Although we are all very excited about the launch of the new PensionSync Dashboard, it is important to note that the new Dashboard is a beginning of a new chapter, rather than an end to an old one. The Dashboard will be the platform upon which we continually develop the PensionSync product so that it can continue to transform payroll-to-pension processing and continue, ultimately, to create happier payroll teams. 

There are 3 headline features on the PensionSync road map for the next few months. 

1. External Web Login 

This will allow you to create a username and password so that you can access the Dashboard from anywhere, without having to be logged in to your payroll software first. This will be particularly useful if you want to access the system simply to check whether something has gone through, or to request or access a management report.  

This will also enable new users to create a PensionSync account without needing a digital link from their payroll software to do so. 

2. Flexible File Upload

This means that for the first time you will be able to upload data into PensionSync flexibly, using a CSV file rather than a digital link to your payroll software. 

There are two main use cases for this. Firstly, you might use payroll software that doesn’t have a digital link to PensionSync - such as Xero or Sage. Flexible File Upload, coupled with external log in, frees you up use PensionSync with these software products - you can simply drag and drop all your files into PensionSync. 

Secondly, your payroll software might have a digital link to PensionSync, but every so often you might find that you can’t get the data to do what you need it to do. Typically that might happen if you have taken on a new client and you have historic submissions that need catching up on - handling enrolments and leavers in particular can become quite difficult. The Flexible File Upload option helps you to navigate around these scenarios more easily.   

The External Web Login and Flexible File Upload features are at quite advanced stages of development, and they should be live within a matter of weeks. These will give more payroll users access to the flexibility and efficiency of PensionSync, resulting in a greater number of happier payroll teams and also happier pension providers. When receiving data through PensionSync pension providers experience a dramatic increase in data received right-first-time. That means less support demand for the pension providers, reducing operating costs and streamlining customer experience. In other words, everyone wins. 

3. Quick Fix Error Handling

This feature is currently at an earlier stage of development and some of the detail needs to be finalised, but the key concept is that you will be able to fix data errors in the Dashboard, rather than having to go back into payroll, make a correction, and resubmit the data. We know that reworking payroll data can in itself be difficult, so we want to take that pain away.

One example would be if a pension data file fails because an employee has the wrong enrolment type. This happens quite commonly, and we know it can be quite tricky to correct in payroll. We plan to have a correction wizard for these scenarios in PensionSync which will allow you to select the correct enrolment type so that in the data can simply go through and be accepted by the pension provider. This further increases the efficiency of using PensionSync, making it easier for you to manage errors in your payroll-to-pension processing and reducing payroll rework. Again, it’s a feature that benefits pension providers too, because it will increase their right-first-time count even further. Ultimately this has benefits throughout the pension chain, as pension providers which are less bogged down in supporting error-heavy CSV upload processes are freed up to concentrate on their main aim of providing good outcomes for pension scheme members.

There are a number of other features lined up and, as ever, we expect user feedback to help drive this development process - so please do get in touch and let us know what you want to see. The PensionSync Help Centre has a Community forum in which you can start conversations, so that’s a great place to suggest new features.