M&G Investments: Supporting routine tasks

Diligent execution makes online registration comprehensible and difficult to complete incorrectly.

The Site

M&G, the UK’s third largest retail fund manager, is part of the Prudential financial services group operating its own website for private investors and financial advisors. Using a My Account feature, M&G private customers can create and manage pension and other investment accounts online and track their full portfolio, including non-M&G funds and direct shareholdings.

A short registration form begins by asking for confirmation of personal details including address and account number. A Tip panel clarifies requirements. For example, it explains that the account number “can be found on any M&G documentation or correspondence”. If a mistake is made a warning icon appears next to the offending field along with a pop-up indicating what the error might be. Forms cannot be submitted while any icons remain; customers are advised to ‘mouse over’ the icon for more information.

The Takeaway

M&G goes to great lengths to make its online registration both comprehensible and difficult to complete incorrectly. In doing so it uses the web to create a more user-friendly experience for customers and a more efficient one for its own internal processing.

For customers, registration aims to eliminate the time-wasting and frustration commonly encountered with online forms when errors or omissions are signalled only after the whole form has been completed and submitted. The Tips take this a stage further with advice on how to correct the fault.

The advantage to M&G is twofold: it reduces the potential for incorrect or incomplete information entering the system (leading to costly errors or reworking later). And it maximises the use of low-cost online customer support for routine tasks, saving on call centre expenses and freeing up support staff for more specialised problem-solving.

First published on 13 April, 2004