Meet Cheryl – Apia customer care expert
Cheryl Long is a Customer Value Specialist, who has spent the past 15 years providing expert advice and building connections with APIA callers. Here, she shares some behind-the-scenes insights into her role and motivations in providing a personalised customer experience.
How long have you worked at APIA and can you tell us a bit about your professional background?
I’ve been with the Suncorp group for 15 years now, but I’ve worked in customer service all my life - ever since I left school. In the 1980s I was a cruise hostess on ships, and I’ve worked in recruitment and labour hire.
What does your role at APIA involve?
I’m on the other end of the phone to help customers with their enquiries. My job is to provide information and identify products that best suit their needs. Say, for example, someone might want to insure their home but doesn’t know how much cover they need, I would ask questions about the building and fit-out and take them through all the variables that would affect the rebuild cost of their home so they can make a decision.
What sort of skills are important in customer service?
You need to have commitment, understanding and empathy. APIA is all about personalised service, so we need to be good listeners and we must be interested in what the customer’s needs are. I speak to 90-year-olds who are completely au fait with computers, but they’d just rather speak to a real person. I think it’s important for people to know that we have the credentials to give personalised advice, and we’re very transparent.
What sort of training do you need to do?
I think in the beginning it was eight weeks of full-time training to learn all the products. But we continually need to learn new systems and have daily communication on underwriting guidelines and compliance. In the beginning it’s daunting but the more you do, the more you know. There are lots of changes to keep up with but it’s good to stay up to date with technology and what’s going on in the world.
Can you tell us about a specific customer experience?
This one was a while ago, but I think about it a lot. I had a gentleman call to enquire about why his premium had gone up. I took him through all the information, bit by bit, and at the end he said “If I was in business again, I would hire you. You didn’t make this a transaction, you got to know me and what I needed.” I think I remember it because we’re not churn and burn, we like to make sure our customers know what they’re buying.
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
I love travel. I’ve seen a lot of the world and even during Covid I would take myself out on little regional adventures each week. I also like to dance. I’m a trained ballet and tap dancer but I want to learn salsa next.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I’m a people person so I like talking to new people all the time and having a purpose each day. I also love the team spirit - we lift each other up and our opinions count. We work from home but we like to organise our own team catch ups. They’re all like me so can you imagine? We all talk at once!
Read more:
Not an Apia customer and want to find out more?
Subscribe to our FREE Apia Good Life quarterly newsletter for information on our latest offers, stories and inspiration to keep living life at its best.
Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency Pty Ltd (Apia) ABN 14 099 650 996 AR 239591 is an authorised representative of AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 (AAI), the issuer of Home, Landlord, Car, Caravan, Motorhome, Boat, Travel & Compulsory Third Party Personal Injury (CTP) Insurance.
The information is intended to be of general nature only. We do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss incurred as a result of reliance upon it – please make your own enquiries.
Share this:
Topics
