Pension initiation

I am entitled to a pension from my former employer. I could start it at any time but it is greatly to my advantage to wait until I am 55. This means starting it in November. On Monday I called to start the process. I will be sent some forms detailing my options. It is my understanding that taking it in the form of a single life annuity is clearly best but I will double check before committing myself. I can't procrastinate too long however as there are some time constraints and apparently missing them is bad as retroactive payments aren't made.