Flower of services refer to a well-formed package of total services with all the supplementary services being well formulated along with the core services. The various petals of the flower are:
- Information:
A marketer needs to provide adequate information to his employees and his customers. This information is general information provided through various communication channels.
In the insurance industry information is provided to the customers with the help of:
- Agents
- Seminars
- Web sites
- Print media
- Radio
- Television, etc.
- Consultancy:
This is additional customized information provided to the potential customers by the service provider. In the insurance industry it is provided by company’s staff and agents.
Example: In LIC when a customer enters asking of information about the policy, he is directed towards the assistant sales manager. Assistant sales manager will listen to the customer’s requirement and as per his requirement list the number of policies that are available. He will also ask the customer about the price and limit the number of options for the customer, so that he can easily choose the policy without confusion.
- Order taking:
Order taking should be done without mistakes. In LIC order taking is generally done by:
- By Agents
- On Web site (www.licindia.com)
- By Assistant sales manager directly in the office.
- Hospitality:
Hospitality is a very pretty petal, reflecting pleasure at meeting new customers and greeting old ones when they return. Hospitality finds its full expression in face-to-face encounters.
In LIC customers directly come in contact with the sales manager. The customers are treated as guests. The sales managers of LIC are given special training of how to sell the policies to the clients. It is only in LIC that a customer can meet the chairman directly without any appointment.
- Safe keeping:
It is in the process and procedures used by marketers to safe guard and to maintain secrecy.
In LIC the data of the customers is very important. They feed the data of the customers in their Front and Application Program Software which is connected with all the branches of LIC. The data is only available with the sales people and not shown to any person.
- Exceptional:
Exceptional service means service over and above customer’s expectations.
LIC has the fastest claim settlement in the world thereby providing exceptional service. LIC also solves complains of the customers within 7days.
- Payment:
The payment of premium is normally through cheques. Customer can make payment in LIC through:
- Agents
- Loans
- Web sites
- Standing instruction to banks:
In this the account holder will give standing instruction to his bank to pay the amount of premium every month without his consent on the given date directly to LIC.
- Billing:
The billing should be done in such a way that there are no mistakes and if there are any they must be immediately rectified. The billing should provide break-ups of premium charged, service charges, etc.
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