Loud and clear: Vodafone and civil service among top comms stories

Some schemes remodelled their websites and information packages to better communicate changes to members, while others have undertaken strategic communication campaigns to boost engagement levels.

The case studies below illustrate how schemes and employers have sought to educate and entice scheme members this year.

Civil service sees engagement surge after website relaunch

October 13

The Civil Service launched its new website and online portal in July and saw around a sevenfold increase (18,000 to 136,000) in the number of visitors to the website.

The number of pages viewed increased by more than 20 times, from 43,000 to 950,000.

Using a responsive design, the website aimed to improve mobile browsing, provide users with a predictive and filtered search and reduced the use of jargon across the platform.

Virginia Burke, head of business development at MyCSP, the private-public sector joint venture that administered the scheme, said: “We have had very good feedback from members on that, saying, ‘We now understand our pension for the first time'.”

Trinity’s rebound attempt scores 60 per cent take-up

June 16

Trinity Mirror Plc Pension Plan’s second attempt at a communication drive to encourage additional contributions saw a take-up rate of 60 per cent across the 1,000 employees targeted.

After a poor response to an initial communication about the company's decision to gradually reduce contributions, the employer ran a second drive.

Trinity sent a card to members stating that if they signed a letter due to arrive in the near future, their contributions would remain at the same level. The letter also suggested they could put in the extra percentage point the employer used to pay by ticking a box.

Of the 1,000 members targeted, nearly 600 signed and about 450 decided to increase their contribution.

Trevor Rutter, consultant at communication agency Like Minds, said the first rule in member communication should be: “Don’t mention pensions when you’re in pensions.”

Schemes should instead emphasise what pensions might mean to members, such as “a change in their life and a benefit to look forward to”, he said.

FirstGroup doubles online engagement with AE comms package

May 19

In May, transport operator FirstGroup announced it had doubled visits to its website since auto-enrolment.

We wanted to take the messages and make them as simple and as powerful as we could

John Chilman, FirstGroup

The site provides members with a multimedia experience comprised of pension modellers, videos, facts and figures and details of other workplace benefits.

“The key thing was simplification,” said John Chilman, head of rewards and pensions at the company. “We wanted to take the messages and make them as simple and as powerful as we could.”

The employer’s initial opt-out rate was 15 per cent, but stripping out those who had previously rejected a workplace pension, it was less than 10 per cent, according to Chilman.

Laith Khalaf, head of corporate research at corporate wrap provider Hargreaves Lansdown, said ease of access was crucial to sustained engagement from employees.

Khalaf said websites that allow members to see where they are invested and make changes will lead to happier customers compared with those where the process involves extra steps such as requesting valuations from their provider.

Vodafone re-evaluates scheme comms after boost to workforce

September 4

Vodafone reviewed its communication strategy in September following a significant increase in the size of its defined contribution plan.

The company's auto-enrolment staging in April 2013 boosted active membership by 1,200 while the purchase of rival Cable & Wireless added 5,000 new members to the scheme in December 2013.  

Lyndsay Perkins, head of client services at consultancy AHC, who worked with Vodafone on its website and communications, said the Vodafone scheme already had a strong website, which included modelling software, investment information, video and a link to the administrator’s website where members could make changes.

"All that information is relevant to the Cable & Wireless people, so it's a case of what else [do] they need," said Perkins.

Andy Cheseldine, partner at consultancy LCP, said: “With auto-enrolment there were quite a few schemes that went from hundreds to thousands of members.”

He added that such a change necessitated a change in trustees’ attitude and scheme governance.

Wolseley battles climbing opt-outs

December 1

To combat the upward creep of opt-outs, plumbing products supplier Wolseley has tabled a communication campaign for early 2015 to remind non-members of the benefits of the scheme.

The company is currently planning how to engage future joiners before they are auto-enrolled.

Neil McCawley, head of rewards and benefits at the company, which has 6,200 staff, said he thought the increase in opt-outs was partly due to the age demographic of new starters.

“Many are younger employees who aren’t sure they want to join a pension scheme at that point in their career,” he said.

During the staging process there was widespread government and media campaigning about the benefits of pensions saving, yet new employees will not have been exposed to the same level of information.

“When we do the first re-enrolment of our opted-out employees in May-June 2016, they will have been employed by us for at least three years. I would expect, at this point, that fewer people will choose to opt out again,” added McCawley.