Pavlo Tsaruk - "We are creating a precedent for success!"

— Як локдаун позначився in the insurance market, зокрема продажах “автоцивілки”, адже під час карантину кількість авто на дорогах зменшилася? Чи вплинуло це на показники зборів страхових премій? 

— The pace of market growth as a result of the lockdown really slowed down, primarily due to a significant decrease in income from "border" types of insurance: "Green Card", travel insurance, customs guarantee insurance, etc. Due to the closure of the borders, the demand for these species decreased by 70-80% in the spring, and at the end of the year, the market "shrunk" by at least a third.

Compared to 2019, last year we lost UAH 100 million in payments for the Green Card alone. Therefore, in order to continue to "grow", the quarantine-induced drop in sales of "borderline" species had to be covered by an increase in sales of other products. And we succeeded! According to the results of 2020, SG "TAS" set another record: we collected 2.027 billion UAH in payments, which is 211.82 million UAH higher than the figure for 2019. Although, of course, if there was no drop in the same "Green Card" and other "border" types, then even without the increase in them, the increase would have been about 400 million hryvnias.

As for the "autocivilka" in particular, everyone expected that during the period of strict quarantine, the loss rate under OSCPV policies would drop significantly, because people almost do not go anywhere. But it turned out differently: road accidents decreased, but the average payment under the OSCPV policy increased significantly. And it was precisely the lockdown and restrictions in the operation of transport that contributed to this. On the one hand, the car remained the only means of transportation, on the other hand, the empty roads “encouraged” some drivers to break the speed limit, which led to accidents, mostly serious ones, with significant damages.

— What are the dynamics of insurance premiums from OSCPV in SG "TAS" according to the results of 2020? As a result, the company manages to maintain a high position in this market?

— The volume of income of SG "TAS" under "civilka" policies increased by 18.5% - this is comparable to the market growth indicators. At the same time, according to the MTSBU, in 2020, our company once again confirmed the title of the unchanging leader of the OSCPV market both in terms of the volume of premiums involved and the amount of payments. In particular, the volume of payments of SG "TAS" exceeds by 19% the corresponding indicator of the insurer, which took second place in terms of the amount of premiums.

What is the secret of such success? First of all, in our approach to this product and competent communications with the client. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the mandatory "auto civil" is already 16 years old, we still have a lot of motorists who sincerely do not understand why they need this policy. No one talked to them about what this product is, what it protects against, and why it is actually beneficial to buy it. I always say, "Imagine you cause an accident and you don't have a policy. You have to pay to repair someone else's car that you wrecked. Do you have extra money for that? And do you want to give your own money to repair someone else's car?

And where can I get funds to repair my own car?..." Our many years of experience confirm: if you ask the client the right questions, help him think, the need to have a policy becomes obvious to him. We try to explain everything to the client in an accessible way so that he buys a policy not "for the police", but makes a conscious choice. 

On the other hand, we still focus on providing comprehensive insurance protection for motorists. It is clear that in the case of serious accidents, the payment under the OSCPV policy provided for by law, which is UAH 130,000, is unlikely to be enough to repair someone else's car that was damaged due to your fault, and you will still have to pay extra out of your own pocket. And this is not to mention the repair of your car, which you will generally do at your own expense. We talk about all these risks with the client, and the absolute majority of people who come to us for an OSCPV policy buy comprehensive products that provide comprehensive protection on the road.

— Has the company's portfolio changed in 2020? 

— Our driver was and remains the "civilka", because for us it is not even a business, but an opportunity to communicate with the client. Voluntary health insurance became another driver. And this is natural: the epidemic has made us all think about what is really most important in life - family, children, the health of loved ones, etc. Think and take care of their protection. And this is one of the important reasons for the increase in the sales volume of DMS - they have increased by more than one and a half times. 

— How has the mood among corporate clients changed? Have they had a reduction in insurance costs?

— Звісно, спричинена локдауном криза вдарила по фінансах підприємств, і дехто з числа корпоративних клієнтів намагаються оптимізувати свої витрати на insurance. Та говорити про суттєві зміни в обсягах існуючих корпоративних продажів я б не став. Ба більше, багато хто з роботодавців з початку епідемії та дотепер використовують корпоративне медичне insurance як інструмент підтримки працівників, особливо це стосується колективів, де співробітники вимушені контактувати з великою кількістю людей, що є додатковим ризиком під час пандемії. Адже лікування важких випадків коронавірусної інфекції, зокрема в разі госпіталізації, коштує чимало — від 30-50 тис.грн, що багатьом не по кишені. Тож роботодавці, оформлюючи договір ДМС для працівників, таким чином підтримують людей, додатково мотивують їх.

As for other types of insurance traditionally demanded by the corporate sector, there have been no drastic changes either: OSCPV, CASCO, collateral insurance - their sales also increased, primarily due to the attraction of new customers.

— How did you manage to maintain the corporate spirit in the team at the beginning of the pandemic and during the lockdown period?

- Probably, it was the biggest challenge. Yes, technologically we were ready for remote work and the fact that everyone worked at home did not affect business processes. 

Forced isolation, impossibility to communicate in the usual format became a much more difficult test. People want to feel part of a team, where everyone supports each other and works for a common result. 

And our main goal was to make it clear to all employees that they are not alone, that even at a distance we remain a united team. So the main effort was to maintain daily communication so that people feel that we are together. Therefore, we recommended that all managers conduct daily short video conferences or communicate with each employee in person.

Крім того, ми вирішили сумістити приємне з корисним. Фактично з перших днів карантину нами було запроваджено щоденну програму особистого розвитку менеджерів і продавців, по закінченні якої вони демонстрували колосальний стрибок і в продуктивності роботи, і в навич­ках, і в уміннях. Насправді початківця від успішного продавця відділяє не так й багато. Достатньо навчитися п’яти-семи-дев’яти речам. Я переконаний: якщо щодня робити маленький крок вперед, засвоюючи одну з цих речей, навчитися продажам можна за два тижні. Якщо ти щодня повторюватимеш певні дії, навички мають закріпитися. Сама program була розрахована на два місяці: впродовж першого учасники за підтримки наставника-коуча напрацьовували потрібні вміння, протягом другого — закріпляли. В результаті “на виході” ми отримували фахівців, які починали з нуля, а зрештою ставали на один щабель з найкращими продавцями. І це надихало! І нас, і самих учасників, які фактично створювали прецедент успіху, і тих, хто ще не брав участі у програмі: якщо в інших вийшло, і я зможу!

"If you ask the client the right questions, the need for a policy becomes obvious to him"

How was the work constructed? I personally worked with three managers of the head office, each of whom "led" three deputy directors of regional divisions, and they already worked with three to five salespeople in the field. Thus, during the quarantine, about 150 sellers and most of the regional managers passed through our leadership program. And by the end of this spring, the entire management of the company will pass through it. 

It is equally important that, in addition to direct training, it was also work aimed at maintaining morale in the team. We tried to inspire and support each other, motivated and did not let us give up, made us believe in ourselves and overcome our own fears. And this is what helped us not only to survive the lockdown with dignity, but once again to prove to everyone that together we can do anything, and no obstacles will prevent us from achieving our goal.