From Monday 3 December, following a short pilot period, Commercial Union will start offering motor insurance in its direct system, which means that sales and customer services will be carried out via telephone and online. Commercial Union’s ambition is to become the leader in this dynamically developing market sector.
From Monday 3 December, following a short pilot period, Commercial Union will start offering motor insurance in its direct system, which means that sales and customer services will be carried out via telephone and online. Commercial Union's ambition is to become the leader in this dynamically developing market sector.
Commercial Union Poland General Insurance Company introduces a motor insurance package which includes the following elements: third-party liability insurance, comprehensive motor insurance, breakdown assistance, accident insurance, windscreen insurance and legal protection insurance. This new product, offered under the trading name CU Direct, will expand and complement the offers currently available from the Commercial Union Poland group. The package works in modules - the customer selects the level of protection that best suits his or her needs.
The most significant and innovative features of the package, from the point of view of the customer, are:
- The possibility of protecting the no-claims bonus covering up to two claims over three years
- A two-year guarantee on work carried out at CU Direct-approved garages
- Option to transfer no-claims bonus on third-party liability insurance to comprehensive motor insurance
- Compensation which allows the customer to purchase a new vehicle in an authorised network of dealerships in the event of the loss of a car less than 12 months old
- The level of insurance is not reduced by the amount paid in compensation
- A replacement car for the period of time when your car is being repaired, provided that these repairs are carried at a CU Direct-approved garage
- A wide range of situations in which the insurer will provide towing services for the damaged vehicle and a replacement car as part of the breakdown assistance insurance (eg a replacement car outside Poland).
From 3 December sales and customer services for the insurance package will be carried out via a new call centre, which you can contact on 0-801 28 28 28 or 0-22 563 28 28. The CU Direct call centre will be open Monday to Friday from 7am until 10pm, on Saturday from 9am until 8pm and on Sunday from 11am until 8pm. The claims call centre will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 24-hour sales and customer support services will be available through the website www.cudirect.pl in the next few weeks.
The advertising campaign for CU Direct motor insurance will be launched on Monday 3 December and will consist of adverts on television, radio and in newspapers as well as nozzles and leaflets in petrol stations.
Around three thousand CU Poland insurance agents will also be involved in motor insurance promotion. During conversations with customers, the agents inform them about the new offer and encourage them to contact our call centre, or arrange for CU Direct to get in touch with the customer. From January 2008 a promotion of CU's motor insurance is also planned in branches of Bank Zachodni WBK, CU Polands strategic bancassurance partner.
The CU group's current clients (with the exception of pension fund members) will receive a 5% discount in premium.
"Introducing direct motor insurance and occupying a significant position in this market is a very important element of the CU Poland group's strategy. After 15 years of market presence, we have earned the trust of over three million customers and a leading position in the individual life and pension funds market, as well as a strong position in the investment products market. It is now time to realise our potential on the property insurance market more fully. Our cautious estimates indicate that over the next 10 years one third of motor insurance policies in Poland could be sold by telephone and online. Our ambition is to occupy a leading position in the direct motor insurance market, with a share of 25% in this sector after five years of operations," said Adam Uszpolewicz, chief executive, CU Poland group.
The driving force behind the development of the motor insurance market over the next few years will be good economic conditions and the growing affluence of the Polish society. Customers are buying and will continue to buy increasing numbers of better cars. Furthermore, people tend to buy a new car or a used car which is only a few years old. It is also expected that increasing proportion of customers will buy comprehensive motor insurance and will pay attention to the level of service they receive. At the same time the fact that the internet is being used more universally and that people get used to it and trust telephone services will stimulate the development of the direct market. A rapid increase in the number of customers who will investigate at least a few insurance offers on the telephone or online before buying their policy is also expected.
"It emerged from a survey we carried out when preparing the offer that customers are a lot more inclined to investigate motor insurance offers from Commercial Union than from other, less well-known companies. Customers expect more comprehensible insurance conditions, and above all a friendly and efficient service, especially when handling claims. We are convinced that our terms and conditions, and above all our pattern of providing customers with information and assistance, will persuade a lot of drivers to choose our offer. At the same time we have prepared a product which is attractive to many customer groups in terms of pricing," - highlights Brian Richards, director of direct motor insurance at Commercial Union.
When preparing the offer and customer services system, CU Poland has leveraged the experience of its parent group Aviva from its work in other countries, above all with British company Norwich Union Direct, which is the leader in motor insurance sales via telephone and internet.
The direct motor insurance team is operating in a new Commercial Union office near the Blue City shopping centre in Warsaw. Amongst the new employees at CU Direct are 15 people who have returned from jobs in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other European countries attracted by opportunities at Commercial Union.
CU Direct uses a very modern IT system which has been adjusted to the Polish market.
CU Poland GI company also offers home insurance, accident insurance and travel insurance to individual customers.
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Information:
Bohdan Białorucki
Telephone: + 48 22 557 43 41
E-mail: public_relations@cu.com.pl
Grzegorz Mathea
Telephone: + 48 22 557 43 70
E-mail: grzegorz_mathea@cu.com.pl
Additional Information: www.cu.pl
Notes to editors:
Commercial Union Poland group is part of the international Aviva group - the world's fifth largest insurance group and the largest in the United Kingdom by revenues. The Aviva group operates in 25 countries. It occupies a strong position in a number of markets including the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, the USA, Canada and Australia. It services around 40 million customers worldwide, obtains annual income of £41.5 billion nd manages assets valued at over £364 billion. Additional information is available from www.aviva.com/