation, and so need to be comfortable simplifying these topics without losing any of their significance.

What do effective member communications look like?

Regardless of their target audience, most member communications should follow the same principles. Communication is not just a single action but an entire strategy within a scheme, and effectiveness may be carried by:

Purpose

No message should be arriving in a member’s inbox simply because they haven’t had one in a while. Ideally, admins should be following a tailored communication strategy, whether they send a planned message or need an ad-hoc one to explain something new.

Length

Sending too long a communication risks disengaging your members. More often than not, they will not want to sit through a long newsletter or update video. Initial contact should be short and snappy. If you do need to pass on details or significant information, attach it to the communication, direct members to supplementary resources on their portal or website, or ask them to reach out directly.

Channels

Consider the channels available to you. Are you leveraging them correctly to ensure that messages are heading to every member? Modern pension schemes may use email, text, social media, or even pension app push notifications to pass on communications. Offering a wide variety of options to members allows them to control their incoming messages in a way that best suits them.

Clarity

As pensions get more and more complex, members equally need to be able to maintain a good working knowledge of how their money is being invested and what they can claim at each stage. This requires input and support from pension providers, and this task of clarification often falls to admins. Too many schemes still measure success by delivery, not understanding. Sending a compliant communication is not the same as ensuring it’s understood.

Proactive

Pension communications should ideally be proactive, not reactive. As members gain access to their pension dashboards and further understanding of how their money is working, meet them halfway with resources to answer their questions as they have them. A reactive approach may be needed in an emergency, but a proactive one can cover most enquiries the average member may have.

How technology supports better member communication

For administrators working on large or complex DB schemes, delivering consistent, high-quality member communications manually is increasingly difficult to sustain. The volume of members, the variety of communication types, and the need to tailor messaging to different audiences all create pressure that good intentions alone can’t solve.

Technology plays a significant role in making this manageable. Pension admins need to have the right tools on their side when it comes to delivering effective communications. As pensions grow more and more complex, manual work is becoming inefficient and time-consuming. Leveraging the right platforms and technology helps to ensure that communications can remain at a high standard while simultaneously relieving some of the burden placed on administrators, allowing them to focus their time and energy on more important tasks.

Mantle transforms pension management by bringing all aspects together into one unified platform—including member engagement and communications. Teams can construct and perfect their communication strategy within the platform and then send it directly to the customer via their preferred method, whether this is in the app, via text, or through an email newsletter.

Start a conversation with us today to find out more about how Mantle can support both your approach to member communication and your wider pension management strategy.

---

Even in well-run schemes, member engagement can be difficult to sustain. Without regular, accessible touchpoints, members can drift – leaving them unclear on what they have and what it means for their future.

Financial literacy can be a difficult and nuanced topic to manage, but a pension is a vital part of it, and members need to understand what theirs will do for them.

Member engagement is even more important in the modern era. As pension management moves online and accessibility improves, trustees need to ensure that scheme members are adequately engaged so they have full access to all information as and when they need it. Let’s explore how to engage pension scheme members and the best ways to do so.

Why schemes need to engage members

A well-run pension scheme isn’t just about accurate administration behind the scenes – it’s about members who understand what they have and feel confident about their retirement. Members want to ensure that their pension contributions are being correctly managed. This is, after all, necessary for future financial health and a comfortable retirement. Yet, only 25% of men and 11% of women describe themselves as “very confident” in their retirement savings and planning, but this could be different if they were adequately engaged. For DB schemes with the tools and processes to deliver real clarity, that’s a gap worth closing.

The Pensions Regulator is clear on this point: sending information to members isn’t enough. The measure of good engagement is whether members genuinely understand their benefits, feel equipped to make informed decisions, and are supported towards better retirement outcomes. That requires a shift from passive, scheduled communications towards active, ongoing engagement strategies – ones that meet members where they are and give them what they need, when they need it.

When members are genuinely engaged, the difference is tangible. They understand how their scheme works and are more likely to use it to its fullest advantage. They will hopefully make more sound financial decisions, such as contributing more and making fewer last-minute decisions, all while planning realistically for their retirement.

Good engagement is also necessary for reduced risk and good compliance. If members are not adequately engaged, they can easily misunderstand their benefits and can raise additional complaints or disputes. In turn, this can then divert administrator attention away from where it actually needs to be.  Good engagement isn’t just better for members; it makes schemes easier and more efficient to run.

Pension regulators in the UK require good communication from schemes to members. Proving that the scheme delivers true value helps to build trust and confidence and proves to regulators that schemes are doing their due diligence to protect their members’ pension savings. The expectation is no longer simply meeting the minimum standard; it’s showing that engagement is a genuine priority, not a tick-box exercise.

What are the disadvantages of not doing so?

Lower member engagement in pension schemes will carry disadvantages and potential consequences. These can include:

Administrative burdens

Lower engagement often means that members will be less informed about their pension benefits. Not only will they not know what benefits they may have, but they may also be unaware of where to find such information.

It is therefore quite likely that pension administrators may spend too much of their valuable time assisting users who have trouble accessing their accounts. Rather than focus on issues that need to be prioritised, they have to deal with an influx of basic queries and access issues that members should be able to resolve independently. For in-house DB scheme teams already managing stretched capacity, that’s a pressure worth addressing.

Lack of confidence

When members feel disconnected and disengaged from their pension, confidence suffers in managing it. They will be more inclined to just let it sit without taking advice or the necessary steps from their end to ensure it is in the best possible state.

They may leave decisions too late, or take inappropriate annuity options. Meanwhile, engaged members will be confident in understanding the options available to them and will hopefully be able to transition more smoothly into retirement.

For DB scheme members, where the decisions can be complex and the consequences long-lasting, that confidence gap really matters.

How to engage pension scheme members

With this in mind, trustees and providers need to be clear in their tactics on how to engage their scheme members. The best ways to do so include:

Make information accessible

The easiest way to engage members is simply to make the information easy to access. The direction of travel across the industry is firmly towards self-service and real-time access, with tools like pensions dashboards creating new opportunities for members to engage with their pension on their own terms. A pension app like Mantle’s My Pocket Pension gives one such platform that gives members a way to explore and find any relevant information they may be searching for. Amongst users from one of our customers (pilot study) who adopted our app, 87% found it easy to check their benefits, and 92% chose the app over our web portal.

Offer self-service

Give power to your members to make accessing their information as frictionless and as automated as possible. Self-registration and service via QR codes prevent the need for endless emails and password resets. They should be able to find the information they need to know on their own, whether this is via AI or browsing.

Provide a wide variety of educational formats

DB pension schemes are complex, and a single annual statement isn’t enough to keep members informed. Regular, accessible communications in a wide variety of educational formats will ensure members can and do learn about how their pension works. Videos, informational blogs, and regular communication via mediums such as email, In-app messaging and SMS communications can all work together to present new information and easily digestible data to an audience of all literary levels.

Don’t let your members become disengaged

Disengaged DB pension scheme members are not simply drifting along and letting their money accumulate with no clue what is happening. As challenging as it might be to engage members, it is the responsibility of trustees and administrators to ensure that all involved truly understand what is happening with their savings.

It all starts with the right platform. Consolidating member data and communications, and self-service tools into one easy-to-use accessible place prevents key messages and information from slipping through the gaps.

Mantle’s pension platform provides everything needed for robust pension management, from an accessible and simple interface for those involved with management through to a clean and modern application for members to access and use.

Start a conversation with our experts today, and let’s discuss how we can transform your approach to pension management to better facilitate pension scheme engagement among members.

For further information on member engagement and Mantle’s My Pocket Pension, visit our website or watch My Pocket Pension in action.

---

We put a man on the moon more than 50 years ago, yet many pension schemes still struggle to provide basic information online. For in-house teams, the challenge isn’t ambition – it’s data. Poor-quality records, fragmented systems, and outdated processes hold back progress. But with the right pension software and modern pension management solutions, pension scheme administrators can overcome these barriers and achieve real efficiencies. 

Mantle’s Graeme Riddoch discusses how clean, digitised data combined with a robust pension platform makes automation, self-service, and even compliance with pensions dashboards not just possible, but practical. 

---

Poor quality data

We put a man on the moon back in the 1960’s, so why can’t we get basic pension information on-line? 

One reason is our old friend poor data quality. It’s the Cinderella of the trustee agenda.  Those are words I never thought I’d put together in the same sentence.  

The point is that very few pension schemes have data that’s as good as it could be. Getting data in shape is too often seen as an expense rather than a benefit. I’ve never experienced any real push back on the need for fit for purpose data until it comes to paying for it!  

How good is good?

There’s also the question of how good does your data quality need to be? Well, I guess there’s a spectrum. At one end a scheme can limp along running lots of manual processes. This creates unnecessary expense and means slows service to the members and no question of on-line. Getting a decent data cut to the actuary can also be a bit of a battle. 

At the other end of the spectrum there is squeaky clean data, good enough to transact with a buyout provider. That’s often the point that data gets to the top of the agenda. With an overheated buyout market, insurers can be picky and a scheme with holes in the data will be lucky to find any interest. 

In between there’s a spectrum, and how good your data needs to be depends on what you want to do. 

Getting by

It’s surprising how many schemes operate on a hand to mouth basis and quite often poor data is the root cause. 

So, what does poor data look like?  Well aside from the obvious things like gaps and missing information it’s also how and where it’s held. 

A paper record can be accurate but fails the test on accessibility. Many schemes hold the bulk of their data on their pensions administration platform but may also have paper records or data sitting on spreadsheets. 

Whilst this approach may work now it’s limiting and will soon run foul of the Pensions Dashboard requirements. More of that later. 

The art of the possible

Another reason that data doesn’t routinely get addressed is that many trustees are unaware of what you can do with fully “digitised” clean data. For example, it’s entirely possible to automate 100% of benefit calculations on a modern Defined Benefit pension administration platform. If you can feed the calculation engine with clean data that becomes a game changer. 

Member self-serve for example. This has the potential to be transformational on two fronts. Members get the convenience of a modern financial services product. Whilst on-line won’t be for everyone it’s the direction of travel for just about everything apart from haircuts! 

The other tangible benefit is the cost saving. Allowing members to view their own benefits, update personal details and generally look after themselves takes out substantial cost.  

In the DB space in particular, I think trustees aren’t aware of what’s possible with good data and a good administration system.  DC is a much simpler beast underpinned by more contemporary systems, but it’s still far from perfect. 

The Dashboard driver

Now there’s the Pensions Dashboard. It’s been rumbling along in the background for so long that most people have discounted it. Well, the news is that’s it now law and has a rollout timetable and guess what? For many schemes to meet their legal requirements there will be a need to improve the data.  

Not rocket science

The dashboard is an ambitious project not because its rocket science, but because of the inability of many schemes to meet its requirements. 

In essence all it is seeking to do initially is allow someone to search across all UK schemes to find out where their pensions sit and to view basic information. To do that a scheme will need to accept a message from a centralised identity service and see if the data items match with any of their scheme records. The finder data items are basic stuff, Name, DOB address and NINO. So, two problems. Missing or incorrect records. We talked about that already. 

Finder data that isn’t “digitised.”  Losing the jargon the data needs to be accessible in such a way that when the request from the finder service is sent the admin system is capable of receiving it and interrogating all the member records.  

The real killer for many DB schemes will be to return an estimated retirement income to a Dashboard. It’s a lot simpler for DC but some schemes may still struggle. 
 
For DB the scheme will have to calculate and return an Estimated Retirement Income at NRA. 

So back to where we started. Data good enough to automate benefit calculations and an administration platform capable of serving them up. It’s not rocket science, but it will be a giant leap for some schemes. 

How Mantle can help

For pension scheme administrators, the future of member engagement and operational efficiency depends on moving beyond “getting by.” Clean data and the right pension administration software don’t just make compliance easier – they open the door to automation, cost savings, and a far better member experience. 

Take the next step today: contact us enquiries@mantleservices.com or download our latest collateral to see how we can help you achieve smarter, more efficient pension management.

---

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, right? But what happens when self-serve systems become more of a barrier than a benefit?

In our latest blog, Mantle’s Graeme Riddoch discusses how self-serve technology is often designed without understanding the user in mind and how they engage. From supermarket tills to pension scheme portals, the promise of self-service often falls short of its potential, leaving users frustrated and longing for human assistance. Graeme discusses the alternative member self-service option to help solve these issues.

I was in a Coop in the North East of Scotland recently standing at the self-service check outs.

I watched an elderly man battling the technology. He kept putting a solitary potato ( tattie in the local tongue)  in and out of his shopping bag, as prompted by the checkout. The till couldn’t register that he had put it in.

Eventually he gave up shouting “20 minutes to buy a tattie,” watched on by a long queue of customers waiting for a manned till. There were six self-serve checkouts in the shop and no one was using them, bar this one poor chap.

It’s often the case that self-serve technology doesn’t appear to have been designed with humans in mind and how they try and do things. Anything that’s a barrier to getting the job done means that people give up and revert to looking for a human for help.

This is all too true in the case of getting Pension Scheme members online to self-serve. There  are many benefits for both the member and the Scheme.

Firstly the member can get what they need in their own time on the device of their choice. There’s a massive trend to online banking at the moment with apps on smartphones the preferred vehicle. No reason why that shouldn’t be the ambition for Defined Benefit (DB) pensions too.

From the scheme’s perspective there are clear benefits, more engaged members and resource freed up as members look after themselves. Of course self-serve wont suit everyone, but the easier it is for members the more likely they are to use it.

---

So what are the barriers to getting people online and looking after themselves?

The key thing to get right is the registration process, if it’s too difficult then people will disengage.

Typically pension websites use two factor authentication, user name & password with a one time code sent to the members device. It’s clearly vital to ensure that it’s the member trying to access their benefits, but it can be difficult to navigate.

With no clear imperative to register some members won’t bother. Typical registration rates for pension websites vary but 25% is a good outcome.

If members do get registered the next issue is logging back in. Generally pension websites aren’t heavily used so visits can be infrequent. Unless the member has saved their log in credentials they may struggle. We saw one scheme where around 50% of the inbound call traffic was for password resets. So what’s the alternative?

Member self-service from Mantle

At Mantle we developed a DB Smartphone app, My Pocket Pension, some four years ago. One of the key design principles was “easy to register.” Our best uptake so far is 70% for one Scheme.

The secret? No password, username or one time code, although the registration process is just as secure.

A QR code takes the customer to the relevant app store to download the app. The code is personalised and acts as a password, when scanned in the app. Next proof point is the customers NINO. When entered that’s registration complete. Selecting a 4 digit PIN makes it easy for the customer to get back in.

One minute registration and the job’s done, more time back for the daily shop!

To find out more about Mantle’s My Pocket Pension app, visit our website or see it in action, visit https://vimeo.com/587813490. 

---

Mantle Services supports digital administration services solution for Isle of Man Public Sector Pensions Authority Schemes

Last year, Mantle Services announced the launch of our digital administration services solution for the Isle of Man Public Sector Pensions Authority Schemes.

Mantle Services was selected by the Public Sector Pensions Authority (PSPA), a statutory board of the Isle of Man Government, to support it with its award-winning pension administration software solution. The software allows the PSPA to provide more efficient and cost-effective administration services to its 20,000+ pension scheme members.

Mantle was chosen due to its ability to drive significant operational efficiencies, and also for the highly developed functionality of its software which fully automates pension administration processes.

Watch our video case study below where we speak to the PSPA team including CEO, Kathryn Brondon, Operations Director, Phil Cain, Projects, Communications and Development Executive, Luca Girardi, and Manager, David Brooks. The team provides an overview of how Mantle’s software has benefitted both administration and end users with fully automated benefit calculations and a modern pension administration solution, as well as their plans for the future.

Read more on this here. 

---

Mantle Services is delighted to have won Mobile App of the Year Awards at this year’s Belfast Telegraph IT Awards sponsored by Telefonica Tech. 

The awards which took place last night in Belfast’s The Mac celebrated the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland’s thriving IT sector. 

Mantle won the shortlisted category for its My Pocket Pension app, a revolutionary smartphone app for Defined Benefit Pensions designed to connect people with their pensions. 

Speaking about the awards, Mantle’s COO, Neil Buchanan said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have won the prestigious Mobile App of the Year award.

Mantle’s My Pocket Pension modernises defined benefit pensions through an intuitive app that lets UK members instantly access and understand their benefits. With a 97% user satisfaction rate, double industry-standard adoption rate and access to real time benefit calculations, we’re making complex pension information simple and accessible for everyone. We’re honoured to receive this recognition alongside such high calibre  local organisations.”

Neil Buchanan

COO

---

Mantle Services shortlisted for Mobile App of the Year Award as part of The Belfast Telegraph IT Awards

Mantle Services, a leading provider of innovative pension software solutions, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Mobile App of the Year award as part of The Belfast Telegraph IT Awards in partnership with Telefonica Tech.

The awards taking place on the 15^th of November in Belfast’s The Mac, recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland’s thriving IT sector.

Mantle has been shortlisted for its My Pocket Pension app, a revolutionary Defined Benefit Pension smart phone app that is designed to connect people with their pension.

Speaking about the shortlisting, Mantle’s Graeme Riddoch, Head of Business Developement said, “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for Mobile App of the Year Award. Our app is a modern, easy to use solution with proven high adoption rates and a user centric design. It connects people with their pension in a way that works for them, simplifying pension information in real time.

We’re delighted to have been shortlisted amongst such high calibre organisations in the industry.”

For more information on the awards and shortlisting, visit The Belfast Telegraph website.

---

Nowadays, self-service technologies are becoming ever-present. From airport bag drops to pension management systems, these systems promise convenience and efficiency. However, as many frustrated users can attest, self-service solutions often fall short of their promise.

---

How not to do it

Picture this. 6.00 am Gatwick airport, Easyjet self-service bag drop area. An object lesson in how to get self-serve technology wrong. Nearly half of all the bag drops were flashing red and customers were tetchily waiting for the one customer service assistant!

To be fair, matters weren’t improved by our flight from Bristol being cancelled the evening before just as we were about to board. Cue a mad scramble, a £370 taxi journey and a sleepless night in a Premier Inn.

Anyway, those designing self-serve systems all too often ignore the human dimension, expecting people to behave rationally or as they would like them to.

The issue with the bag drop was that the baggage tag had to be attached to the top of a bag or the scanner couldn’t read it. Most people just attached it at the end of the bag.

 You do wonder if the designers trialled the system on real sleep deprived customers to see how they fared?

So, what does that mean for pensions?

The current trend is to try and get members online serving themselves, reducing the call on valuable administration resource and improving the customer experience.

A lot of time and money goes into the design of websites, but there’s a key point of failure meaning that some people may not register or if they do, they may not revisit the site to use it. That’s the registration process itself.

The traditional approach is Username Password and one-time code. If customers navigate this, then the next barrier can be using the site after first registration. Pension websites aren’t used on a frequent basis and all too often people forget their login credentials.

I recently spent an entire train journey to London trying to reset a password for a site I used infrequently.

We saw one scheme recently where 50% of all inbound calls were for password resets.

The net effect of making it hard for customers is that they give up and pick up the phone to get what they need. A bad outcome for everyone.

So what’s the solution to make it easy?

We developed a phone app a few years ago with a key design principle being easy to access.

People got very used to scanning QR codes with their phone cameras during Covid. It’s a quick and easy way to download apps or access content via a smartphone.

So why not personalise the QR code and make that the password? That’s what we did.

The customer then enters their own National Insurance Number and selects a 4-digit PIN, like a banking app. The phone is tagged to the member so all they need to do next time is use the 4-digit PIN.

Customer satisfaction with the process has been in excess of 90% and uptake of the app well above that of traditional websites, in excess of 70% for one scheme. We are also seeing up to 20% of customers who have the app, using it on a monthly basis.

So, the learning from all this is to design systems and processes that work with human nature and around how people behave, not how you’d like them to! When we design for humans as they are, rather than as we wish them to be, everyone benefits – users and service providers alike.

How Mantle Services can help

By prioritising ease of use, considering real-world scenarios, and embracing innovative approaches like personalised QR codes, we can create self-service systems that truly serve their purpose.

If you’d like further information on how Mantle Services can help your organisation engage with its members via self-serve capabilities, visit our website here or contact us for further information at enquiries@mantleservices.com

---