Use case · German pension reform
Keeping your Riester customers: guiding the switch to the retirement savings account personally
From 2027, no new Riester contracts will be concluded. Existing contracts continue – but every customer can switch to the new retirement savings account (Altersvorsorgedepot), including with another provider. The PBM Campaign Platform contacts your Riester customers in good time: with their contract, their agency and the channel that is permitted for them.
Your personal overview
Data protection: no data is displayed without date of birth and code.
Ms Krüger, your Riester pension and the reform
- Keep contract
- Explore retirement account
- Advice
Riester pension insurance since 2011
contributions active, two children
Agentur Kaya · Musterversicherung AG
Definition
What does the pension reform change for Riester customers?
With the German Pension Reform Act (Altersvorsorgereformgesetz), the retirement savings account (Altersvorsorgedepot) arrives on 1 January 2027 as a new state-subsidised private pension product. From then on, no new Riester contracts will be concluded. Existing contracts keep their subsidies; anyone who wishes can switch to a retirement savings account.
For insurers, banks and intermediaries, the Riester portfolio thus becomes a question of switching. If you do not inform your customers yourself, you leave the conversation to other providers. A retention journey addresses every Riester customer about their own contract, explains the options factually and hands over to an adviser as soon as there is interest.
Typical mistakes
Why do providers lose Riester customers without noticing?
Rarely because of the product, mostly because of how customers are approached:
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01
Waiting.
The customer learns about the reform from other providers’ advertising – not from you.
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02
One circular for everyone.
The same text for active, paid-up and nearly mature contracts.
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03
A switching offer at the wrong time.
Someone close to retirement needs information on the payout, not an account offer.
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04
No signal when customers leave.
The transfer request arrives – and nobody called beforehand.
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05
Too many contacts.
Reform information, advertising and the contribution letter all land in the letterbox in the same week.
Reference journey · example
How does the retention journey work for Sabine Krüger?
The example shows the campaign “Riester portfolio 2027” of the fictitious Musterversicherung AG. All names, times and thresholds are sample values that you define yourself. The PBM Campaign Platform does not give advice and does not run accounts – it takes care of the right approach and the handover to your advisers.
Profile · Riester portfolio 2027
- Trigger
Import of the Riester portfolio with contract status, retirement date, number of children and responsible agency. New cases, such as a contract becoming paid-up, start on the monthly import day (always-on campaign).
- Segment
active Riester contract, no objection to advertising.
- Three journeys in one campaign
Active → options and advice. Paid-up → fresh start with the retirement savings account. Retirement in less than five years (sample threshold) → information on the payout phase only, no switching offer.
- Priority
If the policy system reports a transfer request, this signal takes precedence over all other steps.
- Sender
the responsible agency, set on entry.
Steps · journey “Active”
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Four checks before entry.
- Routing: Ms Krüger pays into her contract → journey “Active”.
- Integrity and consent: address complete, email consent given.
- Re-entry: first run.
- Contact frequency: no other marketing contact in the last 14 days.
Send preparation · batch “Reform information”8,640 contacts
- letter only → letter 2,398Why?
- Withdrawal → stopped 27Why?
- Frequency limit reached → postponed 303Why?
This gate cannot be deactivated.
Example · demo dataCompliance gate before the reform information: customers without email consent automatically receive a letter, revocations stop immediately, contacts that are too close together are postponed. Demo data. -
Information on the reform (channel switch).
Ms Krüger receives an email from her agency: what the reform means for her contract – factual, without pressure. Customers without email consent automatically receive a letter with a personal access code. The paragraph on child allowances only appears if the attribute is approved for this purpose.
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Wait for event: login on the landing page (up to 10 days).
Yes → step 5. No → step 4.
Musterversicherung AGYour personal overview
Date of birth masked input✓ verifiedAccess code from your letter masked input✓ verifiedOpen overviewFailed attempts limited · every attempt logged
Date of birth + access codeMusterversicherung AGMs Krüger, your Riester pension and the reform
- Keep contract
- Explore retirement account (selected)
- Advice
Agentur KayaYour agency Choose a dateExample · demo dataLock page with two factors, behind it the personal overview with three options and the agency. Ms Krüger chooses “Explore retirement account”. Fictitious sample data. -
One reminder, then the agency.
A short reminder in the other channel. If there is still no login, the agency receives a task: “Ms Krüger has not responded – please contact her personally.” After that, the journey sends nothing more.
1/1Task for agency
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Personal overview.
After the lock page with date of birth and access code: “Ms Krüger, your Riester pension and the reform”. Three tiles Keep contract · Explore retirement account · Advice, plus her agency with appointment booking. No link contains a contract number.
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Branching according to her choice.
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Signal “transfer requested”.
If the policy system reports a transfer or cancellation request, the retention journey ends immediately. The agency receives a priority task: call personally before the contract leaves. Anyone who switches anyway receives a factual confirmation – and no further advertising.
Sabine Krüger
Riester portfolio 2027Waiting · contract
- Email reform information
- LP login 2 factors ✓
- Option “Explore retirement account”
- Appointment 14 Jan
waiting · up to 45 daysDay 6 of 45
Example · demo dataCustomer card: Ms Krüger has chosen “Explore retirement account”; her participation is waiting for the contract notification. The journey sends nothing during this time. Fictitious sample data. -
Waiting state: “waiting for contract” (up to 45 days).
The participation is set to waiting – visible in the agency’s customer card. The journey sends nothing during this time. When the policy system reports the retirement savings account as concluded, the macro goal is reached. If no notification arrives, the agency receives a reminder task.
waiting · up to 45 days
Goal · customer stays
Send preparation · batch “Reform information”8,640 contacts
- letter only → letter 2,398Why?
- Withdrawal → stopped 27Why?
- Frequency limit reached → postponed 303Why?
This gate cannot be deactivated.
Your personal overview
Failed attempts limited · every attempt logged
Ms Krüger, your Riester pension and the reform
- Keep contract
- Explore retirement account (selected)
- Advice
Sabine Krüger
Riester portfolio 2027Waiting · contract
- Email reform information
- LP login 2 factors ✓
- Option “Explore retirement account”
- Appointment 14 Jan
waiting · up to 45 daysDay 6 of 45
Goals
Micro goals: landing page login · option chosen · appointment booked. Macro goals: retirement savings account concluded in-house or decision to keep the contract confirmed. Both count – what matters is that the customer decides for herself and stays with you.
Exit paths (exactly one reason per exit)
- Converted: retirement savings account concluded or decision to stay confirmed – the journey ends immediately, even in the middle of a waiting period.
- Completed, negative: transfer to another provider · no response · advice without a decision. The reason can be analysed – not just “gone”.
- Left segment: contract cancelled, retirement date reached or status changed (re-import) – automatic exit.
- Adviser intervention: the agency has already spoken to Ms Krüger personally and removes her from the campaign – permanently for this campaign.
- Withdrawal: immediately stops all journeys, overriding all other rules.
For agencies and intermediaries
What does the agency gain from the journey?
The agency sees in the customer card what Ms Krüger has experienced: email received, login with two factors, section on child allowances read, option “Explore retirement account” chosen. It only receives a task when its involvement matters – above all when a transfer is requested. And it can remove Ms Krüger from the campaign at any time if it prefers to have the conversation itself.
Sabine Krüger
Campaign participations
Riester portfolio 2027Step: option chosen
ActiveActivities
- 08 Jan 07:30Email reform information
- 08 Jan 19:04LP login · 2 factors ✓
- 08 Jan 19:07Section “Child allowances” read (1:50 min)
- 08 Jan 19:09Option “Explore retirement account” Sample data
Actions
Variants
How does the journey work for insurers, banks and sales organisations?
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Insurers
Riester pension insurance
InsurersThe sender is the responsible agency. Options on the landing page: keep contract, your own retirement savings account, advice. Trigger: portfolio import from the policy system.
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Banks & cooperative banking groups
Riester bank and fund savings plan
Banks & cooperative banking groupsThe sender is the branch adviser. The retirement savings account can be run in-house. Customers without email consent automatically receive a letter with an access code.
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Sales organisations & broker networks
A portfolio spread across many intermediaries
Brands & locationsHead office sets content and rules, every intermediary speaks in their own brand. Handover only goes to intermediaries with the matching attribute – such as the required licence.
Personalisation
What is individual in this journey?
‘Individual for every recipient – but only with data approved for that purpose.’
- Journey by contract status: active, paid-up, close to retirement
- Agency or adviser with name, photo and appointment booking
- Paragraphs by rule, e.g. on child allowances – only with an approved attribute
- Channel based on consent
- Landing page with the customer’s own options
- Brand: every company or sales organisation in its own corporate design
Journey “Active”
Child allowance paragraph: approved
Channel: email (consent given)
Sender: Agentur Kaya
Measure
How do you measure a retention journey for the Riester portfolio?
| KPI | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Landing page logins per channel and segment | Whether the information gets through |
| Option chosen (keep / explore / advice) | How the customer base decides |
| Handovers to the agency and appointments | Whether personal contact is established |
| Retirement savings accounts concluded in-house | Success in new business |
| Confirmed decision to stay | Customers who deliberately stay |
| Transfers to other providers | How much of the portfolio leaves anyway |
| Time to call after a transfer request | Whether the priority works in practice |
Values in screens are demo data. We do not quote industry benchmarks without evidence.
- converted · retirement account30%
- converted · stay confirmed25%
- completed · no response25%
- completed · transfer10%
- left segment10%
Preparation
What should you prepare for a retention journey?
Data
- contract status (active, paid-up)
- expected retirement date
- responsible agency or intermediary
- Postal address and email
- Consent per channel
- Date of birth for the lock page
- personal access code as an attribute per customer
- number of children – only if approved for customer communication
Interface
- one-off import of the portfolio, then monthly
- notification “transfer or cancellation requested” from the policy system
- feedback “retirement savings account concluded”
Consents
- Check email consent or the requirements of Section 7(3) UWG
- Adopt objections to advertising
Content
- reform information in three variants (active, paid-up, close to retirement)
- Lock page
- Landing page with three options
- agency photos
- mandatory texts and product information per brand
- approval by business unit and legal (four-eyes principle)
Rules
- threshold “close to retirement”
- reminder limit
- priority of the transfer signal
- Contact limits
- handover only to intermediaries with the appropriate licence
Frequently asked questions on the Riester reform and the retirement savings account
What changes in 2027 for existing Riester contracts?
Existing Riester contracts keep their subsidies. From 1 January 2027, no new Riester contracts will be concluded. Customers can switch to a retirement savings account – including with another provider. The details are governed by the German Pension Reform Act (Altersvorsorgereformgesetz).
Does the PBM Campaign Platform give advice on the retirement savings account?
No. The PBM Campaign Platform informs customers with your approved texts and hands over to your agency or advisers as soon as a customer shows interest. Whether and where a customer switches is decided in a conversation with a person who holds the licence to advise.
When should you start contacting your Riester customers?
Before other providers reach your customers. In the example, the journey starts with the first portfolio import; new cases such as a contract becoming paid-up are added monthly. You decide the timing and the order of the segments.
What happens if a customer requests a transfer?
When your policy system reports the request, the retention journey ends immediately and the agency receives a priority task. If the customer still decides to switch, they receive a factual confirmation and no further advertising.
How do you avoid too many letters around the reform?
Contact frequency management counts contacts across all campaigns and channels. If another marketing contact was too recent, the reform information is postponed. Mandatory notices are not affected.
Does this also work for sales organisations with many intermediaries?
Yes. Every intermediary appears as a separate brand with name, logo, legal notice and sender. The handover can be tied to an attribute, such as the appropriate licence. An intermediary only sees their own customers.