Priority No. 3: better satisfy policyholders
Doubling up satisfaction monitoring
Group entities periodically carry out surveys among both policyholders and distribution partners so as to obtain a comprehensive picture of customer satisfaction.
In 2015, CNP Assurances carried out three quantitative satisfaction surveys on the management processes applied to individual contracts. The Group also conducted for the first time three face-to-face surveys aimed at grasping the level of understanding of correspondence.
Whether they are carried out as part of a quality certification process, pursuant to a service level agreement or for other purposes, these surveys help to improve customer responsiveness and to provide feedback to our distribution partners. The satisfaction rate of the beneficiaries of individual contracts was 85% in 2015.
CNP Assurances has recently acquired online survey software, which among other benefits will allow it to send weekly questionnaires to Amétis advisors in 2016, with a view to improving the contract production process.
CNP Assurances carries out an annual satisfaction survey of local authorities and institutions holding health, death and disability insurance contracts. Satisfaction scores are stable at between 7 and 8 out of 10 depending on the local authority.
Satisfaction surveys are conducted annually by CNP Assurances Compañia de Seguros and La Banque Postale Prévoyance, and as often as monthly in Brazil. CNP Partners has for several years held monthly meetings with distribution partners in order to gauge their view of service quality. The customer satisfaction score averaged 4.2 out of 5 in 2015.
Following up policyholder requests
CNP Assurances regularly reviews a sample of letters sent to customers in response to requests for information or complaints in order to assess the quality of such letters. Fifteen checkpoints on their substance and form are used to identify any anomalies. The results are presented in reports that are given to the departments that issued the letters to help them constantly improve their service quality.
Processing complaints more quickly
In 2013, CNP Assurances committed to replying within two months of a complaint being filed. Processing times have been reduced thanks to a major reorganisation carried out in coordination with our distribution partners. Tools have been implemented to fine-tune follow-up, to improve the analysis of complaints and to identify ways to enhance service quality.
In addition, a standard definition of the term “complaint” has been adopted throughout CNP Assurances. Under the new definition, a complaint is any expression of discontent by a customer as regards the perceived quality of a product or service, whether justified or not. Complaints received by CNP Assurances mainly concern the purchase and claim management processes.
With 10,800 complaints lodged in personal insurance in the first half of 2015, the number of complaints remains marginal, involving less than 0.1% of policyholders. Nonetheless, each one is analysed in order to understand how we can improve our service quality using the tools referred to above. In creditor insurance, CNP Assurances’ positions were maintained in 69% of cases in 2015.
In accordance with the marketplace decision, mediation involving CNP Assurances has been provided by the French Federation of Insurance Companies (Fédération française des sociétés d’assurances – FFSA) since 2015.
Unclaimed settlements at CNP Assurances
The French law of 17 December 2007 introduced a requirement for life insurers to proactively identify any unreported deaths, and to trace and pay beneficiaries. The law also gave insurers the legal and practical means of being informed when policyholders die.
Internal resources have been gradually strengthened in view of the complexity of operations. In 2015, over 300 FTEs were dedicated to the treatment of death contracts, regardless of the date on which the death occurred. In 2015, CNP Assurances was able to find 59,700 beneficiaries of unclaimed policies, representing a total amount paid of more than €180 million.
In view of the efforts made by our teams on a daily basis and the resources deployed since 2008, we believe that the fine levied in 2014 by the Sanctions Committee of the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution – ACPR) was harsh. It should be noted that CNP Assurances does not profit from unclaimed amounts: income from the investment of such amounts is not recognised as Company income; rather, it is added to the amounts due to all policyholders, as is the case for all life insurance policies.
In addition to the commitment made to the Sanctions Committee at the end of 2014 to process the 99,618 contracts not settled prior to 2007, the Company also processed 44,246 such contracts dating from 2008 to 2010 before the end of 2015.
Disputes
There were 1,431 disputes in progress at CNP Assurances at the end of 2015. Sixty-nine percent of cases were won in the first instance in 2015, 81% on appeal and 81% on submission to the highest court of appeal.