An alter ego, literally ‘the other me’, is a second personality by which a person distinguishes himself from his real identity. It is mainly used in fiction stories to describe characters of different identities or appearances, such as superheroes or secret agents.
Back to the maritime industry. It is very important to build a connection between the identity of the client, a commercial maritime company, and the insurer that provides coverage for maritime risks. How can we apply this to convincingly demonstrate that in servicing our clients in marine liability insurance, we are the alter ego of the client?
Customer and insurer as counterparts
In a contract, and insurance is also a contract, it is common for the parties to call themselves counterparts. The customer says “fine, I’m insured”. The insurer collects the premium and waits for the counterpart, the insured, to come forward with something it thinks the insurer should indemnify its counterpart.
If the insurance contract is interpreted this way, and I don’t rule out that they exist, then you can calculate on your fingers that things will go wrong sooner or later. The two parties are then indeed each other’s counterpart.
Get closer to the customer
But how close can we get in order to become the alter ego of our clients? In the customer relationship you need to do more than just offer the right policy. It is about providing a service to the client.
If you become ‘the other identity’ of the client, the relationship will result in a seamless collaboration. A collaboration where the client’s priority remains with their commercial activities. And we perform as the alter ego with a service that manages risks and ensures that the right solution is always sought together.
The alter ego of the customer
We have translated our ambition of being the alter ego of the customer into our core values. With passion we believe in results. With empathy we always focus on the client’s interests. And with the right knowledge we can always offer a solution. Customers can hold us to it. And this responsibility is clear to our entire IMU team.
IMU, as ‘I AM YOU’, is our alter ego. Our other me. The other identity in togetherness with our client.
We are proud that our approach is appreciated. A pat on the back like this is extra motivating, but we realise all too well that our success can quickly plummet if we lose our focus on the best result for the customer. We must always improve. Always get better. Especially when you are at the best.
Read more about unlocking customer love in the marine insurance industry.
