Fourth award in a row is ‘a clear vote of confidence

Old Mutual has been voted the best customer service organisation in the long-term insurance sector in South Africa for the fourth consecutive year, as announced at the 2011 Ask Afrika Orange Index Awards conference last week.

The Ask Afrika Orange Index has developed into a respected, credible, independent measurement that sets the benchmark for South Africa’s service companies.

“Winning this prestigious award for the fourth time in a row is a fantastic vote of confidence from our customers,” says Rose Keanly, Managing Director: Old Mutual Service, Technology and Administration. “It’s a strong indicator that customers are appreciating our strengthened customer focus and culture.”

Marshall Rapiya, CEO of Old Mutual South Africa, agrees: “We’ve been listening to and striving to respond to our customers’ needs and preferences. We are committed to providing them with advice they can trust and offering the right products through the right distribution channels, while providing unrivalled customer service and ensuring a sustainable future for our company.”

Customer feedback directly influences and shapes the design of services and products at Old Mutual. New products that were created in response to market demand include iWyze short-term insurance, the Easy Benefit Plan (an umbrella fund) and My Money Plan (which consolidates debt).

“It is a privilege for us to salute Old Mutual o­n their commitment to service excellence and the solid contribution they are making to our country by being o­ne of our recognised service champions, making South Africa a service destination,” says Sarina de Beer, Ask Afrika Orange Index Managing Director. “We would like to congratulate Old Mutual o­n their great achievement.”

Apart from being voted best in the long-term Insurance sector, Old Mutual also moved up from 35th to 11th position across the 99 companies in all service industries in the survey. The next best long-term insurer came 45th.

“Winning this award again is a great example of ‘doing great things’ and is strongly aligned to our vision of becoming our customers’ most trusted partner – passionate about helping them achieve their lifetime financial goals,” concludes Keanly.

Notes to editors: The Ask Afrika Orange Index is the broadest service benchmark in the country. Its research is based o­n a nationally representative sample. Close to 10 000 interviews are conducted in 18 different industries, measuring 92 different brands.

Other brands in the long-term Insurance industry category included Metropolitan, Hollard Long Term, Sanlam and Liberty Life.