Quilter has announced the next round of improvements to its platform, as part of its commitment to improve adviser and client experiences.

The first of these enhancements is the introduction of a new pension top up service, which will allow clients to make lump sum top ups to an existing collective retirement account, either online or via the Quilter app.

The service is initiated by their financial advisers, and clients who are subject to the money purchase annual allowance will be notified of any prior payments into the account within the pension input period to support tax efficient planning.

The Quilter platform will now also allow for the use of the faster payments system for single ad-hoc withdrawals and crystallisation payments. This will increase the speed of payments of up to £1m out to clients, further improving the customer experience.

The firm has also introduced an update that will allow advisers and clients to view and update their expression of wish online and via the app, streamlining the process by removing the requirement for advisers to submit a separate form and enabling all changes to be made online.

The change helps to address the concern that pension savers often neglect to nominate beneficiaries or fail to update their expression of wish as a when their preferences change.

The oversight can cause unnecessary distress for family members during an already difficult time.

By moving this process online and integrating it into the mobile app, clients will be able to review and amend their nominations at their convenience, helping to ensure that any benefits paid receive the appropriate tax-free entitlement and are made in line with their latest wishes.

Commercial proposition director at Quilter, Jenny Davidson, said: "Following a series of successful platform upgrades throughout 2023, we are pleased to announce our next instalment of platform enhancements including the addition of the new pension top up service, faster payments and streamlined expression of wish process.

"We regularly engage with advisers and their clients to ensure our regular platform upgrades align with their needs and wants, including via our adviser and customer panels. This direct feedback continues to support our ongoing roadmap of platform improvements.

"Last year we made good progress in terms of improving the user experience of our platform, with launches including our CashHub savings service, the AppHub, and the new co-branding ability which has been adopted by almost 300 firms since launch. We remain committed to continuously improving our platform and we look forward to sharing additional advancements as we move further into the year."

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