The Pensions Advisory Service and the Money Advice Service, both government-backed financial guidance bodies, have launched an ‘integrated’ webchat service.

The service will allow both organisations to help consumers through a combined online webchat system.

The Money Advice Service (MAS) and The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) say the new service will ensure customers are connected to the most appropriate webchat platform for information on the pensions topic they need to discuss.

Since January 2016, TPAS and MAS have been working together to ensure telephone helpline callers with pension queries are connected to TPAS and those with wider financial questions have their calls answered by MAS.

The move comes ahead of a planned merger between MAS, The Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise. The aim is to have a new merged organisation in place after autumn 2018. MAS, TPAS and Pension Wise will continue to run until the new body is launched.

Following on from the success of the joint working initiative, TPAS and MAS have now extended cooperation to cover live webchat services on their respective consumer-facing websites, moneyadviceservice.org and pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk, they say.

Michelle Cracknell, chief executive of TPAS said: “This is a great example of playing to your strengths. MAS has been able to offer an enhanced service to its customers, it reduces costs and the customer gets to speak to a pension specialist. With us now both working together on webchat, we are looking forward to this initiative going from strength to strength.”

Charles Counsell, chief executive of MAS added: “It's important for customers to get the specialist guidance they need and we’re really delighted that we are now able to directly transfer our web-based customers to TPAS when those customers have questions related to pensions.

“TPAS and MAS will look for further ways to improve our services and in due course we are looking forward to joining up our customer journey completely in the new Single Financial Guidance Body.”