Pensins Cmmittee 5 September 2018 Reprt Title Originating service Custmer Engagement Update Pensin Services Accuntable emplyee(s) Reprt t be/has been cnsidered by Simn Taylr Tel Email Rachel Brthwd Tel Email Head f Pensins 01902 554276 Simn.taylr2@wlverhamptn.gv.uk Directr f Pensins 01902 551715 Rachel.brthwd@wlverhamptn.gv.uk Recmmendatins fr nting: The Cmmittee is asked t nte: 1. The engagement activity and infrmed service develpment.
1.0 Purpse 1.1 T prvide Cmmittee with an update f the Fund s custmer engagement activity frm 1 April t 30 June 2018, in line with its Custmer Engagement Strategy. 2.0 Backgrund 2.1 One f the Fund s key bjectives is t engage t imprve utcmes fr ur custmers. In line with this bjective, the Fund has published, and keeps under review, a Custmer Engagement Strategy, t review satisfactin and help infrm imprvements t its pensin services. 2.2 This reprt summarises engagement activity and the service develpment this is driving. 3.0 Engagement within this reprting perid 3.1 The Fund has undertaken a wide range f practive engagement with ur custmers and ther stakehlders during the perid 1 st April 2018 t 30 th June 2018. In terms f the number f members cvered, this represents a 68% increase n the same perid last year, which reflects the appetite fr these services frm members and the activity f the team. A summary is prvided belw. 3.2 In ttal, the Member Services team has assisted 2118 members with pensin related infrmatin ver the perid 1 st April 2018 t 30 June 2018. This engagement includes presentatins delivered t 978 attendees held at a variety f different emplyers, including the district cuncils, universities, schls/academies and ther admitted bdies. 3.3 The feedback frm these presentatins was 45.61% f the members rated them as excellent, 41.59% as very gd, 11.83% as gd, 0.97% as satisfactry. Further detail n the feedback can be fund in appendix A with a summary f the scpe f these events cvered in appendix B and C. 3.4 Between April 2018 and June 2018, the Fund prvided 5 satellite supprt events t hard t reach areas acrss 5 lcatins in Wlverhamptn, Walsall, Smethwick, West Brmwich and Birmingham t 60 scheme members. These have included library staff, schl staff and Plice supprt staff. 3.5 Further supprt has als been prvided t members either thrugh drp in sessins r scheduled ne t ne supprt sessins. In ttal, additinal supprt was delivered t 175 members n an individual basis. 3.6 The Fund has develped an inductin prgramme available fr all participating emplyers upn invitatin. During this quarter we have arranged such an event at Walsall MBC t educate their new starters f the benefits f the LGPS as part f their inductin prgramme.
3.7 The Fund has been invited t attend a number f events being held by Academy & Schls Business Managers (SBM). During this quarter this has included the Assciatin fr Wlverhamptn SBM, Birmingham SBM and Slihull SBM. The Funds presentatin cvered a variety f subjects including funding, administratin and pensins prtal prmtin. The Fund received psitive feedback and als a request t develp an emplyer web pack t increase accessibility f supprt fr new emplyers 3.8 My Pensins prtal prmtin 3.8.1 T cntribute twards the drive t prmte the new member pensins prtal, the Fund has implemented a new theme Be Pensin Smart! take cntrl f yur benefits and during this reprting perid has rganised pensin prtal drp in sessins acrss the regin assisting 248 members register fr pensins prtal. Events have been delivered at 6 lcatins, Wlverhamptn Hmes, Birmingham City Cuncil, Slihull MBC, Walsall MBC, City f Wlverhamptn Cuncil and Cventry City Cuncil. 3.8.2 The Fund has used a range f marketing techniques t advertise the prtal and is actively mnitring the impact n take-up. 3.8.3 There are nw ver 62,000 members registered and accessing infrmatin abut their benefits using the pensin-prtal facility. This is an increase f c25,000 since the launch f the new platfrm late August 2017. 3.9 Emplyer Caching 3.9.1 One f the Fund s bjectives is t partner fr success, f which a key element are ur custmers. The Fund s Pensins Administratin Strategy (PAS) sets ut the rles and respnsibilities fr bth the Fund and ur participating emplyers. In rder t prvide emplyers with the required supprt and guidance t help them meet these respnsibilities, the Fund prvides emplyer caching sessins, with a planned schedule f events set ut fr each calendar year. 3.9.2 At the mst recent emplyer caching sessin held n 13 June 2018, there were 13 attendees representing 10 emplyers. Feedback was psitive with 70% f attendees rating the sessin as excellent. Furthermre, the feedback shwed participants fund the fllwing sectins the mst beneficial t them: Calculating pay and benefits Mnthly Data Cllectin prcess 3.9.3 We are nw explring the pssibility f creating vides / webinars fcusing initially n the abve elements in rder t enable us t cascade these educatin sessins t a wider sectin f ur emplyer base.
3.9.4 Aligned t the Funds bjective t increase its cmmunicatin with individual emplyers n perfrmance and data quality and serving as an extensin f the emplyer caching prgramme, a number f bespke emplyer meetings have been held during the reprting perid. The aim f such meetings is t discuss data imprvement tailred t each emplyer t ensure there is cntinual imprvement in line with the Pensin Regulatr s Cmmn and Cnditinal data requirements, as well as prcessing timeliness and accuracy. 3.10 Emplyer Peer grup 3.10.1 Aligned t the Fund s bjective t partner fr success, the Fund hlds an Emplyer Peer Grup every three mnths. 3.10.2 The emplyer peer grup prvides the Fund with valuable feedback and allws the Fund an pprtunity t trial new initiatives, prcedures and ideas, befre implementatin, t assist bth member prcessing efficiencies and emplyer perfrmance. 3.10.3 The mst recent Emplyer Peer Grup meeting held n 5 th June 2018, was attended by 8 emplyer representatives. 3.10.4 A number f tpical issues were cvered including: Cnsultatin n the 2018 draft Pensins Administratin Strategy. Presenting f the draft Emplyer Engagement Radmap Discussin f the upcming 2018 Emplyer Survey LGPS Amendment Regulatins 4.0 Emplyer & Member Surveys 4.1 Emplyer Survey 2018 The annual survey has nw been issued t all emplyers with the final deadline fr respnses set mid-august 2018. This year s survey includes cre questins (used fr trend analysis), with the purpse f btaining feedback n each f the Funds varius functins and the extent t which supprt tls available t emplyers are being utilised. In additin t this, a sectin specific t the implementatin f Mnthly Data cllectin has been included 4.2 The results f the 2018 survey will be shared with emplyers at the AGM in Nvember 2018 tgether with a prpsal f the Funds planned imprvements n review f the results, and summarised fr Cmmittee at the December meeting.
4.3 Member Surveys The rlling nline member survey available thrugh the Fund s website, has cntinued t prvide us with a stream f member feedback. 4.4 In June, the first Deferred Benefit ntificatin email was issued t members which als advertised the Pensins Prtal and the nline survey. The results have identified the difficulty that sme members are having in accessing their Pensin Prtal accunt and this feedback will be used t shape Prtal imprvements thrugh ur Digital Transfrmatin Prgramme. The survey wasn t cmpleted by any custmers during April and May, which suggests that the survey needs t be re-lcated t a fcal pint f the website. 4.5 A revised versin f nline survey will be updated shrtly, with the aim f btaining feedback n the custmer's verall experience with the Fund, n their latest interactin with us (and the identificatin f that interactin), and n the varius cmmunicatin channels the Fund ffers. As a result, we expect t receive quantifiable data that we can use t mnitr trends and shape services in these areas in line with ur bjective t imprve utcmes fr custmers. 5.0 Cmmunicatins & Publicatins 5.1 During the reprting perid, the Fund has cmpiled and prvided a number f new and revised publicatins. The cmmunicatins have been prduced in line with the Fund s bjective f engaging t imprve utcmes fr ur custmers thrugh prvisin f key guidance, messaging and supprt. The Fund endeavurs t ensure it is at the frefrnt f integrating the latest industry practice and guidance int its cmmunicatins, whilst als tailring the infrmatin it prvides based n feedback frm its custmers, and, where pssible, intrduces new publicatins based n their requirements Disclsure requirements In rder t cmply with disclsure requirements as a result f the LGPS Amendment Regulatins 2018 n the 14 May 2018, the Fund has wrked in partnership with several ther Funds and the LGA t design apprpriate member cmmunicatins, explaining the ptential impact f such changes n their benefits Custmer Engagement Strategy Aligned t the Fund s Custmer Engagement Strategy, the Fund has prvided presentatins and additinal supprt t a number f emplyers via grup frums, therefre maximising the reach f this engagement. These grup frums include the Academy & Schls Business Managers Meeting (Wlverhamptn) n the 25 th April 2018 and Academy & Schls Business Managers Meeting (Birmingham) n the 21 st June 2018. These presentatins featured new interactive sessins, encuraging the participants t cnsider and discuss issues fr themselves.
Deferred benefit statement prvisin The Fund prduced its annual Deferred Benefits Statements fr just ver 90,000 members. A bulk email infrming member s that their statement culd be viewed n pensins prtal was issued and was cmplemented with further supprt and tl kits being made available fr members use. Supprting emplyer change Fllwing the merger f Stratfrd Cllege int the West Midlands Pensin Fund, all f the deferred members wh transferred ver were issued with an annual deferred benefits statement in July. 6.0 Pensin Radshws 6.1 As part f the Funds cmmunicatin plan, the Fund prvides face t face supprt n the pensin radshw vehicle. This enables the Fund t actively engage with its membership acrss the West Midlands, increasing awareness f the LGPS and its benefits and prmting the Fund s member pensins prtal expanding the scpe fr self-service. The Fund als receives valuable feedback frm these events t help shape future service delivery. 6.2 During this reprting perid 14 radshw events have been delivered acrss a variety f lcatins which supprted 657 members. These lcatins included Depts, Schls, Clleges and Universities. Please see appendix E fr feedback. 6.3 The Fund has secured dates in September and Octber t prvide events thrughut the West Midlands regin with delivery f ur autumn annual radshws. 7.0 Supprt & cmmunicatin n the hrizn ver the next quarter 7.1 The Fund will be prviding varius supprt and cmmunicatin t its custmers and stakehlders in the near future, which will be cvered in future Cmmittee reprts. This range f activity extends frm wrking with LGA and ther funds n develpment f benefit statement cntent fr 2019 t the prvisin f active and deferred member newsletters. 7.2 The Fund will als cntinue t fcus n extending reach and accessibility f supprt fr member and emplyers thrugh nline services. 8.0 Mid-Year Review / Annual General Meeting 8.1 The Fund held its emplyer Mid-Year Review at the Mlineux Stadium n 15 th May 2018, t which all participating emplyers were invited. The Fund had arund 80 attendees acrss a wide crss-sectin f the emplyer base, including lcal authrities, the educatin sectr (higher educatin, further educatin and academies), husing assciatins, private and vluntary sectr rganisatins. A variety f tpics were delivered t ensure the event was infrmative and tailred using feedback received by
emplyers frm previus events. Tw external speakers t were invlved, an ecnmist and the Pensins Regulatr. Feedback frm the event can be fund in Appendix D. 8.2 The Fund has set a date fr ur Annual General Meeting which will be held at the WV1 Bar at the Mlineux Stadium n the 13 Nvember 2018. Preparatin fr this event is underway. 9.0 Financial implicatins 9.1 The reprt cntains n direct financial implicatins 10.0 Legal implicatins 10.1 The reprt cntains n direct legal implicatins 11.0 Equalities implicatins 11.1 The reprt cntains n direct equalities implicatins. 12.0 Envirnmental implicatins 12.1 The reprt cntains n direct envirnmental implicatins. 13.0 Human resurces implicatins 13.1 The reprt cntains n direct human resurces implicatins. 14.0 Crprate landlrd implicatins 14.1 The reprt cntains n direct crprate landlrd implicatins. 15.0 Schedule f appendices 15.1 Appendix A: Member Services feedback 15.2 Appendix B: Member Services events cvered 1 April t 30 June 2018 15.3 Appendix C: Member Services events attendance levels 15.4 Appendix D: Feedback frm MYR 15.5 Appendix E: Pensins Radshws feedback