Industry superannuation fund Sunsuper is overhauling its financial advice offering to manage the wide-ranging needs of its one million members.
The Queensland-based fund has a created a new department that will feature an integrated advice and service centre where investors can get general advice in relation to their super, insurance and investments.
A super advice team has been assembled that will manage limited personal advice enquiries and referrals to the financial planners and a team to manage the needs of those who have joined the fund's ongoing advice and retirement program, On Track, has been incorporated. It will offer a full, face-to-face service for members who need non-super related investment advice.
The final piece in the puzzle is a division that will handle the specialised needs of the fund's registered employers.
The new centre will replace the services previously provided by Sunsuper's call centre and Member Advice Centre (MAC).
"The beauty of this new model is that it will enable us to better tailor our services to meet individual members' needs from basic, largely transactional advice about their accounts over the phone, to full financial plans - all within the one department," Sunsuper chief executive Tony Lally said.
Steven Travis, who previously headed up the MAC, has been appointed as general manager member and employer service delivery, and will become a member of the fund's executive team.
Three senior management positions have been created as a result of the changes and recruitment has begun for these roles. Lally said there were also plans to expand the size of the financial planning team.
"The new structure was born out of findings from research that showed that members had distinct advice needs at different stages of their lives, which could not be accommodated by a 'one size fits all' advice model," Lally said.
