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Contact: Jan Schapira
Tel: +44 20 7178 3127

UK
London, 5 October 2009

Mercer has opened a new state-of-the-art customer relations centre to support members of its clients' pension schemes in the UK. The new centre, based in Chichester, will have extended operating hours, dedicated multi-skilled professionals and innovative approaches to customer service that Mercer believes will put it in the lead for customer service standards in the industry.

In addition to dealing with customer queries and supporting life time "events", the intention is to help corporate clients in driving special communication campaigns, conducting member satisfaction surveys and helping members understand their scheme benefits. The team will be trained to deal not only with pension issues but also flexible benefits and pensioner payroll matters, as well as supporting Mercer's online benefits system, "One View". 
  

Pam Gregory, Mercer's head of customer relations within its outsourcing business, said: "The new centre will be staffed by a professionally trained team that is focused on answering queries from scheme members and giving them the information and support they need. As well as offering a more responsive service, we aim to be proactive by also providing member follow-up and reminder calls."

She added: "We're looking to answer most members' queries on their first call to us, with more complex matters referred to a specialist team of experts. Our service success will be measured through a range of high performance standards," she added. To help increase service standards in its business, Mercer has already introduced metrics for every member-facing process, such as how quickly its people answer the phone, process a retirement or deal with an enquiry.

Mercer will be extending its customer servicing hours through the centre to make its services more easily accessible and convenient for members. Starting in 2010, operating hours will be from 8 am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays.

It has also invested in a new telephony platform to give it more operational control and flexibility in managing members' enquiries and ensuring their experience is a positive one. "If our clients want, we can even play their brand of music and personalise their messaging. It's all part of our longer-term drive towards a flexible, multi-channel, multi-media contact approach, including self-serve facilities on the web," said Ms Gregory.

With its opening this week, it has welcomed its initial team with a multimedia communications infrastructure featuring high-definition plasma monitors throughout, along with projection video capabilities, intranet and state-of-the-art design features geared to creating a stimulating career environment. Ms Gregory added: "We're instituting a structured career path to support attraction, retention and progression of our customer relations team."

To help deliver its training programme, it has partnered with the London-based training organisation, Proctor, who have provided instructor-led training in the use of positive language and conversational skills to optimise communication with scheme members. Mercer's in-house trainers staff have supplemented this with process, system and knowledge training. Team members can also elect to undergo accreditation programmes with the Institute of Customer Service, of which Mercer is a founding member.

Mercer has a five-year plan to expand this part of its outsourcing business as new clients are taken on board and additional services are provided.

The new centre is an outcome of Mercer's strategy to complete a total upgrade of its customer service process under a "Putting Members First" programme. Jonathan Mindell, its outsourcing business leader, has been driving the programme since joining Mercer in 2007 - drawing on his background in banking, travel and healthcare servicing.  "In terms of industry standards and technology, I believe the industry has got some catching up to do compared with other servicing businesses," said Mr Mindell.

Additional initiatives as part of its member servicing strategy are to introduce more personal and integrated web, phone and face-to-face member services including a single web platform for members' pensions and their other benefits. This will enable members to access all their employee benefit details online to monitor their value, consider all their options and transact investments.

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Contact: Jan Schapira
Mercer Press Office
Tel: +44 20 7178 3127