Company: ADMS - Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company
Entry Submitted By: AEGON Direct Marketing Services, Inc.
Company Description: Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company (CPLIC) meets the insurance needs of more than 1,000,000 Canadian families. We have a reputation for quality products and responsive customer service. CPLIC is an affiliate of AEGON Direct Marketing Services (ADMS), a leading direct marketer of supplemental insurance products.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Customer Service Team

Nomination Title: Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company Customer Service Team

   1. Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

          Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company is dedicated to servicing the insurance
          needs of millions of customers throughout Canada.  Our goal is to provide
          service excellence resulting in customer loyalty.  We value our customers and
          do our best to make interacting with us a pleasant experience.

          While we have consistently achieved high scores for overall service, the
          challenge facing us in 2007 was how to take the ‘customer experience’ to a new
          level.  Our mission was to really understand what individual customers need and
          then help them – one by one – make smart decisions.  We hoped this would have a
          positive influence on our retention efforts and it did.

          Overall, we made three wide-spread enhancements in 2007:

          Customer Care
          The first step with the customer was taking the time to understand the needs
          and circumstances of our customers as well as to explain the value of the
          products being offered.  We did this in an effort to help customers determine
          what made the best sense for them.  We found that customers were better
          educated and our loyalty rates began to increase.  Our increase from 2006 to
          2007 was a 19% increase in retention.  

          Product Portfolio Expansion
          In 2007, we made more products available to people calling in to ask questions
          about their insurance policy or to cancel because their circumstances changed. 
          Systems were enhanced to make a product switch or new product purchase possible.

          Internal Training
          Effective training and ongoing communication contribute to our team being
          the ‘best of the best.’  Something new for 2007, is the Life Licensing
          Qualification Program (LLQP).  Our team was motivated by this and we have
          others interested for 2008.   

          In 2007, we had a Customer Sales and Services Specialist who was awarded the
          Customer Service Award for 2007 by the International Customer Service
          Association.

          We implemented an IVR Customer Service Satisfaction Survey to capture more
          feedback from our customers.  This has been very valuable as the positive and
          constructive comments have motivated our team and challenged us to be even
          better in 2008.  Some customer comments:

          • “very helpful and knowledgeable staff members”
          • “very compassionate and professional representative I spoke to”
          • “good supplemental products you are offering”
          • “I called to cancel my plan, but after speaking to the representative,
          I decided to keep my plan”

          Service Levels Achieved:
          • 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds
          • Less than 3% abandoned rate on calls
          • Exceeded sales expectation by 9%
          • Insurance Retention:  39%

          Servicing our customers is our number one goal.  With every call, we strive to
          provide satisfaction by offering a solution.  This has resulted in increased
          revenue with respect to our loyalty program and at the same time we are adding
          value by offering another insurance product where we find customers are indeed
          interested in enrolling.

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

          http://www.canadianpremier.ca/

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of this nominated team:

          Kaye Nolis has been with the AEGON Direct Marketing Services (ADMS) Canadian
          operations - Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company, for 13 years.  She was
          named Manager of Customer Service in 1998.  Under Kaye’s leadership, Customer
          Service has enhanced quality and service, reduced expenses and turnaround time,
          and built sales capability, contributing to service and revenue.
          
          Kaye participates in various industry organizations related to Customer
          Service.  Her past experience includes managing service and support departments
          as well as developing and implementing technology solutions.  Kaye has been
          recognized for her focus on employee skills development and training to enhance
          the customer experience.