Client service: Built on good partnerships

Success will always depend on the relationships and partnerships in place in a business. Collin Molepe, GM: Claims Cost Control at Absa Insurance Company, shares some of the lessons learnt in this regard during their journey to find suitable partners over

In his book The 4 pillars of leadership, John Maxwell suggested that just about everything one does depends on teamwork, and that it doesn’t matter whether you are a leader or follower, coach or player, teacher or student, parent or child, CEO or non-profit worker, you will be involved with other people. He further asserts: “The question is, will your involvement with others be successful?”

Delivering on intangible promises

“Good partnerships with service providers are crucial to ensure companies with thousands of clients located in every province of the country can touch its clients with warmth and care. But it is particularly important in the financial services industry, because we sell a service promise that is intangible. When the time comes for our clients to access the promise, we need to ensure that we have the best people in place to respond to the need,” explains Collin Molepe, GM: Claims Cost Control at Absa Insurance Company. “To achieve this, we need service providers who resonate with our service delivery philosophy, believe in our values and can serve our clients with absolute diligence.”

Molepe adds that in Absa Insurance’s experience, there are five key issues to be addressed in establishing good partnerships: a shared vision; discussing problems; monitoring service level agreements; addressing new developments; and compliance. “In addition, participation and engagement with industry players, bodies or statutory entities that govern some of these service providers, can assist with issues such as quality of workmanship.”

Shared vision

It is of crucial importance to ensure that partners understand your vision and how you plan to achieve it. “The team and I travel the country from time to time to update our partners on how we are doing, what has changed, how they can assist us to carry out our mission and also to share with them our results,” comments Molepe.

Discussing problems

The reality of a service industry is that from time to time client expectations are not met for one reason or the other. “Unpacking these challenges with your partners will highlight areas for improvement. In the financial services industry, the difference between one company or another is not the product offering, because the products are almost identical. It is how we serve our clients that makes the difference,” adds Molepe.

Monitoring service level agreements

Continuous review, to ensure all partners meet their part of the agreement, is crucial. This may involve, for example, monitoring turnaround time (TAT) to client needs, assessing quality workmanship, or tracking costs of services rendered.

Addressing new developments

Molepe notes that being on the ground and constantly engaging with those who are on the frontline enables management to respond quickly to emerging trends. “Growing organisations cannot afford to follow the market but need to initiate new paths in servicing clients,” he says.

Compliance

It is of the utmost importance to ensure you partner only with entities that abide by the laws of the country. “It is each company’s responsibility to ensure that the companies it partners with pay their taxes; do not employ child labour, and are not involved in criminal activities, among many other issues,” says Molepe.

“Respecting your partners, whom in return can be expected to respect your clients, is the foundation of a sustainable approach that can enhance your competitiveness in the industry.”