18 Sep 2016

Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) has in-sourced its fund administration and financial services function that was previously performed by Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited to improve convenience, data security and cost efficiency for members.
Addressing a press conference  in Gaborone on September 15, BPOPF chief executive officer, Ms Boitumelo Molefe, said a number of things had changed within the fund’s structure. Effective June 1, Ms Molefe said all services that were previously performed by Alexander Forbes would be done in-house.
As a one stop shop for all member queries, she said the in-housing strategy would prove beneficial to members, as it would increase their interaction with members and members’ satisfaction.
“We view trust and transparency as a vital part of our service delivery. Through this transition, our members are guaranteed proficient data security and cost efficiency, as we will be tasked with the responsibility for the operational, financial and performance management of the fund,” she said.
In line with the in-sourcing, BPOPF CEO said they had also developed a new strategy that would guide the fund for the next five years, ‘so that we achieve what the board intends us to achieve.’
Through the new strategy, she said the fund would leverage its asset base, to do more with less, in terms of providing services to members.
“We also want to optimise this operating model overtime, to ensure that over the next few years our processes are optimised and we have standardised the way we do things,” she said.
“We are also looking at risk management and governance of the fund. We want to hold ourselves to the highest levels of ethics, as we invest our members’ funds. We also want to hold our key service providers to these high levels of ethics as well,” she added.
Since taking over services, BPOPF CEO said the fund had increased its staff complement to ensure that it delivered a good member service ‘so, we require that this team is a high performing team.
Additionally, to achieve its objectives, she said the fund, with its high performing team, would do business with service providers that upheld highest levels of ethics.  
“As we provide these services, we will hold ourselves to high levels of integrity to our members. We will be accountable to our members. We will have a strong customer focus and act with Botho in everything we do,” she added.
As part of improving its customer service, BPOPF Fund Administration director, Ms Gaolatlhe Otsetswe, said the fund had also established a Call Centre.
“This is to ensure that all incoming calls into BPOPF go through and the clients will be assisted accordingly,” she added.
The Call Centre, which will be officially launched and opened to BPOPF members soon, Ms Otsetswe said was still undergoing testing in the live mode to afford Call Centre staff on the job training and attend to any challenges that might arise during the testing phase. Its number is 0800 600 177.
The fund, she said was thriving to increase member satisfaction levels and was using the first six months of the in-sourcing as a learning curve to; develop new service standards which would be communicated with members and leverage technology to communicate with members through; sms, emails and system portals.
In addition, BPOPF Fund Administration director said the fund was also intensifying member communication; building rapport with all key stakeholders, reviewing current member products and continuous improvement in service delivery.ENDS