Providing a Customer-Centric Service

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Providing a customer-centric service

Curriculum Topics • Market research • Primary/secondary research • Business strategy • Customer focus

Introduction

Zurich ® is a major financial services group that was founded in 1872. Its headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland. Today, the company employs 60,000 people. It serves customers in more than 170 countries. The company has offices in the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Zurich operates in a very competitive marketplace. It needs to focus on providing the best possible products for its customers in order to compete and grow market share.

This case study focuses on how Zurich has used market research to develop a business strategy of ‘delivering help when it matters so that customers feel valued and taken care of’. Zurich summarises this as ‘customer centricity’. This means the customer is placed at the centre of all business activities. This approach helps Zurich to maintain a competitive advantage. The company has developed the concept of Zurich HelpPoint ® to communicate and summarise this business strategy to customers. Insurance can be taken out to cover, for example, loss or damage to vehicles or property. Customers pay a premium each year to obtain this cover. In the event of loss or harm occurring, they can claim for the cost of repairs, replacements, loss of profits or other necessary services. HelpPoint started out as a free helpline for customers with motor insurance claims. Today it is far more than that. HelpPoint is an expression of the many ways in which Zurich delivers for its customers every day, all around the world – helping to meet their needs. This includes providing practical advice and solutions, information, support services and help at the point of claim. It is an attitude that Zurich staff around the world take very seriously – to deliver relevant help, when it matters. HelpPoint is not just about dealing with external...