Nils Vergeer (CZ): “Being the winner of a large customer study. That is motivating!”
CZ is by far the winner of the online orientation research into health insurance policies 2015 conducted by WUA! last week among 1000 respondents in The Netherlands. This article is an interview with Nils Vergeer, head online at CZ. About winning, about switching behaviour, and about customer focus: “If you do not believe in that as a company, you will no longer exist in 10 years time.”
Congratulations, Nils. CZ is by far the winner of this WUA! study. Do you think winning is important?
Nils Vergeer: “Thank you. For CZ, it isn’t so much ‘winning’ that is important. Do understand that we’re not talking about an award or jury prize here. We’re talking about a customer study with 1000 respondents and over 20 health insurance companies. People who are interested in health insurance have shown with their search behaviour when trying to find a suitable insurance policy that CZ.nl is the most supportive and convincing of all health insurers. That is cool and it’s motivating!”
What is the role of customer studies in the world of health insurance?
“We are a service company pur sang. CZ offers health insurance and we have no profit motives. Therefore, it goes without saying that our online team is 100 percent focused on providing an excellent user experience. Whether you need help with your care, service with your insurance policy, or sales. We continue to get better at that. We learn a lot from customers through user research, but also by asking for feedback. Customers are very willing to help us improve our new CZ Declaration app, for instance. Via the app we get a lot of requests, suggestions and compliments. If you show that you as a company want to achieve the best possible service, you manage to establish real contact. If you put a good product on the market, people will want to help you. If it’s rubbish, you get grumbling in return.”
At WUA! We really believe in focusing on the customer and listening to real customer experiences, and acting on them. How do you do this?
“Well, if you do not believe in that as a company, you will no longer exist in 10 years time. In order to meet the expectations of our customers, we are listening to and testing with customers more and more. But user research alone won’t give you a strong web channel. As a company, you also want to be strong in user experience and its realization. This requires knowledge, experience and innovative ideas. We work with teams of smart, distinguished UX and IT specialists. I’d rather spend some more time looking for suitable colleagues if I feel like they will help us serve CZ better with a high-performance digital channel. The web specialists in CZ offer that!”
How do you look at the switching behaviour of the Dutch, and how do you respond to that at CZ?
“Yes, there is a lot to choose from. Customers can use some help with the offerings. At CZ, we provide this help in two ways. First of all, we listen. Then we inform and advise. Via our Customer Service and through our search engine, we hear what issues arise. Afterwards, we put a lot of effort into explaining things on our site. To be fair, health insurance is incredibly complicated. Everyone at CZ is aware of that. And then the drive to provide good service comes into play! The personal approach of my colleagues at Customer Service, we also want to provide that on our website and in the app. My team believe: you reap what you sow. Improve the quality of your services, make real contact, and people will be happy to become a member if the price is right and you do not breach their trust. I think we meet those conditions. “
The online team of CZ
The next few months will be exciting for you: new customers means growth, budget-wise and team-wise, but if many people leave CZ, you shrink. Do you have faith in a happy ending?
“This WUA! customer research shows that many customers continue to entrust their care assistance and insurance to CZ. So yes, that confidence is there. I wouldn’t use the word ‘ending’, though. If you become a customer of ours after an extensive orientation, that’s where it all begins. Then our service, also on the web and in our apps, has to prove itself to you as a customer. I think that even after this transitional season, we still have to earn people’s trust every day. No one in my team is under the illusion that this will end.”
How do you look at service in relation to sales. Could service be the new sales in the insurance industry?
“No doubt. Increasingly, sales result from service, rather than the other way round. For CZ, sales are only important in order to keep healthcare affordable and high-quality in The Netherlands on behalf of a sufficiently large group of members. Each insurer also has the social and moral duty to offer services and advice. The better we do, the more people are insured, and the more we can work on the quality and affordability of care.”
