Services, everyone thought about it, everyone did it
As their constraints, mainly regulatory, have been reinforced and their area of freedom of action has been restricted in a hyper-competitive context, the vast majority of life and health insurance players have sought to differentiate themselves. through its service offering. But, by adopting these new services in successive waves (after networks, prevention and today teleconsultation), these enhancements to the offer have not had the expected impacts: included in contracts, they are rarely used by insured and, apart from a few exceptions (support program for resuming work after a long-term stoppage, care networks, etc.) they had little impact on attractiveness, customer loyalty or mastery of risk.In addition, one can wonder to what extent they meet the essential needs of the insured while the supply of care – the tensions of which should worsen further in the next 10 years – is still being adapted to demographic and epidemiological transitions. .
If we imagined the next era of services
Whatever the scope considered (health and personal protection guarantees, HDS, social action, etc.), 1 prerequisite and 4 questions are essential in the development of a service strategy:
- The prerequisite: it is essential to guarantee a minimum level of quality of “fundamental” services – directly linked to the payment of benefits and the collection of contributions – required before the development of a service strategy. It is indeed unlikely that customers will compensate for a perceived poor quality of basic services with support services, for example.
- Question 1: How does the service offer fit together with its strategy, positioning and legitimacy? The service strategy must indeed be assumed!
- Question 2: What reality of use: what is it really for and for whom? Today, it is clear that services are often insufficiently thought out from a client’s need and linked to the organization of the healthcare offer, rarely offered at the appropriate time. Customer knowledge must be at the heart and data must both segment and personalize the offer.
- Question 3: What economic reality? Who will pay ? Today, selling a service or even promoting it is not yet natural for insurers, whereas a major issue is to think about customers and no longer just contracts. Also, behind this question naturally arises that of who pays for the control of the risk and who benefits from it.
- Question 4: What operational modalities or how to move from craftsmanship to industry? internalization or outsourcing? with partners or suppliers? which ? And above all, what integration of services in management and the information system?
What if the real marker of an assumed services strategy can be read in their integration into the organization and the IS?
Olivier Milcamps, Senior Manager
