Next steps to get people saving long-term

However it set a bar for the industry and this can only be improved upon, providers and advisers have claimed.

According to Peter Bradshaw, national account director for Selectapension, there is still more work to be done around education and managing people’s expectations about retirement income.

“We need more education and to manage expectations about retirement income.”

Although some people may argue A-Day complicated, rather than simplified matters, Alistair McQueen, retirement and pensions manager for Aviva, thinks A-Day was the “first act” in a “positive revolution” to make pensions more accessible for more people.

He explains: “Complication remains, but I’d rather continue our work from here than turn the clock back to 2006.

“Our responsibility is now to help savers understand this clearer landscape; encourage greater personal responsibility; and support individuals in the achievement of their financial goals.

“A-Day was arguably the first act in this positive revolution.”

Jacqui Reid, associate director for Sackers, says: “It is important for advisers, providers and trustees to prepare members for retirement at an earlier stage and engage their members in the process.

“We are seeing more regular reminders to review retirement options, for example in annual benefit statements and annual newsletters.

“Scheme design is important but the way in which people communicate is even more so. Thinking creatively about how to engage members in their retirement provision are seeing increased levels of engagement from members.”

Yet access to advice - whether personal or corporate - is a big issue now for the pensions industry.

Mr Bradshaw adds: “The pensions freedoms have highlighted pension planning but access to professional advice is limited.

“We believe developments in technology will improve access to advice for those with straightforward planning requirements.”

While the long-awaited Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) has acknowledged this, with the government planning to create cost-effective guidance and advice models delivered in the workplace - there will be many months before any real positive changes come into play.

Techological advances, also highlighted in FAMR, may play a part in helping advisers drive better engagement among both clients and prospective client groups.

Says Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon, “A pension dashboard, where people can see all their pensions online, including the state pension, in one place, could be a step forward in helping clients plan for their retirement.

“People will be able to see exactly what they have built up and what more they need to do, including consolidation, to achieve the retirement income to which they aspire.”

Yet this proposed dashboard will not come into effect until 2019, before which, as Ms Reid points out, “the government could also do more by ensuring a stability in pensions policy that has been lacking over the last few years”.

Basically, politicians must stop playing football with pensions. As Neil MacGillivray, head of technical support for James Hay says: “The constant tinkering and belief the government will move the goal posts at a later day naturally leads to people’s unwillingness to commit to long-term savings.

“Pensions are long-term and need stability.”