In 2024, the Client Contact Center (CCC) of Dutch pension asset manager APG managed a total of 492,614 interactions with participants across the eight pension funds that APG oversees.

APG’s CCC manager, Stefan Ochse, explained that these communications involved talking about “emotional and impactful” life events such as retirement, death, or moving in with a partner and how this affects their pension.

Ochse added that it was “striking” that people often already have information or have looked it up themselves before making a call, which makes the conversations more “substantive”.

“Our customer satisfaction score averages around 8.5. That is high, especially in a context where people cannot ‘shop around’ for another service provider. We are the designated point of contact – so we must get it right,” he said.

He also explained that the type of questions customers have is “more complex” now than ten years ago and often concern personal situations or changes in the pension system, meaning the conversations are more substantive, take longer, and demand more from APG’s CCC employees.

Ochse said there is intensive training in this area, as staff must not only be well-trained in the subject matter but also skilled in conversation techniques and have the ability to quickly assess what kind of explanation is needed.
 
He also noted that as the CCC works for several pension funds each contact specialist handles no more than three funds per day because of the varying complexities in the pension schemes of these eight funds.

However, Ochse said: “In the renewed pension system, pension schemes will become more uniform. Once all funds have switched to the renewed system, our specialists will be more versatile, and we will be able to work more efficiently. This will increase our flexibility.”

In addition to this, Ochse pointed out that technology is playing an “increasingly important” role in its services.

“AI is rapidly becoming the norm. People now use ChatGPT or Copilot for everything from planning vacations to summarising texts. Therefore, it’s not surprising that they also expect their pension provider to utilise technology in this manner. If you want to be taken seriously as an organisation, you have to take that step,” he said.

Ochse said the company have started developing ChatAPG, an AI-driven tool based on a knowledge base that combines all internal information sources, aiming to help its employees find answers quickly, without having to go through different systems.

He said APG intends to have this “fully operational by the end of 2025”, but said that implementation has not been easy.

“We have been working on it for a year and a half, including risk analyses, checks, source references, and human control. But the effect is significant: employees are better supported, and participants receive faster and more accurate answers,” he said.

However, Ochse emphasised that this tool does not mean APG is using AI to replace people; instead, it is using AI for simple or repetitive questions, such as the status of an application.

“However, when empathy is crucial, such as in the event of a death or divorce, personal contact remains indispensable. The human touch remains paramount,” he said.

Looking to the future, Ochse said APG sees opportunities in advanced voicebots, which could take over part of the conversation, but stressed that “quality and safety come first”.

“We don’t want participants to be confronted with technology at a time when they need human contact,” he said.

Ochse said that AI and digitalisation are not only altering the methods of client interaction but also the reasons behind it.

He said he expects participant interaction to become more intensive but also more substantive.

“The renewed pension system will give participants more insight into their personal pension accrual and encourage them to ask questions sooner, for example, about asset development or the geopolitical impact on their benefits”, he said. “This will lead to more conversations.”

Additionally, he highlighted the “major opportunity” this presents for pension funds, as increased interaction results in more participant insights.

“By monitoring client behaviour and questions, funds can better assess whether policies are effective, whether communication is getting through, and whether participants have concerns,” he noted.

“You can make adjustments quickly, which makes client contact strategically relevant.”

---