The Pension Protection Fund's Sara Protheroe says moving member services and the administration of the Financial Assistance Scheme has improved the experience of those the scheme provides for, but such processes require serious commitment from all involved.
Our members have generally come into contact with the PPF or the Financial Assistance Scheme as a result of their current or former employer going bust – a highly unsettling and often distressing time in their lives.
The move has helped us to gain better control and flexibility over the quality of the customer experience we provide
We are acutely aware of the faith our members place in us to secure their financial futures. We know that people do not choose to become PPF or FAS members but we aim to provide them with a service that would make them want to choose us if they could.
Building on PPF example
We recently completed work to bring the previously outsourced member services and administration of FAS in-house. We successfully did this for PPF members in 2015 and we are proud to have built a reputation for award-winning customer service. We wanted to be able to give FAS members the same treatment.
FAS was set up in 2005 to provide financial assistance to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes who had lost all or part of their pensions following their scheme winding up underfunded between January 1 1997 and April 5 2005.
Since 2010 the PPF has managed the administration of FAS on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Unlike the PPF, FAS is funded by the taxpayer.
In 2016, with the support of DWP, we took the decision to bring FAS administration in-house. We wanted greater control, flexibility and consistency within our member services, to further improve the member experience and ultimately enhance efficiency.
Making it happen
With a lot of hard work and tireless dedication from our team we were able to complete the transition and go live in June this year.
We gave utmost attention to carrying out the project with minimal disruption to members, as we understand that even a slight change can be a cause of worry or concern.
Every month, here at the PPF’s head office in Croydon, we take thousands of calls from FAS members, set up retirement benefits for hundreds, and pay more than £13 million a month to FAS members.
New services for FAS members
Importantly, the move has helped us gain better control and flexibility over the quality of the customer experience we provide.
The 150,000 FAS members now get to enjoy the same support and services as PPF members. We are also now able to make changes and improvements to the service as needed.
FAS members can use a new online service, which, like the PPF’s, gives them an easier way to find out about their payments, access information and contact us. They can also change their details online, nominate beneficiaries and explore retirement options using the benefit modeller tool.
Bringing FAS member services in-house created more than 30 new roles, which we filled with a combination of experienced PPF employees and new employees, who share our commitment to customer service excellence.
Sara Protheroe is chief customer officer at the Pension Protection Fund
