Seven years after its establishment and amid its growing customer base, BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corp., has opened its inaugural customer service center, which it calls Vibe. Located at the ground floor of the life insurer’s headquarters in Ayala Avenue, Makati City, the new customer hub is designed to facilitate quality client servicing.
“We’re introducing a new touch point so we’ll have something that operates much like a head office customer service center,” said BPI-Philam Life Head of Operations and Customer Experience Carmen Asinas. Apparently, Vibe is part of the insurance company’s efforts to bring improved services to its policyholders.
Asinas clarified that as an additional touch point for customers, Vibe will complement services and transactions that are already facilitated in the firm’s digital platform, all BPI branches, and offices of the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam) nationwide. Customers can also choose from several other customer service alternatives—telephone hotline, digital customer platform, appointment with agents outside offices, and BPI-Philam’s Facebook page.
Accommodating transactions
“Vibe is for servicing transactions of policyholders and existing customers. Those who need to inquire or buy any of our policies still need to meet our bancassurance sale executives stationed in all BPI branches nationwide,” Asinas explained. (BPI-Philam is a joint life insurance company of banking giant BPI and insurer Philam.)
Vibe is open to personally accommodate customers from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aside from three tellers who are assigned to personally attend to customers’ needs, the hub also has a senior manager who oversees the entire operations of the center and provides additional support. There are also payment processing machines for automated transactions.
So what types of transactions would ideally be accommodated at Vibe? Automated payments are processed through cash deposit machines within the area. Filing of claims can be handled (payouts after a day or two to give way for processing) depending on the amount and maturity-benefit (ideally policies with 5- to 10-year terms). The center can also receive and approve application requirements for life insurance with fund components.
Providing good customer experience
The state-of-the-art facility can accommodate up to 50 customers at a time. Vibe is also using queuing alert devices that customers can temporarily take with them so they can go outside for a while to have coffee or roam around while waiting for their turn at any of the teller counters (the devices light up and produce an alarm to notify customers that their turn with the teller has come).
When asked if there are plans to open more Vibe centers in the future, Asinas hinted that there is a possibility for the idea, though it may depend on several factors, including customer reception of this pioneering center.