With the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle continuing, Vero Insurance has announced that it is reaching out to customers in need of extra care to offer them a connection with its community partner Lifeline Connect. The additional support comes as a supplementary respite following the impact of the cyclone’s social, psychological, and financial cost.
Customers presenting vulnerabilities due to the cyclone will be provided extra care and support, Vero Insurance said. The insurer will do this by facilitating a referral to Lifeline Connect, a specialist service of Lifeline Aotearoa that offers additional connections to government and charitable support services, including access to emergency hardship assistance and follow up wellbeing checks.
While communities are feeling vulnerable, this is often concealed, Vero Insurance chief customer officer Campbell Mitchell said in a press release. At times, people are pushing through without realizing that help is available.
“At times like these, insurers can often be close to what is happening in a customer’s life and can be influential in difficult conversations about a person’s wellbeing and ability to cope,” Mitchell said. “Even when a customer may not expressly say they need additional support, it’s our responsibility to listen to what is not being voiced and to identify where we need to wrap additional support around a customer.”
Mitchell also said that since the January floods followed by Cyclone Gabrielle’s arrival in New Zealand’s North Island, his team has identified close to 200 customers that are in significant need of additional care and support. As insurers get a clearer picture of the damage caused by Gabrielle, this number is expected to increase.
Mitchell and his teams have reached out to elderly people who say that they are fine but are trying to soldier on, and customers recovering from recent surgery or those who have other urgent needs to consider. He also recognized that the people Vero has heard from are only those who have been able to reach out and make the connection with their company.
“The vulnerability that we’re identifying through conversations with our customers may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the need that is out there, and I’d encourage customers that need extra support to be open about the support they need and to take the assistance that is available,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that Vero’s customer teams are trained to recognize vulnerability when assisting customers. He said that they are also confident to respond with empathy and care during such situations.
When a customer is identified as being in a state of vulnerability, Vero’s customer support staff will talk with the customer about the benefits of accepting support from Lifeline Connect. This, in turn, allows Vero’s teams to take a more proactive role in providing additional support to those who are vulnerable.
As of Monday, Vero Insurance had received 6,836 claims from the North Island flood event and 1,309 from Cyclone Gabrielle. The damages caused by the extreme weather events has an insurance expert urging insurance groups to put floods on a severity level equal to that of earthquakes.
What are your thoughts on this story? Please feel free to share your comments below.
