NS&I continues to work on modernising our business, with our new banking system allowing your clients to manage their NS&I investments online and by phone. This includes having a 'portfolio view' of their NS&I accounts and investments.
We are now turning our minds to how we can improve and modernise the service we provide to financial advisers, planners and paraplanners, to make your lives easier when dealing with NS&I. As part of this, we are looking at introducing various service enhancements over the next two years, including an improved process for obtaining valuations on your clients' NS&I holdings.
Service enhancements that we've introduced over the last year for financial advisers include the new dedicated website – the Adviser Centre; increased availability of the Adviser Helpline, along with our customer helpline, 24 hours a day; and the updated online calculator that now enables valuations on all Index-lined Savings Certificates within their current investment term, regardless of when they were bought.
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Andrew Pike, Head of Intermediary Relationships at NS&I, directs the organisation's overall proposition to financial advisers and manages the key relationships with the intermediary market. Andrew said: "I am excited about the planned new services we are looking to offer financial advisers, planners and paraplanners. While it is clear that the intermediary market is supportive of the NS&I brand, our unique offer, and the way our products can balance risk in a portfolio, we must ensure that NS&I is always relevant and responsive to advisers' needs – especially as a result of the changes brought in with the Retail Distribution Review."
Change is also at the helm of NS&I's retail operation. Following the retirement of John Prout in January, Julian Hynd has been appointed NS&I Retail Director. Julian is responsible for delivering NS&I's retail offer, including the organisation's digital strategy and its drive to direct channels. This coincides with the start of NS&I's new operational services contact with Atos which will deliver an improved customer experience together with cost savings to taxpayers.
Julian is ideally placed to take forward this programme, having previously led the modernisation of the organisation's whole IT infrastructure. Since then, NS&I has been transformed from a largely paper-based operation to a modern, multi-channel direct business, looking firmly to the future.
To find out more about NS&I, visit www.nsandi-adviser.com
