Sustainability Report 2015
Customer relations
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at Hannover Re promotes an interactive exchange with our customers. Through a regular dialogue and in the context of events we enable our customers to give feedback and initiate an exchange of knowledge on insurance topics. Since 2013 our seminar series "Building Bridges' has included, among other things, a workshop on the theme of "Customer expectations of reinsurers”. We visit our customers multiple times a year, not only on the occasion of the treaty renewals but also in connection with current developments and topical issues.
Customer relationships are normally cultivated on the level of individual divisions at Hannover Re. In life and health reinsurance – in contrast to property and casualty reinsurance – we have a direct local presence in most markets due to our decentralised approach and are thus able to engage in a quick and flexible exchange with our customers. In life and health reinsurance we have a direct local presence in most markets due to our decentralised approach and are thus able to engage in a quick and flexible exchange with our customers. In addition to business trips to visit individual clients, we also organise seminars – usually on specific topics – and education & training workshops in the markets where we operate so as to keep our customers informed about the latest issues and developments relating to life and health reinsurance as well as underwriting. Furthermore, our employees attend trade fairs and expert conferences worldwide.
Customer dialogue
Unlike in retail insurance business, the reinsurance industry is not subject to statutory requirements to provide product or service information to its clients. By way of an ongoing dialogue we nevertheless endeavour to pass on new information relating to the reinsurance industry to our clients. Going forward, we are also working to extend the dialogue on emerging risks.
In our Property & Casualty reinsurance business group a concept dubbed "Building Bridges" has been launched to cultivate closer customer relationships. The first seminar of the series, which was devoted to the theme of "Advanced Reinsurance Methods, Practices and Current Topics" and spanned several days, was held in 2012 and targeted 20 customers from various countries. The seminar has since been offered once a year.
The quarterly newsletter "ReCent Medical News" exemplifies a new dialogue channel that was opened up in 2014 in life and health reinsurance. The issues published to date on our website, which are accessible to everyone, have already presented and discussed a wide range of medical and socioeconomic topics.
The annual expert conferences organised by E+S Rück offer our German-speaking clients a broad range of information on specific and current specialist issues, such as motor insurance and telematics, as well as on more general overarching topics, such as regulation. We also provide our customers with information on Solvency II, the supervisory regime that entered into force in Europe effective 01.01.2016. Depending on the topic, speakers are on hand from various specialist disciplines, including for example physicians, lawyers or senior figures from our claims management or legal departments.
We also motivate our customers to engage more intensively with sustainability issues in order to increase the availability of sustainable insurance solutions. With this in mind, we further stepped up our cooperation with primary insurers in the year under review and supported the development and supply of sustainable insurance solutions through cooperative ventures. For a detailed description of our cooperation activities and products please see the section "Sustainable reinsurance solutions".