Delivering Top Customer Service the Western Way
Lisa Colangelo, Chief Customer Experience Officer, discusses how Western is focusing on delivering a personalized and consistent customer experience whether it’s car, home, business, or life insurance.
I’m Western Financial Group’s Chief Customer Experience Officer and I joined Western in December 2022. I am based in Surrey, B.C., where I live with my husband Mike and our two sons, Christopher and Benjamin.
Q: Personalization is going to be a key theme in customer service in 2023. What kind of personalization should I expect from Western Financial Group when I am shopping for insurance?
A: Every customer has their own unique insurance needs, whether it’s car, home, business, or life insurance. One size does not fit all when it comes to insurance advice.
What customers can expect is that when they are dealing with Western, they will get a personalized experience that will focus on what is most important to them when it comes to their insurance coverage.
Our team will focus on asking them the questions that will ensure that we truly understand their individual insurance needs.
Q: All companies want to deliver great customer service. Easy to say, but sometimes hard to deliver consistently because people do have off days. What can set Western apart from its competitors?
A: What’s different at Western, is we are focusing on a “Western Way” of delivering advice consistently.
This means focusing on building consistent processes and supporting our team throughout their interaction with a customer to ensure that every touchpoint a customer has with us is exceptional.
Our people truly set us apart. They deeply care and believe that providing the right insurance advice will make a difference in the lives of our customers.
Q: How does innovation help a great customer experience? How will our customers experience this?
A: Customers want to deal with us in the way that works best for them. For some, this will mean visiting a branch office, while for others, it may mean dealing with us online or through our Customer Care Contact Centre team.
As an organization, we need to continue to focus on investing in innovating so that we can deliver on the experience that our customers want, where they want it.
For our customers, this means that we do have multiple channels available for them to deal with us. The experience they have across these channels will be seamless as we continue to invest in innovation.
Q: How important is authenticity in customer service? Can it be a winner for Western?
A: Authenticity is very important! That is what makes Western truly unique. Our team truly cares about our customers and strives to make a difference in their lives by ensuring our customers feel confident about the insurance advice they’ve been provided.
Q: As a new customer looking for the best price when there’s inflation and household budgets can be tight, what kind of customer experience can Western give me to make me not walk away and find another insurer?
A: When you deal with Western, you will get a truly differentiated experience that goes beyond price. We create customized solutions for you based on your needs and provide solutions that truly add value.
Our people truly care for our customers. We want to leave them feeling confident that their insurance needs are covered so they can live the lives they want while having the peace of mind that they have the right personalized coverage in place.
Q: Does Western Financial Group measure and reward a great customer experience? How do we do that?
A: At Western, our whole team, from back office to the frontline, are all accountable to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.
We recognize our people in multiple ways for putting our customers first. For instance, when exceptional experiences are delivered, we recognize and celebrate those moments right across the organization, at every level. Great experiences are tied to compensation and recognition.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our Customer Experience journey. At Western, we are committed to providing a consistent “Western Experience” of delivering insurance advice that is focused on the personalized insurance needs of our customers, covering all areas of their lives including their car, home, business, and life insurance needs,
Our people truly care and want to make a difference in the lives of our customers when talking about insurance options, so our customers can focus on what’s important in their lives without having to worry about their coverage.
