Edition 18 - Seguros MAPFRE

THE EXPERIENCE CORNER
NEW SECTION FOR OPINION ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED BY RETIRED MEMBERS OF SISTEMA MAPFRE.
Value-Added Insurance Services
By José Antonio Naves
Quality of service is absolutely
essential to any commercial activity,
and if possible even more so in the
insurance sector, where providing good or
bad service is limited in practical terms to
managing the accidents guaranteed by the
insurance contract.
The customer-policyholder only assesses
the quality of service provided when the
consequences of the accident affect his or
her person or insured belongings, because
if the damage is to a third party, however
much the indemnity costs, and however
efficient the management of the accident
and the celerity of indemnity payment, the
policyholder is inhibited from valuing the
quality of service provided, even if his or
her behavior is exclusively responsible.
This is why, with the exception of some
insurance coverage that has a higher
accident rate or affects the policyholder’s
person or belongings, the quality of
service can only be put to the test when
there is an accident. This means that in
determined kinds of insurance or
coverage, insurance companies have
incorporated other service provisions,
generally with no direct economic
indemnity, into economic provisions
arising from guaranteed risks, as value
added to the basic guaranteed coverage.
The most meaningful examples of this are
Travel Assistance in Automobile Insurance
and Home Assistance in Combined Home
Insurance.
For Home Fire and Combined Damage
Insurance and other simple risks, in the
event of an accident the insurance
companies offer the option of direct
payment of the indemnity amount or
having the insurance company handle the
repair and/or replacement of the damaged
property through its providers, making
the repair/replacement easier on the
customer, who doesn’t have to worry
about contracting the right professionals
or following up on the job. Travel
Assistance for Automobile Insurance and
Home Assistance for Combined Home,
Business, and Office Insurance have been a
starting point for incorporating other
services and complementary provisions
into insurance policies, such as counseling
in defense against traffic tickets, family
legal assistance, systems for renting or
leasing vehicles, provisions in case the
vehicle is paralyzed, damage claims, etc.,
with the premise of offering customers
the best-quality service.
Sistema MAPFRE, initially MAPFRE
Mutualidad, created MAPFRE Asistencia
in June of 1986, and was the first Spanish
insurer to incorporate its own Travel
Assistance company. Later, MAPFRE
Seguros Generales implemented the
Integrated Accident Center to directly
manage accidents and Home Assistance
nationwide, by means of telephone
centers with permanent service and
direct and immediate connection to
professionals and providers. MAPFRE’s
decision to implement those services
and provisions and manage them directly
was a very important one. Especially
with the conviction that they must be
provided with the highest quality, with
the most advanced infrastructure and
personnel with a high level of
professionalism and training, permanent
services, etc.
Moreover, since many of these services
are provided through independently
contracted professionals, an extensive and
meticulous staff of technicians, auditors,
and professionals of all crafts is needed to
ensure that level of quality. Providers who
are submitted to permanent surveys,
inspections, and polls evaluating the
services they provide, and whose loyalty is
won by our compliance with the
contracts, immediate payment for work
done, conventions, meetings, and other
actions intended to integrate them into
the business culture and approach.
MAPFRE can demand this degree of
quality because of the volume of services
it requires, which allow its providers and
professionals to obtain high economic
rewards for their collaboration.
MAPFRE’s experience has taught us that
quality of service provided should not
constrain itself only to correct contract
compliance for the coverage contracted,
but rather must extend to other valueadded
provisions and services. It also
teaches us that their implementation has
been an excellent investment in prestige
and in our corporate and business
image.
In conclusion, I recall that when the
MAPFRE Asistencia installations were
inaugurated June 1, 1986 on Claudio
Coello Street in Madrid, the then
President and Chairman commented that,
from that day on, the lights at those offices
would never be turned off, that service
would be available 24 hours a day, 365
days a year. Now, in 2002, with the
company providing service in 52
countries, we can add, as Phillip II
proclaimed, that the sun never sets on
MAPFRE Asistencia.
José Antonio Naves Muñiz, who
joined MAPFRE in 1959, was
Assistant Chairman of MAPFRE
Mutualidad from 1978 to 1995.
19
SIAM News JANUARY 2003