Podcasts launched on Mercer Wealth Solutions website
Podcast technology was launched on Mercer Wealth Solutions’ award winning website, becoming one of the first superannuation services providers in Australia to offer the service.
The podcast launch follows recognition of Mercer Wealth Solutions’ online service at the 2007 Rainmaker Marketing Excellence Awards late last week, honouring wealth management marketing, sales and business development.
The website won 2007 Best Website of the Year in the Financial Planning category against a field of major industry players.
Member Services Leader for Mercer in Australia/New Zealand, Anthony Schiavo, said the award would further encourage Mercer Wealth Solutions to push technological boundaries in super, especially in online education.
Its ongoing goal is to use new media, such as podcasts, to engage people with their super. The beauty of podcasts is you can listen and learn about super on the move.
They are an excellent medium for tech savvy, mobile and time-poor professionals who want a dynamic super experience.
Each podcast is an audio presentation on current super or financial topics, produced by Mercer Wealth Solutions’ education team, which runs seminars for up to 25,000 members annually.
Current podcasts include the 2007 Federal Budget and Better Super. It is proposed that a new podcast will be released each month. Better Super creates a jump in demand for services.
Schiavo said the Federal Government’s Better Super changes have contributed to a massive increase in demand for online, helpline, education and financial advisory services.
He said the number of Mercer Super Trust online visitors had increased by almost 50% since the changes were announced 12 months ago and webinar (online seminar) sessions have jumped more than 50%.
Growth in members using online interactive tools has dkyrocketed over the past year.
Mercer Wealth Solutions compared its web traffic volume from April 2006, the month before the super changes were announced, to April 2007. In April 2007, Mercer recorded:
- Unique members to the Mercer Super Trust website increased by 47.4%
- Over 1,200 webinar sessions in the month, a 51.7% increase
- Total online transactions across all websites increased 29.5% to more than 195,000
Its booming web traffic suggests people have a thirst for Better Super information. But they think the Better Super changes have also acted as a mental trigger among members generally, prompting them to engage with their accounts. This lift in engagement is mirrored across all its service delivery channels.
In April 2007, Mercer Wealth Solutions helpline services managed an average 1,252 calls per day, which was an increase of 33.5% on April 2006. In May 2007, the average daily call volume grew to 1,672, a 35% increase on the previous month.
Preparation of Statements of Advice in April 2007 by Mercer Wealth Solutions’ financial advice helpline, which offers members and clients access to limited financial advice over the telephone, increased by 110% compared to April 2006.
During April 2007, Mercer education services consultants conducted 53 seminars around the country to approximately 900 people.
Schiavo said the increased activity further strengthened the case for Australian employers and super funds to provide integrated wealth and superannuation services.
The podcasts are available at Mercer Wealth Solutions’ website for its 20,000 private clients, 200,000 MST members and the public.
6-Jun-2007