Emotions and technology in pension service interactions: Taking stock and moving forward

Pension service interactions, such as call center or email contact between pension provider and pension plan participant, are inherently social interactions. As such they can be emotionally charged, particularly since pension services lie at the heart of a person’s financial well-being. A negative experience with a pension provider can result in negative sentiments by pension plan participants. These may then constitute a barrier to effective and efficient pension service interaction, thereby hindering optimal outcomes for participants, employees, and their employers. This design paper discusses the role of emotions within pension service interactions and how this role may change in the light of current and future technological advances. Specifically, we (1) discuss the current status of pension service interactions, (2) shed light on how emotions and technology impact these interactions, and (3) discuss how technology can help to create better pension service interactions. Within the context of these interactions, we can conclude that the human aspect is here to stay (at least for the near future) and that technology can improve human interaction, instead of replacing it.