Authors: Nick Collyer Steve Mathews
Last October, we set out our view that the pension administration industry has been focusing on the wrong things when measuring administration performance, and that traditional Service Level Agreements (SLAs), such as speed, are not a true indicator of service quality. That opinion resonated across the market. Trustees, advisers and industry bodies responded in strong agreement. The sector has relied on timeliness for too long, and it is time to measure what really shapes a pension scheme member's journey: clarity, confidence, empathy and ease.
Since then, the discussion has grown into a shared challenge across trustee boards, governance committees, third-party evaluators and industry forums. We explored the topic with professional trustees, discussed it on stages, took questions from scheme leaders and tested our thinking with people directly responsible for member outcomes. Across every conversation, the message was the same. Trustees want insight that reflects the real experience of their members, not just the speed of their processes.
And that demand for better insight needed a practical solution. So, we have designed, built and refined something that meets this challenge head-on. The result is the Member Experience Dashboard, a new standard for understanding and improving the quality of pensions administration.
Why the market needed something different
As the conversation unfolded, it became clear that trustees were not asking for more data. They were asking for the right data. They wanted to understand the moments where member journeys were working well and the moments where clarity dipped, confidence fell or a digital journey became confusing. They wanted a way to connect what happens operationally with how a member actually feels. Most importantly, they wanted this insight in a format that was simple enough to use in board discussions and robust enough to support strategic decisions.
The Member Experience Dashboard is our response to that market‑wide call for change. It takes the themes that trustees have consistently told us matter and turns them into something measurable, comparable and actionable.
What the Member Experience Dashboard shows
The Member Experience Dashboard focuses on four dimensions that reflect what truly shapes a member's perception of their pension scheme.
- Clarity and confidence: Members need communications that are simple, timely and understandable. When information is clear, confidence rises. When it is not, even the fastest service can feel uncertain.
- Digital engagement: Digital journeys must be easy to navigate. Trustees want to know where members are completing online steps seamlessly and where digital friction is causing drop‑off or confusion.
- Empathy and support: Interactions should feel human, reassuring and situationally aware. This is especially important during sensitive life events such as bereavement or retirement, or where vulnerability is identified.
- Speed and ease: Timeliness still matters but does not tell the whole story. This dimension reflects how easy the overall experience felt for members. Low‑effort, high‑quality service consistently supports better outcomes.
Together, these four dimensions form a practical, holistic view of member experience. They move the discussion beyond transaction speed and into the territory trustees have told us they value most.
A visual snapshot of member experience
The dashboard's interface is designed to give trustees a simple, holistic overview of overall member experience, with each dimension clearly displayed. From there, users can drill down into deeper layers of data to understand what sits behind the scores and identify specific factors or root causes that may be shaping member journeys.
How the dashboard works
Behind the clear presentation sits a sophisticated data model. The Member Experience Dashboard blends insights from a wide range of sources, including:
- Administration system data
- Work management tools
- Digital analytics from portal journeys
- Direct member feedback taken at key points in the journey
All of this data is normalised using a consistent scoring methodology. This methodology makes qualitative and quantitative measures comparable and allows trustees to see a single, coherent picture of member experience. Data is refreshed weekly, removing the lag of traditional quarterly reports and allowing emerging trends to be addressed in real time.
The dashboard gives trustees the flexibility to filter by cohort, journey, employer group or timeframe. They can explore movements in each dimension, investigate what may be driving a change and identify where targeted improvements will have the greatest impact.
This approach aligns closely with The Pensions Regulator's expectations for clear administration strategies supported by reliable management information. It turns reporting into governance and helps trustees engage with their service in a more confident and proactive way.
How trustees will use the insight
Trustees who have seen the Member Experience Dashboard during demonstrations and are in the process of connecting their data have told us they anticipate three clear benefits:
- Better board conversations: Discussions are shifting from retrospective SLA reviews to outcomes‑focused governance. Committees are spending more time exploring clarity, confidence and digital performance and less time examining raw volumes.
- More targeted improvement: Drilling into the data makes it easier to pinpoint where small adjustments will make the biggest difference. This could be simplifying a letter, improving a portal step or adjusting support during a known friction point.
- Stronger accountability: Benchmarking provides a realistic reference point for trustees, helping to set ambition levels and track progress without identifying individual schemes. It supports transparency and builds confidence in the direction of travel.
Looking ahead
The Member Experience Dashboard is already live with early adopters and is continuing to evolve. Our next phase focuses on:
- Expanding benchmarking as more data accumulates
- Strengthening cohort analysis to support precise action
- Offering integration options that align with each scheme's reporting cycle
The momentum behind this shift reflects something bigger than a new reporting tool. It signals a growing recognition that member outcomes need to sit at the heart of administration. The industry is ready for a more complete picture, and trustees are leading that change.
The Member Experience Dashboard gives boards the evidence they need to govern with clarity, confidence and purpose. It keeps administration teams on the front foot, doing the basics well and raising the game where it counts for members.
See the Member Experience Dashboard in action
If your board would like a walk-through of the dashboard and its roadmap, we would be delighted to arrange a demonstration. This demonstration is an opportunity to see how the Member Experience Dashboard can support your scheme and help shape a more member-centred future for pensions administration.
