ROBO-PENSIONS: THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Marc Hommel
Upside down and inside out: turning things on their head for the benefit of improved financial health among ordinary men and women
Because you’re upside down and inside out and you can feel it
Inside down and upside out and your can feel it, feel it.
Don’t stop, can’t stop, its like a freight train
Don’t stop, can’t stop, until you feel it going down
I wish I had said the things you thought that I had said
Gravity’s just a habit that you’re pretty sure you can break
Upside down and inside out and you can feel it
Don’t stop, can’t stop, until you feel it going down.
By OK GO Lyrics,
The industry incumbents are resisting and fearing, for it will be disruptive and expensive for them to implement the changes necessary, but consumer power is arriving in the world of pensions (and other areas of financial health) and no one in the industry can or should hold back the tides of change. Indeed, those providers that don’t adapt will die. Think what Uber has done to the private taxi industry or Airbnb to short-term holiday letting agents. In both cases, ordinary men and women (the consumers or the customers or the or policyholders or employees, or whatever we want to label them) have been empowered to make truly informed decisions with improved personalisation, convenience, speed, transparency and affordability. As a result, there has been a dramatic improvement in consumer experience and satisfaction and a much better and more profitable mutual alignment between provider and customer.
There is a country, with many similarities to the UK landscape, that has already achieved this in the world of pensions: Israel. Within the past three years, Israel has implemented regulation with which their pension industry has had to comply that has revolutionised consumer experience and catalyzed immediate improvements in retirement planning financial health. At first, pension providers resisted the changes claiming they were impossible to implement and would result in unsustainability of commercial providers. But, by being shown the art-of-the-possible through deploying increasingly powerful and affordable technologies, government forced through the law changes and industry suddenly found the business case to justify the change. Pension transfers were by law mandated to take place within three days of request; in practice they now take less than 24 hours – imagine that scenario in the UK!
The knowhow and technologies exist and have been implemented successfully in Israel to deliver a powerful and truly informed consumer experience, supported by excellence in advanced data, analytics and insights. Providers that have adapted to the opportunity can now expect greater profitability and sustainability; those that haven’t are fast becoming irrelevant.
In the UK, we need to implement the capability to meet two essential objectives: 1. provide ordinary men and women with the convenience and empowerment to improve their financial health and 2. ensure consumer security is assured by having strong, sustainable and profitable providers. Digital is the enabler – who has the courage to transform?
Marc Hommel (formerly PwC global pension consulting leader and adviser to governments, policymakers, regulators, employers and financial services providers) is working with providers looking to import the Israeli experience into the UK.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marchommel/ marc@wobi.co.uk
Come and hear more from Marc Hommel at the TISA/Corporate Comms Shop Seminar on robo-pensions.
When?
Wednesday May 24th , afternoon seminar and early evening networking reception
Where?
Hogan Lovells, Atlantic House, 50 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2FG
Who?
Speakers include:
Ben Goss – Dynamic Planner, Distribution Technology
Baroness Jeannie Drake – former Pensions Commissioner
Phillip Walter – Group Chief Executive, Aquila Heywood
Jon Greer – Old Mutual.
What?
We will be examining: innovative digital and technology solutions; new consumer research into attitudes to utilising housing equity to make up pension shortfalls; the benefits of engaging and not engaging; how behavioural science can help get the best results for saving.
As a recipient of this email I’m able to offer you a cut price ticket.
Standard ticket price – £300
Friends of Corporate Comms Shop reduced price : £200
To book for £200 please call TISA by phone on 01642 666999 quoting the discount code for the Corporate Comms Shop: CCSmr283
Who for?
The Seminar will appeal to :
– Proposition Owners
– Operational Managers
– Analysts and Consultants working on improving member communications
Why?
At the end of the seminar you will have an understanding of:
– The latest cutting edge communication techniques
– How and when to be proactive with pension communications
– What customers want from communications