The National Pension Commission (PenCom), has raised its bar of service to customers to ensure protection of rights and effective service delivery to consumers (retirement savings accounts RSA holders and retirees) with the creation of Consumer Protection Department in keeping with its corporate strategy initiative for 2023 to 2027.
The head of the new department Ikenna Chidi-Ebere said PenCom priority has unfolded itself and consumers were now the focal point and, succinctly he stated, “This creation of CPD was anchored on the fact that the Commission’s new strategic plan prioritises the quality of services rendered to consumers in the pension industry.”
The new man on the CPD block said this while delivering a paper at the 2023 Journalists Conference in Lagos tagged “Enhancing Customer Service in the Pension Industry: PenCom New Strategic Plan”
Chidi-Ebere said by adopting a customer-centric approach, the focus of the industry is on understanding the needs and preferences of contributors and retirees.
What follows after he said, is that the pension services are tailored to meet their expectations effectively. Besides this, he said the CPD would develop and implement a Consumer Protection Framework (CPF) to engender more confidence in the pension industry.
The CPD also has the mandate to develop appropriate industry standards (ISs) to improve service delivery so as to ensure that quality products, services and processes are delivered.
CPD which is a replacement for erstwhile Corporate Responsibility and ServiCom Department, would handle complaints from internal and external stakeholders and develop and implement service charter for the pension industry. With a charge to promote pension literacy, trust and customer satisfaction through transparent and structured complaint resolution that places the CPD as the customer charge d’ affairs in PenCom superintending over its own officers, the CPD has oversight powers at its office, the Commission.
Though the ServiCom department of PenCom has been collapsed into the CPD, it still liaises with ServiCom Office/Presidency Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on service delivery.
