AIA executives serve customers themselves
AIA Korea CEO Cha Tae-jin, right, hands a pen to a customer at the company’s service center in central Seoul. Cha served customers there himself, July 4. / Courtesy of AIA Korea
By Kim Tae-gyu
Seo Min-ja, a housewife in her 50s, stepped into an AIA Korea customer service center in downtown Seoul in the afternoon of July 4 to discuss some details of her policy and make a claim.
A gentleman with a suit greeted Seo with a big smile. After asking why she visited the center, he handed over the necessary documents and a pen so that she could write them up while waiting.
Seo asked the teller who he was, and to her surprise, the kind man was the company’s CEO Cha Tae-jin who took the reins of AIA earlier this year.
“I never thought that he would be the CEO of my insurer because he was so nice and humble,” Seo recollected. “I won’t forget his genial attitude and affectionate smile.”
AIA Korea, a mid-sized life insurer in Korea as a subsidiary of the pan-Asian insurance group AIA Group, had its 10 leading executives serve customers directly this summer.
The measure, which is part of Cha’s customer-oriented management initiative, resulted in good responses from customers as well as employees.
“Through the event, I realized that my company really makes our customers a big priority,” said an AIA official working at the customer center. “I expect that wide-ranging changes would follow so as to better take care of them.”
Executives who took part in the campaign also came up with various ideas to improve the customer center environment so it would be more comfortable for policyholders.
Buoyed by the favorable results, Cha showed his desire to continue similar events down the road.
AIA Korea is famous for its customer service as demonstrated by various awards. For example, the call center of the Seoul-based outfit was selected by the Korean Service Quality Index as best in 2016.
AIA Korea has won the prestigious award, which is given by the authoritative Korea Management Association Consulting, for three consecutive years.
Yet, it tries not to rest on its laurels by moving forward.
“For AIA Korea, customer satisfaction always comes first. But this year, the agenda became our everyday creed and the very kernel of our management,” an AIA representative said.