For this latest episode of CX Armatis & Vous, we were delighted to welcome Brice de Crevoisier, who has been working for the British insurance group Admiral for 18 years; 18 of those years were spent at L’olivier Assurance, the motor and home insurance brand distributed in France. He is now responsible for all outsourced operational resources, as well as a number of operational support functions.
A local presence to support change management
Olivier Assurance has chosen to base almost all of its advisers in France. For Brice de Crevoisier, this decision goes beyond the image of quality it conveys:
“It’s a choice we’ve made to set ourselves apart from what some of our competitors might do. But beyond projecting an image of high-quality service, it’s above all a way for us to optimise change management. Things move quickly in an extremely agile environment, and the fact that our agents are on the ground is clearly an asset.”
Two areas entrusted to Armatis at the Calais site
At Armatis, L’olivier Assurance has two types of teams based at its Calais site in northern France:
- Sales teams that sell car and home insurance products
- Customer Experience teams, who support customers throughout the various stages of their contract
Strategic and regulated activities
Brice de Crevoisier explains why these activities are regarded as strategic:
“These are regulated activities, with a high risk of fraud. They are strategic as a whole, whether in customer service or sales. Sales are at the heart of what we do, for obvious reasons linked to L’Olivier’s growth ambitions for the coming years. But beyond that, the customer experience – the quality of service we provide to our customers – is our top priority.”
He sums up the company’s philosophy with a mantra that is often repeated internally:
“We want our customers to be loyal, and we often say here: the customer, the customer, the customer. Customer service is really our second priority.”
A relationship that has lasted for almost 8 years
For Brice de Crevoisier, what sets the relationship with Armatis apart is, above all, its longevity:
“What sets our relationship apart, first and foremost, is its longevity. We’ve been working together for nearly eight years now. That might seem quite a short time, but in the context of L’Olivier, it’s roughly half the time we’ve been operating in France.”
This was not L’Olivier’s first experience of outsourcing; the company had already worked with another wholesale broker when it first set up in France. However, this is the first time the company has outsourced its operations in this way since it brought all its activities back in-house.
Brice de Crevoisier describes this relationship as open and honest:
“We have been constantly striving to improve the quality of our products for several years now, and Armatis has always been very responsive in this regard.”
AI to support advisers, not to replace them
When asked about the future of the customer experience, Brice de Crevoisier points directly to artificial intelligence:
“It’s hardly breaking news, but artificial intelligence is clearly at the heart of the changes taking place today, whether in the world of customer experience or in society more generally. We can expect quite significant changes in the way we interact with our customers in the not-too-distant future, but this must be done in a considered manner.”
In his view, these technologies must be harnessed to enhance the customer journey:
“We must use these new technologies to enhance the customer journeys we offer, making them smoother, more flexible and more enjoyable for our customers.”
He also highlights the potential of AI for advisers themselves:
“What is being highlighted more and more are the opportunities that AI can offer in terms of supporting our advisers, so that they can tailor their responses ever more effectively to new expectations. There is even increasing talk of ‘augmented advisers’.”
Key takeaways
- Olivier Assurance has entrusted Armatis with two types of teams based at the Calais site: sales and customer experience.
- Activities deemed strategic because they are regulated and exposed to a high risk of fraud, with a clear guiding principle: the customer, the customer, the customer.
- A relationship that has lasted for almost 8 years – roughly half the time L'olivier has been operating in France – characterised by trust, honesty and continuous improvement.
- A clear vision of AI: it must streamline customer journeys and equip advisers, without ever replacing them.
