This article was created in partnership with Unica Insurance.
With Canadians living longer than ever, the way we connect with customers must evolve to serve four generations at once. Data from the World Health Organization shows that between 2015 and 2050 the global population of people over 60 will rise from 12% to 22% - with the 65+ demographic also rising steadily. For insurers, brokers and advisors, that means understanding the way we communicate with teenagers or young adults may not necessarily suit a retiree.
One firm that understands this better than most is Unica Insurance. With a wholly flexible approach topped off by an in-person road team, they’re going above and beyond to cater to the multigenerational client base.
“For us at Unica, communication is key here,” explained Jasmine Paino, assistant director of claims property and auto physical damage at Unica Insurance. “We feel that consistent communication in any form is the foundation of great customer service - whether that's text, letters, emails or phone calls, we do it all.”
At the heart of this approach is Unica’s case manager model, which ensures continuity and personalization. As Paino explained, by appointing an adjuster and personalizing the claim for their insureds, they actively manage communication throughout the length of a claim.
“As a regional subsidiary of Beneva, we’re able to leverage our organization’s resources and expertise while remaining agile in our local approach and focus on client service. Even if it's a text message just to check in… we adapt to our insureds’ preferences”
Yet personalization doesn’t mean inconsistency. Unica is also deeply committed to delivering clear, dependable service - regardless of the medium.
“The key is to ensure that whichever form we're using, is to do it consistently and continually throughout the claim. We're transparent… even if there's no update to give, at least we're checking in with our insureds to make sure they know that we're still here.”
This dedication to transparency and empathy isn’t left to chance – in fact, it’s built into Unica’s training regimen. As Paino told IB, all of their employees go through Certified A+ training, which focuses on best practices in communication.
“It’s less about what we say… than how we say it, or how to listen. From body language if we’re in person to how your demeanour is over the phone to how a text message could be misconstrued… we want to make sure that our adjusters are aware of that.”
And it's not just the claims department. Every Unica employee - from underwriting to finance - undergoes the same communication training. The goal is a consistent, all-encompassing experience for clients at every touchpoint.
“We’re delivering communication consistently and are able to listen in an active manner, so that [we understand] from our insureds what they need, and we can respond according to their preferences,” added Paino.
But what happens when those preferences skew toward digital-only communication, as they often do with younger policyholders? Well that’s something that’s evolving alongside the industry at large - and at Unica they like to think that they’re also keeping up with that, according to Paino. Still, Unica doesn’t allow digital convenience to erode human connection – it’s about using tech to enhance the experience.
“It’s built right into the culture of Unica that all of our adjusters treat our insureds the way they would want to be treated,” added Paino. “And I know it sounds kind of cliché, but it’s true.”
And, in a world where many policyholders search online and encounter negative anecdotes about the claims experience, Unica wants to rewrite that dangerous narrative.
“From the first interaction, we have a mindset where we want to debunk those myths that you see online,” said Paino. “One of the challenges of text-based interaction is the length of time it takes to send and receive information. In claims, it's fast-paced. We want to move things forward, get things done.”
That flexibility is what sets Unica apart. As Paino explained, if they’re not getting the results they want via text interactions, they then have the opportunity and the option to switch it up - make a phone call, visit in person, deliver a cheque with their road team.
And that road team? It’s a key pillar in the company’s strategy to bridge the digital and physical worlds.
“One of the unique features of being a Unica customer is that we do offer a road team, which is rare in the industry,” Paino added. “We’re out there visiting clients in their home… So for the older generations who are used to getting letters in the mail or walking into a broker’s office, we offer that as well. It allows us to work quickly with the insureds to put together a plan and then execute that once we get back to our desk, and that could be in a digital format as well.
“We’re able to deliver a cheque to you if required. It takes the ‘Hey, I’m just a claim number’ out of the equation and adds ‘I’m a person with a problem, and you’re here to help me.’ All of us pride ourselves on that… we treat every claim as if it were our own claim.”
