Capita has advised civil servants using its troubled UK pension portal to hold off on reaching out for assistance until new chatbots are implemented to address the ongoing issues.
In November 2023, Capita secured a substantial contract worth £239 million (approximately $322 million) to oversee the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), which serves 1.7 million members and manages future pension benefits totaling around £189 billion.
The service officially launched on December 1 of last year but was met with numerous glitches and errors that left many users frustrated. Members encountered problems such as unrecognized passwords and usernames, broken links, and even incomplete web elements displaying placeholder text, indicating a lack of thorough testing and readiness.
A communication sent to members on December 17 by managing director Chris Clements, which was reviewed by The Register, assured users that Capita was "working tirelessly to deliver the experience" they expect from the service.
Clements mentioned, "New chatbots and additional methods to contact CSPS will be introduced in the coming weeks. Therefore, if your inquiry isn't urgent, we ask that you wait until these new features are live in the New Year before reaching out again. This will allow us to concentrate on implementing these enhancements and ensure a seamless transition for all members."
The email highlighted that this transition was notable as it marked "the largest ever migration of a public sector pension scheme to a new administrator, completed on schedule."
Looking ahead, Clements promised that the CSPS would evolve into one of the most significant services in the UK, with artificial intelligence playing a key role. "By March, we will be rolling out an array of intuitive digital tools designed to offer you greater transparency and control. A new feature called Track My Case will allow you to monitor the progression of your case in real-time, while Retire Online will assist you in planning and managing your retirement more effectively," he explained to the members.
As the service develops, further automation and AI integration are expected to enhance accuracy and efficiency, enabling users to access more information and complete tasks online rather than through emails or phone calls.
However, social media users have expressed their confusion and frustration in response to Capita's remarks. One Reddit user aptly captured the sentiment, stating, "We don't need AI at the center of the website; we need it to function properly without placeholder text everywhere."
The Register has reached out to Capita for their comments regarding this situation.
An insider familiar with discussions between the Cabinet Office, which awarded the contract, and Capita users informed The Register that early launch days likely saw system performance hindered by a surge of members trying to log in and verify their information. They noted that members have been advised to wait until early spring, when annual statements will be issued, to access the portal unless they need to resolve an urgent issue.
Previously, Capita faced scrutiny when it was fined £14 million for a 58-hour delay that exposed personal data of 6.6 million records.
In a previous statement, a spokesperson for Capita extended apologies for any inconvenience during the launch period, explaining that after the system outage in the last week of November and the considerable backlog inherited from the previous provider, Capita encountered contact volumes that were several times higher than usual during the initial days of operation.
The CSPS was formerly managed by MyCSP under a £238 million contract established in 2012. MyCSP operated as a mutual partnership involving employee stakeholders who owned 25% of the firm and a private sector partner, Equiniti. This partnership took over management from Capita in 2016.
In December of last year, the public service union PCS indicated that Microsoft was providing support for the CSPS as one of the platform partners, but Capita did not disclose additional details.
