Proactivity

HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES THANKS TO A NEW DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

Being proactive means laying down today the foundations for the future. Groupe Mutuel has been planning its new distribution strategy for some time now since the insurance industry is due to undergo a number of changes as from 1 January 2021. The “branch agreement” as well as new customer needs will require a radical transformation of distribution activities.

The Swiss insurer initiated the change early on by implementing a number of measures. The most important step was to strengthen internal distribution and reduce reliance on external brokers. Thanks to the development of its own distribution network, with around 200 new full-time positions, we are able to be even closer to our customers and to provide better quality services throughout Switzerland.

For example, we have significantly increased our visibility in German-speaking Switzerland by hiring external staff and entering into a partnership. Around 150 former employees of Maklerzentrum Schweiz AG joined Groupe Mutuel on 1 January 2021. The majority of those employees now work in the distribution regions as insurance and pension advisers. These experienced specialists are a valuable addition to the existing Customers & Markets team and bring with them new skills. Therefore, the groundwork has been laid for further improving both customer advice and market success.

Groupe Mutuel also entered into a partnership with Neosana AG with the acquisition of a majority stake of 51% of the company’s share capital. Neosana AG employs more than 100 people and offers comprehensive advisory services for all types of insurance to customers throughout Switzerland. As a comprehensive insurance company offering insurance solutions for private and corporate clients in the areas of health and retirement benefits, Groupe Mutuel has made a perfect start to 2021 thanks to new specialists and a strong partnership.

Office, teleworking or working from another location: our employees have expressed the need for more flexible working arrangements.

NEW AGENCIES FOR GREATER PROXIMITY TO CUSTOMERS

Groupe Mutuel offers help where it is most needed, in a proactive manner. By creating new general agencies and opening new regional agencies, we are closer to our customers than ever before.

In practical terms, this means that 13 general agencies throughout Switzerland, as well as an extensive agency network with the opening of 11 regional agencies, are now available to our customers. In addition, Groupe Mutuel has introduced a new concept for the layout within the agencies. Customer lounges, a separate area for private conversations and a coffee bar ensure a positive customer experience.

Whether visiting agencies or making contact digitally: today’s customers are hybrid. This makes interaction between agency staff and Contact Center staff all the more important.

Physical agencies are actively supported by the Contact Centers, which are the first point of contact for advising customers by phone. Also in the context of its new distribution strategy, Groupe Mutuel has introduced a development plan for Contact Centre staff.

This makes the work in these centres more attractive and helps develop the skills of employees. The result is improved coordination of customer needs with the agencies and customised advice. This allows us to pay even more attention to our customers.

Being proactive also means speeding up a project during a crisis. This is exactly what happened with the “Nomad” project during the coronavirus pandemic.

EMPLOYEES AS DIGITAL NOMADS

Groupe Mutuel launched “Nomad” at the beginning of 2020, a project that aimed to make the workplace more flexible by November 2020. The coronavirus crisis and the Federal Council’s recommendation for working from home last spring gave a considerable boost to the project. It was implemented nine months ahead of schedule and, in record time, more than 90% of employees were working from home and providing comprehensive customer services.

Video conferencing, artificial intelligence and decentralisation have become standard practice. In terms of logistics, the challenge was huge. Throughout Switzerland and within a few weeks, Groupe Mutuel’s IT specialists equipped close to 2,000 employees with laptops and monitors to allow them to work remotely.

The Contact Center was completely decentralised and employees were equipped with the appropriate tools to answer and handle calls from home. In this way, we were able to meet our top priority which is to take care of our employees’ health. However, work was not limited to material aspects. With unrelenting commitment, the HR department staff proactively supported their colleagues. Thanks to tutorials, online training courses on work organisation or health programmes (remote fitness and yoga classes, webinars on sleep, stress, nutrition, etc.), our HR specialists took care of their home-based colleagues’ well-being.

What will happen after the coronavirus crisis?

For Groupe Mutuel, teleworking is not just an emergency solution. After the crisis, all employees whose job makes it possible for them to do so will be able to continue working from home on a part-time basis or for a maximum of two days a week. This will allow us to provide employees with the requested flexibility and, at the same time, strengthen our corporate culture.

Ready for the digital future

Thanks to its culture of innovation, Groupe Mutuel is not only open to change, it is also proactively shaping the digital transition.

We are committed to supporting our insured persons in all health related matters throughout their life. Within a strong innovative approach, we have combined health promotion and digitisation and have launched three applications for the general public.

REMOTE DIAGNOSIS WITH MYHEALTHCHECK

The MyHealthCheck application is able to reduce the workload of medical facilities. The application makes it possible for the user to self-diagnose all benign conditions remotely (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Unnecessary visits to the doctor can be avoided, thus relieving the burden on the health system. The application comes with a blood test kit. A single drop of blood on the strip indicates whether it is necessary to make an appointment with a doctor. If needed, users can obtain medication online immediately. MyHealthCheck helps to better understand the most common diseases and to take appropriate action. INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL COACHING WITH MYND

The web-based application “mynd” provides psychological support to better cope with everyday challenges. Swiss coaches, trained in online counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy, offer professional help using video phone. mynd is available to anyone who wants to better deal with stress or anxiety, improve communication within the family or simply talk to someone. Here, the focus is on prevention. DIABETES PREVENTION WITH MYDIABCHECK

MyDiabCheck is also based on individual coaching via video phone consultations. The application is aimed at people who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes or who already suffer from the condition. Lack of exercise and obesity, which are two risk factors, are on the increase. In Switzerland, almost half a million people are already affected by this chronic metabolic disease. MyDiabCheck provides professional support to help people live healthier lives and prevent diabetes.

THE CRISIS WAS MANAGED EXTREMELY WELL THANKS TO OUR EMPLOYEES

A crisis can only be managed well if events are dealt with proactively. To do so, a crisis unit and an infrastructure need to be in place before a crisis occurs. Because it had prepared itself proactively, Groupe Mutuel was able to activate its crisis unit very quickly when the coronavirus crisis broke out. From the very beginning of the pandemic, the task force had two objectives: to ensure employees’ health and to guarantee the best possible service to customers.

The measures implemented were rapidly successful: employee productivity was well above expectations and, after one week, more than 90% of employees were working from home, where the risks of contagion are lowest. When physical distance is suddenly created, it is essential to develop “digital proximity”. The crisis team met several times a week, or even daily depending on the situation, to provide employees with up-to-date information on the crisis. It proactively and continuously provided information on the next steps and measures, set up several hotlines for questions about the pandemic and the CEO ensured that he was always in touch with employees by broadcasting video messages. Launching a counselling support programme and fitness and health tutorials also helped employees to feel well supported during the crisis..

We are proud of our staff and their commitment.

Thanks to our employees, who worked tirelessly and with great determination, perseverance and, above all, proactivity, we can say that we were able to handle the crisis successfully. Our employees’ commitment never wavered and customers always received the information requested and their refunds in good time. This goes to show that Groupe Mutuel knows how to remain efficient, even in times of crisis.

Prevention thanks to skilled ambassadors

What do a famous chef and top athlete have in common?

Many things at the same time: both use their talent to promote wellness and prevention, and both are Groupe Mutuel ambassadors. As part of our prevention action, Kariem Hussein, 400m hurdler, and Marie Robert, GaultMillau’s “Cook of the Year 2019”, have actively supported us.

This was done in particular by using our social media channels. With the headline: proactivity and prevention go hand in hand.

In short videos on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and other platforms, Kariem Hussein demonstrated how to perform an effective sports training at home, how important it is to warm up beforehand or how to train for running while avoiding accidents. Kariem gave valuable prevention advice, also on a psychological level. For example, he explained how to train mental strength, reduce stress and ensure a good work-life balance. His posts generated many “likes” and positive comments from our community.

Marie Robert, the famous chef, introduced us to the world of healthy eating. For her, it is important to associate food and pleasure. Marie prepared some of her easy-to-make creations for the Groupe Mutuel social media community. During the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown in particular, it was important to find comfort and experience positive emotions. Such as with cooking, for example.