Blog by Stephen Linklater

Blog by Stephen Linklater | Ageas Claims Director 

Why Brilliant Service Matters

£11.4bn a month! That’s how much The Guardian reported that ‘poor customer service’ was costing UK businesses in lost productivity – with employees averaging one day a week dealing with problems.

That worrying number came courtesy of The UK Institute of Customer Service’s (ICS) Customer Satisfaction Index. £11bn a month not only reminds me of the absolute necessity of brilliant service to support our customers in the best way we can, but it really focuses the mind on the effective operation of our businesses.

We know that the most crucial time for us to be there for our customers is when they need to make a claim. We’re committed to offering brilliant service where it matters, putting Ageas customers and their individual needs above all else.

Because our ethos is to understand customers, the management team at Ageas regularly spend time immersing ourselves in customer journeys with the frontline teams. Recently, during one of these sessions, I came across an example of the very real difference that brilliant service made to one of our customers in their moment of need.

The Claims Consultant I was with had taken a call from a customer whose home had been flooded. When the power went off, their children’s school uniform was in the, now locked, washing machine. Although there were pressing things that needed attention, the customer’s main concern was the lack of clean clothes to wear to school the next day. The Claims Consultant responded quickly - arranging for money to be sent to buy replacements. It was a simple act, but a brilliant show of empathy and understanding.

This empathy and understanding may do more for our businesses than reducing poor service and resultant complaints, it may also be the key to our success.

In a recent research report from The Institute of Customer Services* found that in five ‘essential services’ sectors (i.e. Utilities, Retail (food), Retail (Non-food), Insurance and Telecommunications) customers ranked the quality of products, services and experience as the leading reason to choose a firm.

The Institute’s horizon scanning also found that in the next two years’; quality of service, low prices, trustworthiness, responsiveness and being able to interact with an organisation in a convenient way are leading factors that will influence customers’ choices.

And that’s why our commitment to offer brilliant service where it matters doesn’t end with solving trapped school uniforms. We’re focused on understanding our customers and meeting every emerging need. In the last year we’ve successfully introduced new online tools that allow customers to report their claims 24/7, negating the need to talk to someone - if that’s their choice. And automatic updates on the progress of their claim, directly from our suppliers, in their claims portal. We really are leading the way on Personal Lines insurance with brilliant service where it matters and doing our very best to improve our industry’s, and the UK’s, customer service reputation.

* Institute of Customer Services Report, Customer Behaviours Evolution or Watershed