Customer Servicing 客戶服務

Meaning and Importance of Customer Servicing 客戶服務的意義及重要性

Insurance is a promise: the customer pays a premium today in exchange for the insurer's commitment to pay if a loss happens later. Because the product is intangible, customers often judge an insurer's reliability by the quality of its service. Customer servicing is therefore one of an insurer's core functions, not just an add-on to the sales department.

Good service brings real business benefits. Keeping an existing customer generally costs less than winning a new one. For long-term policies, persistency improves (the proportion of customers who keep paying premiums instead of surrendering or letting the policy lapse). Satisfied customers also refer new business and build the company's reputation. Poor service leads to surrenders, complaints and bad word of mouth.

Quality service is generally expected to be prompt, accurate, courteous, clear and consistent. Insurers must also treat customers fairly, for example by explaining policy terms in plain language, answering enquiries in good time and handling claims impartially. The Insurance Authority (IA) expects authorized insurers and licensed insurance intermediaries to act in their customers' interests, so service quality is also a regulatory concern.

Services Across the Policy Life Cycle 保單周期內的服務

Before the sale and at issue: answering enquiries, giving quotations, explaining product features and exclusions, and helping with the proposal form. Once the insurer accepts, it should issue the policy documents promptly; in non-life insurance a cover note may be issued first to give temporary cover. For certain long-term insurance policies the policy holder has a cooling-off period: within 21 calendar days after the policy or the cooling-off notice is delivered to the policy holder or their nominated representative, whichever is earlier, they may cancel and get back the premium paid (investment-linked products may be subject to a market value adjustment).

During the policy term: handling requests to change the address, payment method, beneficiary, sum insured or scope of cover. In non-life insurance a change made during the policy period is normally recorded by an endorsement, which becomes part of the policy. Life insurance servicing also includes collecting premiums, issuing annual statements, handling policy loans and surrenders, and sending grace-period reminders.

Renewal: most non-life policies run for one year, and the insurer usually sends a renewal notice before expiry. Note that renewing a non-life policy is legally a new contract, so the insured must disclose material facts again. A long-term life policy, by contrast, is a continuing contract: as long as premiums are paid on time, the insurer cannot refuse to continue it because the life insured's health has got worse.

Claims: helping the customer understand the documents and procedure required, keeping them updated on progress, and clearly explaining why a claim is paid or declined. This is when the customer sees most directly whether the insurer keeps its promise.

Service Channels and the Role of Intermediaries 服務渠道及中介人的角色

Insurers serve customers through several channels, including customer service centres, hotlines, websites, mobile apps and online customer portals. Technology lets customers check policy details, pay premiums or submit simple alterations at any time. The insurer must still keep records accurate, protect customer privacy and keep other channels open for customers who are less comfortable with technology, such as the elderly.

Insurance agents and brokers are often the customer's first point of contact, and customers usually bring enquiries, alterations and claims to them first. The intermediary should pass requests to the insurer promptly and follow them up, and should remind customers of renewal dates and their duty of disclosure. Whether a policy is altered, however, is for the insurer to process and confirm under its own procedures. An intermediary has no authority to change policy terms on their own.

Using intermediaries does not take away the insurer's own responsibility for customer service. An insurance agent acts on the insurer's behalf, so the agent's service directly affects the insurer's reputation. Insurers therefore normally train their agents, set service standards and monitor how agents perform.

Complaint Handling 投訴處理

Complaints are a valuable source of information for improving service. An insurer should have a clear internal complaints procedure: acknowledging the complaint, having suitable staff investigate it impartially, replying within a reasonable time, and recording and analysing complaints to find systemic problems. A customer should normally complain to the insurer first so that the company has a chance to put things right.

For a claims dispute under a personal policy, a customer who is unhappy with the insurer's final decision can turn to the Insurance Complaints Bureau (ICB). The ICB was set up by the insurance industry and its service is free. It mainly handles claims disputes under policies taken out by individuals in a personal capacity, and generally does not deal with policies held by companies or with third-party claims. A complaint must be lodged within six months of the insurer's final decision.

Rulings of the ICB's Insurance Complaints Panel bind the member insurer but not the complainant, who can still go to court if dissatisfied. Complaints about the conduct of an insurer or a licensed insurance intermediary (for example, mis-selling) can be made to the IA. The IA regulates and takes enforcement action, but it does not decide how much an insurer must pay under a contract.