Innovative life insurer delivers top-tier services and pioneering products

Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited, one of Hong Kong’s leading insurance companies, has again been honoured with the Hong Kong Business High Flyers Award in the Life Insurance category. This is the seventh consecutive year the firm has received this prestigious recognition, which reflects its strong reputation in the Hong Kong insurance industry and its innovative and competitive services and products.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ageas Group, one of Europe’s top 20 insurance companies, which is headquartered in Belgium and has a heritage dating back more than 180 years.

Humorous approach to financial literacy

One of its most recent achievements has been Ageas Hong Kong’s highly successful and impactful campaign featuring renowned artiste Dodo Cheng, who is famous for managing her money wisely, and Ageas spokesperson Dayo Wong. This underlined the company's motto, "Partners in Insurance", and gave Ageas a distinctive voice in the industry by highlighting the importance of financial planning and offering tips about this in a humorous and interactive way.

“The campaign was hugely successful in terms of both its marketing and financial results. It projected an image of Ageas as an enterprising player in the insurance industry that delivers financial knowledge and high-quality services to its customers," explains Ageas Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Fraser.

Concerted efforts raise brand profile

Last December, Ageas also became a title sponsor of the high-profile “Joey Yung in Concert 1314", a stunning and extraordinary series of performances by the Cantopop diva that took place between the run-up to Christmas and early 2014.

“We were delighted that our brand was associated with Joey’s concerts,” says Fraser. “I’m sure they definitely made this a memorable Christmas and New Year for everyone. The concerts are called ‘1314’ because that aligns with the Chinese version of the Ageas slogan about our mission to offer our customers lifelong insurance protection,” Fraser says.

Professionalism pays dividends

In fact, the public’s recognition of the Ageas brand and its reputation are a tribute to its pragmatic leadership and the professionalism of its 2,800-strong Hong Kong sales force. Its members pledge themselves to be customer focused and responsive to their clients’ needs at all times, and to help them look after themselves and their financial affairs throughout their lives.

Safeguarding and building wealth

Ageas Hong Kong products cater for the full spectrum of financial planning needs. For instance, the Elite Choice Insurance Plan gives customers the chance to denominate their policy in their own choice of a mix of four different currencies – USD, HKD, AUD and RMB. They can review and adjust this mix every five years. The innovative plan thus opens up the possibility for them to benefit from potential currency appreciation as well.

Cheers, another Ageas Hong Kong investment product, combines the dual roles of investment and life protection.

"Cheers has enhanced our competitiveness in the investment-linked assurance sector, because it satisfies the growing demand for a single plan that covers both investment and wealth protection," Fraser points out.

High-tech innovation

Besides innovative marketing strategies, Ageas Hong Kong pioneers the use of the latest social media technology to get its advertising messages across. For example, it was the first insurance company in Hong Kong to employ U-tie technology, QR Code and AR App to integrate its advertising campaigns with mobile apps. In addition, the company has launched the Ageas Facebook Fanpage to engage with customers directly.

Other technology initiatives have further boosted the quality of Ageas products and services. It has created free, easy-to-use smartphone apps for its customers to use for specific purposes, such as planning retirement and education funds and protecting investments. The Ageas online portal also gives them an easy way to check policy details and do their own financial housekeeping.

Moreover, Ageas consultants have an armoury of effective IT tools. One of them is the new Ageas CDA – a portable, interactive recruitment presentation programme that runs on iPad – which agency managers can use to recruit highly-skilled financial professionals.

Getting messages across

Among its many other “firsts”, Ageas Hong Kong takes great pride being the first insurer ever to place identical neon signs on both sides of Victoria Harbour.

The company also embraces world-class sports events, including premier golf tournaments. It has been the title sponsor of the HKPGA Championship since 2010.

Good corporate citizenship is another key element of Ageas Hong Kong’s core values. The company has been a member of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service’s Caring Company logo scheme ever since it was established in 2002.

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FAST FACTS

• The Ageas Group’s net profit from its insurance operations amounted to 497 million euros during the first nine months of 2013 – a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 11%. Of this, it earned 168 million euros during the third quarter alone.

• The net profit of Ageas operations in Asia totalled 101 million euros during the same nine months, a YoY increase of 2%. Its Hong Kong operation contributed 20 million euros of this.