Context
The client – a leading UK pension administrator – managed customer communications for large pension schemes, including a major client representing approximately 300,000 policies.
This client raised concerns regarding the quality and format of communications and indicated they would consider terminating the relationship if improvements were not made, particularly due to the organization’s reliance on lengthy, print-heavy correspondence.
Challenge
Despite strong internal performance metrics, the organization faced a fundamental customer experience gap:
- Positive call centre NPS scores created a false sense of confidence
- Customer communications were:
- Overly complex and difficult to navigate
- Heavily reliant on print (e.g., 60+ page packs)
- Not aligned with modern digital expectations
- The underlying operating model was constrained by:
- Legacy infrastructure
- Fragmented processes
- Limited visibility into end-to-end customer journeys
Additionally, operational inefficiencies were embedded in the process, including:
- Printing and scanning of documents
- Offshore manual data re-entry
- Delays and risk of errors across the value chain
Approach
Aspire CCS provided an external, ‘outside-in’ perspective to challenge internal assumptions and assess the organization’s communications maturity.
Our work included:
- Executive workshops to introduce market trends and leading practices, particularly the shift toward digital, journey-based communication models
- A structured maturity assessment, involving interviews with stakeholders across business, operations, and technology
- Detailed analysis of communications outputs, processes, and supporting systems
Execution
The engagement combined qualitative and quantitative assessment:
- Stakeholder interviews to understand current processes, pain points, and constraints
- Review of customer communications, including structure, length, and usability
- Analysis of operational workflows, including print, scanning, and data handling
We synthesized these findings into a comprehensive report (100+ pages), which:
- Identified root causes of poor customer experience, not visible through traditional metrics
- Highlighted inefficiencies and cost drivers in the operating model
- Provided a prioritized roadmap for transitioning to digital, customer-centric communications
Outcome
The organization acted on the recommendations and initiated a transformation of its communications model:
- Transition to journey-based communication management, improving consistency and relevance
- Implementation of smart forms, reducing reliance on static, print-heavy documents
- Elimination of inefficient processes, including:
- Scanning of printed communications
- Offshore manual data re-entry
This delivered:
- Significant cost savings, through removal of manual handling and offshore processing
- Faster processing times, improving operational efficiency
- Enhanced customer visibility and experience, with more immediate and transparent interactions
- Reduced reliance on print, enabling a more scalable and future-ready model
Key Insight
Internal metrics can mask structural customer experience issues. Organizations must adopt an outside-in perspective to uncover inefficiencies and define a credible path toward digital, customer-centric communications.