IV. Customer Service 客戶服務

Good customer service combines efficiency, courtesy and business ethics, helping insurers retain renewal business, gain referrals and reduce complaint costs. Poor service can lead to lost business and intermediary support, damage market standing and attract the Insurance Authority's concern.

The Importance of Customer Service

Here, policies mean an insurer’s published corporate principles and business practices, rather than insurance contracts. These written declarations do not themselves create contractual obligations, but provide important standards for assessing performance; some requirements may also come from industry associations or legislation.

Insurers use internal audit to check whether their service matches their declared commitments and must take failures seriously. Policyholders, the public, industry associations and the Insurance Authority may also scrutinise performance, while transparency requires conduct and practices to be defensible both legally and ethically.

Implementation of Customer Service Standard

Insurers’ customer service duties arise from contracts, common law, statutory regulation, industry codes and other relevant legislation. Candidates must distinguish statutory requirements from non-statutory codes and guidelines, and understand the different obligations of insurers and insurance intermediaries.

Rebating of commission reduces a customer's effective premium cost by returning part of an intermediary's commission, but its use as an improper inducement to obtain business may constitute bribery and corruption in certain circumstances. Candidates should distinguish the general principle against rebates, the recorded-rebate exception and the internal controls expected of the relevant firms.