Digital transformation: increasing online engagement

Our client faced the challenge of increasing digital engagement among scheme members while reducing paper correspondence. With the goal of promoting a digital-first strategy, the project aimed to increase the number of registered online users and decrease the amount of paper correspondence sent.

At the outset of the project, only 33% of members were registered for My Work Pension, the self-service portal. To transition to a digital-first approach, we had to comply with regulations that required us to continue communicating with members via post until they opted out of electronic communications. To meet this requirement, we sent three letters to members who had not provided an email address or opted out of electronic communications, informing them of where relevant documents would be available going forward.

Our approach to promoting digital engagement involved issuing a series of shorter, postcard-type letters to encourage members to take direct action. The first letter encouraged members to register for My Work Pension, providing their email address, and informed them that they could opt out of electronic communications in writing. This communication resulted in a 17% increase in online registrations.

The second and third letters, sent a month apart, reminded members that they could opt-out of electronic communications and register for My Work Pension. While these letters prompted more members to register an opt-out, each round still saw an increase in registrations.

Overall, the project was successful, with only 4% of members opting out of electronic communications and 36% actively consenting to electronic communications, an increase from the previous rate. 60% of members did not directly express a preference, so they were eligible to be changed to the default electronic communication options. Additionally, 45% of members had registered for the self-service portal, up from 33%.

In conclusion, our digital engagement strategy successfully increased the number of registered online users and reduced paper correspondence. By issuing postcard-type letters and following regulations, we were able to encourage members to take direct action and improve the digital experience for our scheme members.