Claims Service Guarantee:

With the rallying cry of ‘Let’s Change Insurance,’ Aviva Canada has embarked on an aggressive mission to make Canadians believe in the insurance industry. To do this, the company has invested in a bold marketing campaign, which not only admits the insurance industry needs to improve, but makes a strong commitment to change. For Aviva, change starts with its new claims service guarantee.

Money-back guarantee

This past April, Aviva launched phase one of its campaign with a new claims service satisfaction guarantee. This is the first and only insurance money back claims service guarantee in Canada. The promise is: If an Aviva customer is dissatisfied with the service they receive from us and we’re unable to meet the expectations that we set at the beginning of their claims journey, we will return their premium.

Consumer studies indicate customer experience is the most critical factor in gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. Aviva has built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional customer service, which is a key attribute for brokers. With the addition of the claims service satisfaction guarantee, another unique reason to insure with Aviva has been established.

“Our new guarantee is another example of how Aviva Canada is making changes for the better,” Robin Spencer, president and CEO, Aviva Canada, said. “This one-of-a-kind offering is an extremely exciting proposition for Aviva, our customers and the insurance industry. It is a new way of thinking, a new way of doing business and proves to Canadians that we’re here for them.”

Aviva manages more than 200,000 claims a year, each requiring multiple customer touch points. In all claims situations, the task is to addresses the customer’s needs during what is often a stressful time. Aviva’s goal: Do what’s right for the customer.

“Aviva wants to set a new bar in customer service,” Spencer continued. “If a customer is unhappy with the service they have received after speaking with a representative, and we are unable to remedy the situation, we will return their annual premium in addition to their settlement amount. If we fail to deliver on our promises, then our clients deserve their money back. Nobody else is doing this in the industry and it’s a true reflection of Aviva’s commitment to putting customers first.”

Peace of mind

The guarantee was partially borne out of a need to clearly define and communicate the value Aviva provides as insurers. The goal is delivering peace of mind and taking care of what’s important to customers. At Aviva, that means delivering quick, hassle free and high quality claims service that’s guaranteed, ensuring customers can return to their normal routine.

But with only about 10 per cent of policyholders ever submitting a claim, expressing the value for service is a challenge. In response, Aviva created a claims experience video to capture the essence of the customer experience. “We needed to find a way of communicating what our customers can expect when they purchase an Aviva product. This video is designed to tell that story, concisely and compellingly”, Debora Hendrickson, senior vice president of claims customer experience, said. “We want people to know about our best-in-class claims service which we believe is a key customer benefit.”

The new guarantee is just one component of Aviva’s simplified claims value proposition, which also includes:

• a single point of contact;

• a higher level of quality services;

• hassle free service; and

• premiere health care, helping you get better faster

Testing the claims service

In preparation for the national launch of the guarantee, Aviva piloted a program in Alberta, beginning in December 2007. Key components to the successful pilot were explaining the guarantee to brokers and ensuring internal teams were equipped to quickly respond to any customer issues.

With a 93 per cent customer satisfaction rating, Aviva’s best-in-class claims service is now strengthened even further with the guarantee. Hendrickson is adamant about Aviva’s commitment to delivering on the claims value proposition. “This is not a marketing gimmick,” she stated. “We are going to pull out all the stops to ensure happy customers every time by setting clear expectations upfront, and if we fail to deliver, I’m ready to honour the guarantee.”

Improving customer experience

With a large customer facing team in place across the country, it was important for Aviva to embed a new way of thinking internally. In early spring, Aviva’s claims executives conducted a cross-country road show where living the brand and fulfilling the promise of the guarantee were main agenda items. Employees were asked to think about when they’ve experienced ‘above and beyond’ customer service — what are referred to at Aviva as moments of magic. It is those moments that Aviva is looking to duplicate in their claims process regardless of whether they are on the phone or across a desk.

For customers, the call to Aviva is just the beginning of the claims process. Depending on the nature of the claim, the next steps include a visit with one of Aviva’s premiere network service partners. These preferred service providers, whether in auto, property or injury claims, provide Aviva’s customers with front-of-the-line, quality service. And like their claims service, workmanship done through Aviva’s premiere vendor partners is also backed by a satisfaction guarantee.

Aviva’s premiere partners share in the company’s commitment to delivering excellence in customer service.

From the renewed customer focus to a successful launch of a claims guarantee, Aviva is on a mission to change insurance.

Jim Haskins is executive vice president, claims and procurement, Aviva Canada Inc.