Ch 13- CUSTOMER SERVICE Flashcards
What does customer service refer to
The broad activities that a company and its employees undertake in order to satisfy its customer
What is the main aim of good customer service
The customer will continue to do business with the company and also speak positively about the company to other potential customers
What is customer service a combination of
It’s a combination of marketing,strategic planning ,research and systems
In terms of insurance who is a customer
The one who buys insurance product
An insurance customer may be divided to
An insurance customer may be divided to an Internal and External customer
Who are external customers
Any person/businesses who are not employees of the company and are in the position to buy/use the company’s products or to advise others to use or buy its products
Best name for external customers who buy and use insurance products are know as
They are namely commercial customers and consumers. Consumers are an insurance company most important customers
What are the other types of external customers apart from commercial customers and consumers
- Brokers
- Agencies
- third party administrators
- investors
Who are internal customers
Employees of an insurance company who receive service from other employees of the company
How are employees of the company also customers
They invest time and effort in exchange for opportunity to earn a living
Employees of an insurance company are also known as
Stakeholders
Importance of customer service covers three key areas which are
- Consumer Awareness
- Customer Expectations
- Competition
What has given consumers more rights
EU Directives, unfair contract conditions, introduction of codes of conduct and the consequent Legislation
Why is climate insurance as a product susceptible to potential disputes
This is due to its intangible nature, and the fact that the policy as a legal document can’t be worded in a very simplistic way if it’s to reflect what are often complex situations
What type of service do customers expect from insurance companies
They expect value added services i.e 24 hrs helplines,complaint-handling mechanism for disputes and uninsured loss recovery services
In the height of intense competition what element will make the difference and bring back customers and keep them
Customer Service
Every organisation in this competitive world needs to consider
- develop the customer skills of its employees
- build employee confidence and professionalism
What is the most viable customer service activity
Policy administration function
The wide variety of activities under customer service include
- agents that provide service to customers in their home
- enabling customers to conduct their business with the company with freephone number
- setting a telephone network allowing customers to obtain information and conduct business 24 hours
- interactive websites and apps supplying company facts,its activities and products and services
- establishing complaint-handling mechanism
- providing fast turnaround on new business applications
What will codes of conduct or customer care charters set out
They set out the levels of service and standards that the customer can and should expect from the organisation concerned
What is powerful business strategy
providing quality customer service
Customer service can be a strategic weapon, how does it reduce cost
It reduces an organisation costs by helping it retain its customers
How does an insurance contract treat quality control and quality of service standard
They are treated as part of the product and not something distinct from it
What are the main advantages of providing quality customer service
- Customer Loyalty
- Attract new Customers
- Attracting and retaining high quality employees
- Differentiating a company from its competitors
- Improving the company’s profitability
- Increase productivity
- Improving the working environment
What does customer loyalty to an insurance company mean
It means that a customer is more likely to renew/increase their covers on the polices that they currently have, and are more likely to buy additional covers from the company
What will customer loyalty to an insurance company not mean
This does not relieve an insurer of the need to remain competitive
Why is it vital for insurers to instill loyalty in their customers
- It costs on average 4 or 5 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one
- Future underwriting results are more predictable if the underlying portfolio of risks remain fairly constant
If insurer is losing a substantial proportion of its policyholder each year and replacing them with other then
Their is increased volatility in the whole portfolio of b’ness
How is an insurance company able to differentiate itself and its products from its competitors
By offering quality customer service
As quality customer service improves then what else will improve
Productivity will also increase as customers complaints decline and errors minimized
Many motor policyholders will be quick to move from on insurer to another for a few pounds without caring for good service or not, when will this happen often
When the cover and service have not been tested in a claims situation
What are the benefits of an insurer in placing their business with an effective, efficient,professional and profitable insurer
- speedy claim settlement
- fast and efficient service, free from errors and delay
- accurate and effective assistance and advice
- value added benefits 0.
Companies will use the objectives stated in their customer service strategy to develope
Performance standards or service level standards
What is a performance standard
This is a stated level of performance against which actual performance can be measured
What is performance standard defined as
This is the minimum level of service quality and quantity that a customer service system must reach in order to meet customer service objective
The customer service standards must be
- measurable
- realistic
- understandable
What are internal standards
These are standards developed inside the company, based on the company’s own customer service system
Why do companies use internal standards
This is because
- they are easy to gather
- they can compare current performance with the past performance
- reflect actual procedures/practices followed in the companies that have developed them
What do industry standards allow
It allows company to compare itself to other companies in the same business
What are the important two items relating to staffing
- Recruitment
- Training of staff
How does the FCA define competence
Having the skills,knowledge and expertise to carry out a function without the need of supervision
When PRA is considering higher level of governance issues what key feature do they consider
They consider effectiveness of training and its link to competence
On measuring competence what are authorized firms required to maintain
They have an obligation to maintain a register of those who are competent and must be able to demonstrate the means by which competence has been measured
Who should provide detailed training about the company’s product
It should be carried out by company expert and backed up by reference manual