Superannuation funds today face a growing challenge: how to meet rising expectations for member service while managing increasing regulatory pressure, all without blowing out costs. 

For many funds, the technology that underpins their operations is struggling to keep up.

The legacy problem behind modern service expectations

At the heart of most super funds is a registry system; a robust, proven platform for recording transactions, investments, holdings, and insurance details. These registries process billions of dollars in member funds and handle millions of transactions securely.

But while registries excel at storing transactional data, they weren’t built for the modern era of member engagement. Many are 20+ years old, lack APIs, and aren’t ready for real-time integration let alone the age of agentic AI.

This creates a problem: today’s members expect personalised service, faster responses, and seamless digital experiences, expectations shaped by industries like banking, retail, and travel, and yet, super funds’ core systems can’t deliver these experiences alone.

The result? Many funds struggle with fragmented systems, manual processes, and siloed data leading to poor visibility across the member journey and slower, less effective service.

A new approach to engagement

This is where Superware Unify comes in.

Unify was purpose-built by Superware to bridge this gap: it works alongside your fund’s registry and other core systems (like insurance platforms, mobile apps, and websites), providing a single, integrated customer relationship management (CRM) platform for engaging members, employers, advisors and your other stakeholders such as beneficiaries and claimants.

Think of it as a “single pane of glass” that gives your teams a complete, human-centred view of every member, not just their account number, but their full history, interactions, and propensities across all channels.

Unify enables better service, faster responses, and a much more cohesive member experience while also reducing operational costs.

But why does a unified platform matter?

Historically, many super funds managed engagement in silos, with separate systems for employers, members, and advisors. But in reality, these audiences are deeply connected, and teams need to work across them. For example:

• An education team member running a workplace seminar needs to access both employer data and member records.
  
  
• Contact centre staff must view both employer and member information to resolve complex queries.
  
  
• Advisors need a full picture of the member’s journey, not just fragmented account details.
  
  

With Unify, everyone works from the same platform ensuring a consistent experience for members, employers, and internal teams. No more jumping between systems or reconciling conflicting data.

Responding to regulatory pressure

Since the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, regulatory scrutiny on super funds has intensified. Boards of trustees are under pressure to demonstrate better oversight, particularly in areas like complaints handling, claims processing, and member communications.

Unify helps funds address these risks by:

• Providing full visibility across member interactions
• Supporting compliance workflows (such as “know your member” and identity verification)
• Tracking all interactions, including phone calls, cases, events, and more
• Allowing timely responses to member issues and regulatory enquiries
  
  

With regulators now actively monitoring fund performance in these areas (and media scrutiny following) having a modern engagement platform is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s becoming essential.

Case in point: real-world results

A leading top-five super fund with over one million members recently rolled out Unify as part of a major transformation program. The implementation, from initial workshops to go-live, was completed in just nine months; a significant achievement in this complex environment.

During a recent visit to the fund’s new contact centre, our Superware team observed Unify in action: consultants were handling member calls using the platform, delivering faster and more effective responses. In fact, Unify was reported as the most stable application in the centre’s technology stack, a testament to its robustness and ease of use and demonstrating the tangible benefits of moving to a unified engagement platform.

Competing on more than fees and performance

Traditionally, super funds have competed on investment performance and fees. But as those margins narrow, member experience is becoming a key differentiator.

There’s a significant opportunity for a forward-thinking fund to lead the market in this space, much like major banks have done with customer-centric technology.

With Unify, funds can pursue this opportunity, transforming how they engage members and build loyalty in an increasingly competitive market.

When should you start?

The simple answer: as soon as possible.

Regulatory pressure is growing, member expectations are rising, and legacy systems are holding many funds back. Those who act now can get ahead of the curve both in compliance and in member experience.

As the Royal Commission’s aftershocks continue to shape the industry, now is the time to invest in engagement and transparency, not after a compliance breach or media headline forces the issue.

The industry is entering an age of engagement.

Performance and fees will always matter, but how well a fund understands, supports, and serves its members will increasingly define its reputation and long-term success.

Unify gives super funds the tools to compete on this new playing field:

• Smarter, more efficient workflows
• Stronger compliance and risk management
• A unified view of members, employers, and advisors
• A better experience for members at every touchpoint

It’s not about replacing your registry. It’s about augmenting it and giving your teams the power to engage members like never before. For funds that want to lead (and not just keep up) now is the time to act.