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“I think it should be mandatory for all Pensions Ministers to read my This is Money inbox every week,” says Steve Webb, who held the post for five years.
I think it should be mandatory for all Pensions Ministers to read my This is Money inbox every week to better understand the aspects of the pension system that confuse, anger and frustrate people.
The messages I receive from my readers give me a clear idea of what the public thinks when it comes to pensions, as I explained in my “behind the scenes” article on how I write my column.
Over the past eight years of answering reader questions, I’ve seen some topics come and go, but many of them keep coming back week after week.
From this I have developed an ‘agenda for change’ for government and the pension industry which I believe would contribute to a better system.
These are the four things I wish they would strive to do for the people.
Organize the system around the person, not the other way around
Too often, large bureaucracies force people to jump through hoops instead of having a single point of contact who can take ownership and resolve their problem.
The classic example of this is when someone has an error on their National Insurance record, perhaps missing credits for time at home with the children.
First, you’ll have to queue up at HMRC to have the credits added to your account. Then, you’ll have to wait for someone at the DWP to deal with updating your pension, possibly months later.
Why couldn’t one person do everything at once?
Keep it simple
Any communication about pensions should be tested with people who do not “speak the jargon” of pensions.
Sometimes readers send me documents they have received that I have a hard time understanding, so I have no idea how an average person with a busy life can understand them.
This applies to both the government and the pension sector.
Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb: Scroll down to find out how to contact him
Improve customer service
It may seem obvious, but simply getting the basics right would greatly improve the public’s experience when dealing with industry or government departments.
This includes things like the following:
– If they promise to return a call or send you a letter, make sure someone knows the promise was made and follows through.
– Keep people informed. Most people would be willing to wait if they knew something was happening.
What drives them crazy is when their letters and messages just go “into the void” and they don’t know if someone is really addressing them or not.
– Make sure frontline staff are properly trained. Too often, problems arise because people are given incorrect information over the phone, and this could be avoided if frontline staff were given the respect (and pay) they deserve.
Don’t keep changing things
Many of my posts (especially right now) come when people are afraid of how the system may change in the future or when they are trying to understand a new system.
While there are always aspects of the system that need reform, pensions should be a long-term business.
While a new government will inevitably want to do things differently, some sense of a long-term vision to which it then adheres would provide some welcome stability.
In short, I think the basic idea of a pension (putting some money aside now to have some for later) shouldn’t be as difficult as it is.
Only when Government and pension providers start with the individual and work outwards will we have a pension system that is fit for purpose.
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