Nearly 80 per cent of respondents to the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund's (UNJSPF) 2026 Client Experience Survey reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the Fund's services, demonstrating continued strong levels of client satisfaction worldwide.

The survey was sent to more than 190,000 participants and beneficiaries in July 2026 and generated over 10,000 responses. The overall client experience score remained stable at 4.00 out of 5.00, matching the result recorded in 2025.

Digital services continue to support positive client experiences

Almost 50 per cent of survey respondents reported contacting the Fund during the previous 12 months. Among those respondents, online channels were the most frequently used method of contact, accounting for more than 70 per cent of interactions, followed by phone, other channels and in-person interactions.

Among respondents who contacted the Fund, those whose primary interaction was in person reported the highest overall satisfaction levels, followed by those who mainly used phone and online channels.

The survey also provided the first comprehensive assessment of the new Member Self-Service (MSS) Portal. More than 70 per cent of respondents indicated that the portal had a positive impact on their overall satisfaction with UNJSPF services.

These findings suggest that recent investments in digital self-service capabilities are helping clients access information and services more efficiently while contributing positively to the overall client experience.

Satisfaction levels vary across client groups

Overall satisfaction remained strong and stable. Against this positive backdrop, the survey provides useful insights into the experiences of different client groups.

Beneficiaries continued to report higher satisfaction than participants, with the gap between the two groups widening this year. This highlights an opportunity to better understand participants’ expectations and identify where their experience can be strengthened.

Among participants, satisfaction level were lower across all contributory service groups, rather than concentrated within any particular segment. Participants with longer contributory service continued to report higher satisfaction than those newer to the Fund.

Importantly, the shift in participants’ satisfaction reflects an increase in neutral responses rather than a significant increase in negative perceptions. This suggests an opportunity to better engage participants and understand what would move their experience from neutral to positive.

Staff interactions remain the strongest driver of satisfaction

A new analysis introduced in 2026 examined how ten service-related factors influenced overall satisfaction with the Fund.

Among respondents, interactions with UNJSPF staff were most frequently identified as having either a positive or negative impact on their overall experience, underscoring the important role staff play in shaping perceptions of the Fund.

For beneficiaries reporting positive experiences, the factors most frequently cited as contributing to their overall satisfaction were interactions with Fund staff, the reliability of benefit payments, the timeliness of benefit processing and the Digital Certificate of Entitlement process.

For participants reporting positive experiences, the factors most frequently cited included interactions with Fund staff, the ease of contacting the UNJSPF, resources available on the UNJSPF public website, the monthly UNJSPF newsletter and UNJSPF town hall sessions.

Opportunities for further improvement

Respondents also highlighted ways in which their experience could be further improved, including faster response times, more frequent status updates, clearer explanations of benefits and calculations, simpler portal navigation, greater transparency throughout benefit-processing workflows, and expanded multilingual and accessibility support.

“The 2026 survey confirms that participants and beneficiaries continue to value the Fund's core services, with reliability, professionalism and digital modernization remaining key strengths,” said Rosemarie McClean, Chief Executive of the UNJSPF. “The feedback also tells us where we can do better. We will use these insights to continue to improve the client experience and deliver even more responsive services, wherever they are in the world.”

The survey findings will help shape the Fund’s priorities for the year ahead, with a continued focus on making interactions simpler, communication clearer and support easier to access.