South African consumers have spoken. They have for the second year running named short-term insurer Santam the top insurer in the country when it comes to meeting and exceeding their insurance needs. The results of the SAcsi Index are supported by Santam’s strong showing over the past few years in the Ombusdman for Short-term Insurance (OSTI) Report where the company has been consistently rated as a top performer in treating customers fairly.
Insuring everything from a boat to a cellphone, to the contents of a wine cellar, Santam is always able to comfortably assure clients ‘we’ve got this’. The insurer draws on decades of data to set a fair premium price linked to risk, and its clients are noticing.
Santam’s Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Executive Head of Santam Brand says, “We consistently assess insurable risk fairly and scientifically. We also consistently price our premiums properly so that if the time comes for a pay-out, the client is covered correctly. And we consistently infuse professionalism into how we deal with clients, from call centre to broker and at every touchpoint in between.”
Dilotsotlhe says that, unlike other insurers who may drop their premiums leaving clients exposed to the possibility of not having their claim paid, Santam’s approach is to reassess cover, not premium. “Our goal is to deliver on our promise of paying out a claim. We believe this is a big reason that clients are rating us consistently well.”
“What we have consistently seen is that the moment of truth is the ability of the insurer to pay claims fast and hassle free. It is something that customers value the most,” explains Dilotsotlhe, “we register close to 40 000 claims a month and we have earned a reputation for paying claims – and paying them quickly.”
In the past two years, Santam has paid out more than R30 billion in claims ranging from catastrophic events such as drought, fire and severe weather occurrences to the theft and loss of personal goods and valuables – more than any other insurer.
Santam has made considerable investments into improving its underwriting capabilities and claims processing model and the investment has started paying dividends resulting in an improved claims experience for our customers. Most importantly, our clients’ trust us to manage their insurable risks so that we canbe there for them when they need us most,”concludes Dilotsotlhe.
What the SACsi report said
Santam received the highest overall satisfaction index score in the industry of 81.3 – more than 5 points above the industry average.
The Santam group’s customers have the highest overall expectations – a measure of anticipation of the quality of a company’s products or services – placing Santam as a trendsetter in the industry. “Santam scored particularly high around customer expectations of reliability, which speaks to the group’s promise of doing insurance good and proper,” stated the report. The insurer is the only brand experiencing a continuous increase in expectations over the past three years. “This is based on previous experiences – when you deliver a good experience, this becomes the baseline of what customers expect during their next
interaction.” Santam has paid out more than R30 billion to policyholders in the past two years, evidencing the company’s reliability when it comes to the payment of claims.
Santam was the front-runner in terms of perceived quality of service levels and product delivery, as well as the perceived value of the group’s insurance. “Customers generally seem to feel that the quality of the product on offer from Santam is far superior to the rest of the industry,” the report states. The group also experienced the lowest number of complaints in the industry.
In regard to treating customers fairly (TCF), Santam’s performance is the best in the industry, especially in terms of offering customised solutions to clients and treating customers with respect. The group’s exceptional Net Promoter Score – a measure of a customer’s willingness to recommend a company’s products or services – of 50% is 25.7% higher than the industry average. Santam achieved a consistent increase in this score over the past three years.
