Bulk Annuities
Protect your members and reduce your liability
Putting your members first
Our dedicated member options team help to ensure a smooth onboarding journey. We take our operational responsibilities seriously, so checking and testing is undertaken at RFI stage - ahead of on-boarding your scheme. Throughout the process, our member options team will carry out ongoing monitoring, sampling and governance control.
Your member experience journey
After you select us, we’ll send a welcome pack to members introducing Canada Life.
Your members will then receive communications at annual touch points, including Annual Statements, Pension Increase Payslips and P60s.
As part of our online offering, we’ll also roll out educational videos, including what the transfer journey looks like. Equipping members to make informed decisions.
12 months before retirement, we’ll send members their wake-up pack – reminding them of their options and next steps.
Delivering a first-class customer experience
We put your members first and focus on making it easy for them to get in touch with us, creating a customer experience that delivers a range of support.
Phone: your members can speak directly to our dedicated, ringfenced team in Exeter.
Post: the central Post Handling Team use an automated process to issue outbound correspondence and process inbound correspondence. The outbound software applies a QR code to all outbound documents, which also facilitates auto-indexing of inbound correspondence for returned documents.
We put your members first and focus on making it easy for them to get in touch with us, creating a customer experience that delivers a range of support.
Our team aims to answer around 80% of queries in the first instance. However, if the queries are slightly more complex, our team will log the tasks and forward to the relevant team to be resolved.
We monitor performance using a combination of SLAs and a balanced scorecard approach.
Your member’s experience is constantly monitored to ensure the service meets their needs. Mercer carry out member experience surveys following any phone calls and member satisfaction surveys by email and post at scheme level.
Your member’s experience is constantly monitored to ensure the service meets their needs. Mercer carry out member experience surveys following any phone calls and member satisfaction surveys by email and post at scheme level.
Member feedback helps us to resolve any individual issues identified and make adjustments to our Operating Model. In 2023, member satisfaction was at 91%.
Monitoring SLAs 95% target for administration service levels
Set service level agreements are monitored and a monthly stewardship report is produced to ensure we're delivering good customer outcomes. Our year-to-date figures meet or exceed our administration service level target of 95%.
Supporting vulnerable customers
Our ring-fenced team in Mercer have adapted communication methods and material, so they can:
- Be more proactive, enabling customers to tell us about any vulnerabilities or additional needs
- Take time to listen and spot signs of vulnerability and refer to additional support services when necessary
- Provide flexible options for vulnerable customers
In addition, a new ‘Vulnerable Customer Details’ panel was created. This enables Mercer to securely record and clearly flag any vulnerable customers as well as whether their vulnerability is likely to be permanent or temporary. The key drivers for the vulnerability (health, life events, resilience, capability) and associated events are also captured.
The panel records how customers would usually be contacted, the impact and whether to use alternative language such as Braille, large font, audio etc. as an alternative.
Further improvements to support vulnerable customers will be implemented as new suitable technology and support services are identified.
Better customer outcomes
A full review of the customer journey and accompanying communications has been carried out and improvements have been identified and actioned.
This means that all communications provide customers with the information they need, at the right time and can be easily understood enabling them to:
- Assess the options available to them
- Identify the risks and benefits of the options
- Identify which options meet their needs
Mercer have also focused on making the process easier for customers, removing the need to fill out lengthy forms or provide evidence wherever possible. Recent improvements include:
- Information Mercer have access to is now pre-populated on forms
- Customers are no longer asked to provide certificates when information can be accessed on registers
- Improved online experience means customers are taken directly to pages that can help with their specific query
In addition, all employees are provided with Consumer Duty training to ensure they continue to deliver the best customer outcomes.
- Overall Aptia service levels, 2023