The commuter’s automatic enrolment journey

I am a long suffering member of the Home Counties commuter population. Many will recognise the frustration of overcrowded trains, delays and changes to the timetable! However, I have observed people will board a train, to stand, if it is direct therefore quicker. People will often buy a season ticket because it is (in the long run) cheaper and more convenient.

Now try and think what it might be like if everyone in the local town was required to get to London on the same day. With no way of getting there other than by train, hundreds would descend to the local railway station. It would be very busy, queues out the door, leaving many stranded on the platform. The only solution would be to buy tickets online and have more direct trains…!

This makes me think about what automatic enrolment could be like.

When I talk to employers about their plans for automatic enrolment, I always talk of how NEST works best with their existing payroll technology and processes. How the employer needs to get the correct data, in the right format and upload the correct file. Very similar to the train that stops at all the stations, it does get you there but it’s a longer journey.

Except now we have the fast track service on offer through web services, the payroll software using API technology. API stands for Application Programme Interface – it’s a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. This helps a software provider to automate and integrate technology. Should your payroll or middleware software provider adopt and develop these interfaces it will enable data to be sent to NEST seamlessly. It will be quicker, faster and more efficiently than ever before. It is the equivalent of having your own direct, non-stop train to London, when you want it!

No more queuing or standing, now there’s a thing!