QR codes used for fast and easy access for employees to retirement accounts

Securian offers convenient way for workers to check their balances with their smartphones.

Employees with retirement plans through Securian can now use their smartphones to scan QR codes on their quarterly statements and envelopes, which can direct them instantly to their account information.

When the barcodes are scanned, the smartphone users are directed to the Securian mobile website.

There, they can check their current balances, as well as view their contribution rates in addition to their retirement account personal rates of return. According to the vice president of retirement plans at Securian, Rick Ayers, “Participants want to see their information anytime, anywhere. The QR codes and mobile site give them access to their accounts whether they’re at the airport, the mall or sitting in front of the TV.”

Securian Retirement’s QR codes lead to a dedicated mobile site, not a replica of the full website.

Instead of attempting to take on too much by creating a mobile website that would mirror the full standard website, they created and constructed – in house – a place where people can quickly and easily find the information they want, when they want it. With the use of QR codes to direct them to the site, the process becomes even simpler. When the barcodes are scanned, the site appears automatically.

Ayers explained that they changed the look of the site significantly to make it more mobile friendly. They brought the account contact links higher up on the screen and tightened the copy. They also included embedded links available at a single touch, in order to provide more intuitive and simple navigation.

The full website is still available to plan participants who wish to sign up for electronic statements instead of receiving the paper versions through the mail. Those services are not, however, available through the QR codes that lead to the mobile website.

Securian Financial Group was first established in 1880 and both it and its affiliates have been providing retirement plans, investments, and insurance to individuals since that time. Today it is one of the largest financial service providers and works hard to remain at the cutting edge of what their clients want, including mobile commerce sites and QR codes.