RFP QUESTION 3.7
Our feedback
"Please provide feedback on the Collective Plan website and Collective Plan Annual Benefit Statements & Adjustment Letters (attached with this RFP) and outline how you think they could be improved for members."
The existing materials provide a solid, credible foundation. The opportunity is to shift from technically accurate to member-centric — restructuring around the questions members actually ask, strengthening CDC explanation, and improving usability on screen and mobile.
Website
The website provides a credible and transparent foundation. It is factually robust, clearly Trustee-led and demonstrates openness. This is important given the Plan's status as the UK's first authorised CDC scheme. The opportunity now is to evolve it from a technical reference source into a more member-centric tool that helps people understand what the Collective Plan means for them in practice.
Key improvement areas
- Member-led structure: Re-orient content around the questions members naturally ask rather than around scheme mechanics, such as:
- What am I building up?
- Can my pension go down?
- Why don't I have a pot?
- AI-assisted member support: An AI avatar or chatbot embedded in the website could handle common member questions around the clock, without adding to administrator workload. For a mobile-first membership with questions around valuations or adjustments, a well-designed conversational tool could meaningfully improve the member experience.
- Stronger CDC explanation: Clearer, plain-English and visual explanation of target benefits, collective risk-sharing and benefit adjustments, to build understanding and set expectations before members reach the portal.
- Portal preparation: Use the website more deliberately to prepare members for what they will (and won't) see in the Member Self-Service portal, reducing confusion and frustration at the point of login.
- Mobile usability: Improve structure, hierarchy and readability so content works on screen and on mobile, particularly for members with lower financial confidence.
- Governance visibility: Make Trustee oversight and fairness principles more explicit at points where uncertainty or change is discussed.
Annual Benefit Statements
Statements are a key moment of engagement and trust-building. Having reviewed the current statement, there is a strong foundation here, and some clear opportunities to go further.
What's working well
- The cover page snapshot showing three projection scenarios is a strong opener — members immediately see a range of outcomes rather than a single number that implies false precision.
- The 'bigger pensions picture' page (page 6 of the CPP-Act statement), showing the Collective Plan alongside other Royal Mail/workplace pensions and the State Pension, is excellent. It contextualises the benefit clearly and is a model for how to help members think about their overall financial position.
- Photography using actual Royal Mail workplaces and workers is the right call for this audience as it feels like it was made for them.
- QR codes linking to supporting video content throughout are well suited to a mobile-first audience.
Where it could be stronger
- The statement is lengthy for most members to read in full. The overarching opportunity is simplification — move non-personalised content, including the technical 'how it's worked out' detail, online or into a separate document, and bring personal benefits information and the data it's based on forward so members get the full picture quickly, with clear links through for those who want more detail.
- Short, personalised video summaries delivered alongside the statement could significantly improve engagement, capturing attention in a way that a PDF or print document can't. A brief video that speaks directly to a member's figures and projected outcomes, optimised for mobile, would complement the statement and bring the numbers to life.
Annual Adjustment Letters
The adjustment letter does a lot of heavy lifting — for many members it will be the most-read communication they receive from the Collective Plan each year. Getting the tone, structure and design right is important to help build trust and confidence in the Plan and how it works.
What's working well
- Leading with the member's actual figures and the adjustment percentage is the right instinct — members immediately see what has changed.
- Clearly separating the income for life and lump sum adjustments, with distinct explanations of each, helps members understand that they work differently.
- QR codes throughout are well suited to a predominantly mobile audience.
- The sign-off from the Independent Chair is a genuine trust signal.
Where it could be stronger
- A brief introductory paragraph and/or video before the figures would help set the scene — reminding members what the adjustment is, why it happens each year, and that it's a normal part of how the Plan works. Even two or three sentences of context before the number lands would help members receive the information in the right frame of mind.
- The Independent Chair's sign-off appears on page 4, which many members won't reach. Moving a brief personal note to page 1 would use that trust signal where it matters most.
- The letter states the current figure and the percentage adjustment, but stops short of showing the new figure explicitly, leaving members to do the maths themselves. Showing the adjusted amount clearly, in pounds, would make the most important piece of information immediately obvious. Note: this may have been a deliberate design decision by the incumbent, and is worth exploring further before committing to it as a firm recommendation.
- The disclaimer paragraph on page 1 ('Remember, there is no promise or guarantee...') immediately follows the good news of an increase and reads as legal small print. It would land better earlier in the letter, framed as context rather than caveat, so members understand variability as a design feature, not a warning.
- There is scope to use design more intentionally to draw the eye to what matters most — the member's figures, the key message, and the next step. Pulling these out visually, rather than presenting everything at the same weight, would help members navigate the letter more quickly.
- 'Income for life' appears over 30 times across four pages. It's technically accurate, but members don't use that phrase themselves. Testing whether 'your pension' works in most instances could meaningfully improve readability.
- Pages 2–4 read as an FAQ, which while functional, can feel formulaic and impersonal for what is an important annual touchpoint. There may be a more engaging way to present this information — or to move the bulk of it online and simply signpost members to where they can find out more.
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