Customer service
View from the top: The pace of change
Twenty years ago the world wide web was in its infancy. E-mail, if it was used in the insurance industry, was limited and contained within organisations. Letters and faxes dominated. We may have had second generation mobile phones but the first UK text…
Duty of care ruling overturned by appeals court
Surveyors and their insurers can "breathe a huge sigh of relief" according to lawyers, after the appeal court limited the duty of care owed to buy-to-let property investors.
Customer service: Employee engagement key to improved results
Improving employee engagement can positively impact the customer experience, according to Jo Causon, chief executive at the Institute of Customer Services.
Customer service: Process improvements can provide 30% to 50% cost reductions
Businesses can be much more "intuitive to change" by improving their process management, rather than just focusing on workflow.
Customer service: Customer service at risk due to desire to reduce overheads
Companies need to be alert to the danger of compromising customer service in their attempts to reduce overheads, warned David Tryon, director of client management at DST Global Solutions.
Customer service: Social media highlights customer expectations
The spread of social media as a means for consumers to voice opinions on how businesses treat them is driving the need for boardrooms to take their customers' views and expectations more seriously.
Customer service: Brand no longer a guarantee of standards
It is becoming harder for companies to rely on the strength of their brand to prove their service credentials, according to speakers at the breakfast briefing.
Giles wins two stars in customer service assessment
Giles Insurance Brokers has been awarded an 'outstanding' two-star rating in its first independent assessment on customer service.
View from the top: Trust is our bedrock
Last month, I attended the funeral of a good friend, Damien Doran, who worked for Perkins Slade, a great broking firm in Birmingham. Damien was the best of our industry. A man you could rely on to do the right thing for his clients, respected by everyone…
PSTF: Key to improved customer service held by technology chiefs
Chief information officers and chief technology officers are poised to become the real heroes in the drive to provide customers with the products and services they desire from insurers.
PSTF: Multi-channel business driven by customer empowerment
Insurers need to get out of the "multiple channel" mindset as their customers become more empowered, according to Richard Burdge, chief marketing officer at Thunderhead.
View from the top: Together we're stronger
It's always good to reflect back on the Biba conference, given how quickly it goes when you're there.
Career development & CSR: Bluefin wins regional apprenticeship award
Bluefin Insurance Services has fought off stiff competition, including underground maintenance firm Tube Lines and engineering specialist Babcock International Group, to be crowned large employer of the year in the London regional final of the…
Damage management - Surge: Surging ahead
Recent surge events have shown insurers are getting better at coping with large numbers of claims but there is still room for improvement. Sam Barrett finds out what could make a crucial difference the next time an extreme event occurs.
Career development & CSR: First six BGL apprentices win full-time jobs at Fusion's contact centre
The first six young people to win places on an apprenticeship scheme launched last year by BGL have secured full-time jobs at its Sunderland-based Fusion contact centre.
View from the top: positive mental attitude
I believe that commercial organisations of all shapes and sizes can learn a lot from the way athletes continually look to improve their performance in the quest to outperform the competition.
Postbox: time to up the ante in fight against fraud?
Graham Odiam's article on 'first-party fraud' touches on a moral dilemma. Insurers have a desire to retain policyholders by providing a good service — both at policy inception and at claim time — but also need to prevent and detect fraud efficiently.
In series - first-party fraud: everyone's a loser
Few consumers see insurance fraud as the criminal offence it really is. Graham Odiam looks at research to find out why this is and explains how everyone will lose out until this perception is changed.
Business process outsourcing: innovate and invigorate
Innovation is a much prized commodity for any company with ambition, yet insurers still seem to be treading a cost-cutting backwater when it comes to outsourcing, writes Colin Gray.
Claims Club news: Market beginning to embrace telematics
The use of telematics technology is a vital tool in combating "dodgy claims" —and securing first notification of loss information almost instantaneously — according to Mike Brockman, joint CEO and founder of Insure the Box.
Postbox: Winning the battle for hearts and minds
It was really interesting to read the archived Post article highlighting comment made 50 years ago by Noel Hickey, chairman of the Galway Centre of the Insurance Institute of Ireland, on how the insurance industry was failing to gain consumer and media…
HNW - rates: costs under control
The customer is currently winning in the mid and high net worth sectors, with rates only climbing slowly. David Sweeney looks at what the industry must do to price for profit and continue to provide great service.
Giles £100m corporate target bolstered by wins
Giles Insurance Brokers' efforts to grow its corporate book of business to £100m within 12 to 18 months has been boosted with a series of business wins.
E-business: Customer service must be priority
The chief executive of online commercial provider Simply Business has said the insurance industry must become more customer-centric if it is to catch up with the online revolution.