Challenge

The client needed to better understand members’ priorities, behaviours, and communication preferences to guide future pension communications and digital strategy. Previous assumptions were outdated, and there was limited evidence on how different groups (active, deferred, pensioner) engaged with scheme materials.

Strategy

Designed and delivered a member survey to gather insights into awareness, communication preferences, digital adoption, and retirement planning needs. The aim was to segment members, identify barriers to engagement, and provide data that could shape both immediate content decisions and longer-term strategy.

My role & contributions

• Survey development: Collaborated on survey structure and question design, ensuring coverage of both behavioural and attitudinal factors.
• Analysis & insight generation: Took sole responsibility for analysing results using Excel and visualisation tools, identifying key themes, pain points, and digital readiness.
• Segmentation & personas: Translated results into member personas (active, deferred, pensioner) and mapped potential journeys.
• Stakeholder reporting: Produced clear, visual reports and presented findings to senior stakeholders to inform decision-making.

Execution

• Distributed the survey across all member categories, ensuring representative coverage.
• Analysed quantitative and qualitative responses, combining survey data with existing engagement metrics.
• Delivered findings in a report and dashboard, highlighting practical recommendations for campaigns and website content.

Key insights and recommendations

• Digital appetite differed by audience: 91% of active members and 86% of deferred members preferred an online account, compared with 65% of pensioners. This supported a digital-first approach for active and deferred members, with additional guidance and channel choice for pensioners.
• Relevance was weakest among active and deferred members: 94% of pensioners considered communications relevant, compared with 69% of active and 65% of deferred members. This highlighted the need for more targeted, life-stage-specific content.
• Confidence affected digital engagement: 75% of active members and 67% of deferred members felt confident using technology, compared with 42% of pensioners. I recommended clearer onboarding and support for members who might otherwise struggle with digital services.
• Members wanted more timely prompts: 66% of active members wanted reminders, supporting the introduction of more proactive, event-based communications.

Results/impact

• Strong engagement: 3,200 members (~20% of total) with responses received across all three member groups: active, deferred, and pensioners.