Customer service
Interview - Bobby Gracey & Dr James Lygate: The future of forensics
Despite an abrupt and fractious first meeting many years ago, Bobby Gracey and Dr James Lygate are now business partners. The duo explain their plans for growth and diversification at IFIC.
View from the top: Expect the unexpected
The industry must continue to adapt and evolve to meet constant changes to the market, says Mark Hodges.
View from the top: Value added pacts
The industry must band together to push the added value that insurers offer, says Elliot Miller.
Career development: LV creates Bristol roles
LV is expanding its Bristol-based operations, creating 50 new roles in the city. The insurer, which employs 500 people in Bristol, is boosting its customer service division and will to bring in the new staff during the first quarter of this year, with…
Employment: Hiring and firing
There are two sides to the recruitment story in the insurance industry — while some are reducing their headcount, others are looking to bring in fresh faces.
Claims v underwriting: Bridging the divide
While sharing the same goals, claims and underwriting are often disparate divisions. What can be done to help unify these two departments?
FSA slaps CICA with £2.8m fine for poor customer treatment
Combined Insurance Company of America has been fined £2.8m by the Financial Services Authority after “systematic failings” across the business were identified.
PSTF: Positive feedback can be harnessed via social media
Harnessing positive policyholder feedback with emerging technologies has been highlighted as an important step towards countering consumer criticism via social media sites, while simultaneously enhancing the brand image of insurers.
PSTF: Post’s STF last week debated customer engagement and future recruitment
Insurers have been urged to use emerging technologies to change the way they interact with customers, by exploiting the growth in social and telematics data. According to an expert analyst, this will forge a “win win” relationship with consumers who…
Interview - Edward Fitzmaurice: Broking promises
With Hastings Direct on the cusp of becoming a top five broker and securing its one millionth customer, 2012 could be a landmark year for chief executive Edward Fitzmaurice
Technology - Natural language processing: Getting to know you
The data gained from knowing your customers can be invaluable, improving sales, services and customer retention. But how can unstructured data be analysed?
View from the top: Embrace the post-Jackson world
The Jackson reforms present a real opportunity. As we await the Ministry of Justice consultation response, let’s be optimistic and assume full implementation next year at sustainable costs levels with real incentives to keep cases ‘on track’.
Online client contact is not possible without personal attention
In the future, personal client contact will be replaced principally by online client contact according to a poll by CED.
PSTF: ‘Outside-in’ approach needed to crack customer service
Insurers have been urged to adopt an “outside-in” approach to business in a bid to crack the customer service challenge and stand out from competitors – with chief information officers cited as best placed to execute this strategy.
PSTF: Customer experience: the new battleground
Providing a compelling customer experience will be the critical basis of competition for insurers in 2012 and the foreseeable future. This was the main message from Richard Edwards, principal analyst at Ovum, pictured, on managing IT strategy in an ever…
View from the top: An apple a day
‘We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them,’ was something Apple founder Steve Jobs once said to a journalist eager to unpick the secrets that underpinned the firm’s meteoric rise to become one of the biggest companies in…
Data usage: Made to measure
Can insurers rise to the challenge of utilising multiple real-time data sources to maximise sales while minimising exposure?
Customers revolt over hefty fines as eCar takes zero tolerance approach
Brightside has rebutted policyholder complaints about the practices of its online broker eCar. It follows claims by customers that they have reported the broker to the Financial Services Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Interview - Duncan Spencer: Calling the shots
Mobile phone insurance has been branded ‘useless’ by some and touted as the next potential mis-selling scandal, but Duncan Spencer believes there is a growing need for the product.
Seven in 10 insurers admits being "average" or "weak" in meeting customer needs
While the majority of insurers (91%) believe future growth depends on providing a special customer experience, most of them do not currently see themselves as providing differentiated products and levels of service, according to findings of a global…
Homeserve shares crash after sales suspension
Homeserve joined the mis-selling scandal this week when it suspended telephone sales of its home emergency policies, after an internal review by Deloitte found its processes fell “below the standard it had set itself”.
Rok - one year on: Bearing up after Rok
When Rok went into administration, insurers had to respond rapidly. One year on, how are they coping and what lessons have they learned?
Chubb Europe makes UK & Ireland appointment
Chubb Insurance Company of Europe has appointed Jon Nottingham, sales and marketing manager UK & Ireland.
Cyber risks in the modern business
Technology is evolving every day and as Iain Ainslie explains if brokers want to offer their customer the best cover possibly they need to be aware of all risks and the specialist policies available to help them.