THIS is Service Delivery

We have so many examples of lousy, and even non-existant, service delivery in this country, that I was pleasantly surprised by an organization called Outsurance.

As I mentioned in a recent blog, I purchased a motor cycle in recent weeks. When I fetched the bike, obviously the question of insurance came up. The sales person gave me the name of a 'contact' in the insurance industry, who would see me right. I phoned straight away and, because the person wasn't at her desk, left a message (with a human, not a machine) to say that I wanted insurance, and that I was referred by so-and-so. I'm still waiting for that person to get back to me.

Meanwhile, as a consequence of all their television advertising, I phoned Outsurance for a quote. The guy I spoke to was impressive. Not pushy, but he told me about the product that he, very obviously, believed in, with genuine enthusiasm. He covered every detail of their policy. I told him quite bluntly that I wanted to phone around. He didn't push - just asked me politely if I'd mind if he checked in with me later in the day.

He made it very easy for me. He kept in touch over the next couple of days, but was never pushy. He handled every query pleasantly and clearly. His enthusiam for his product, his Compamny and his customer, was infectious and was probably what sold me eventually. But once I decided to go ahead with them, the backup was there immediately - confirmation calls from their customer call desk, e-mailed policy, calls to see if I was happy or had any questions ....

When I told him that I was impressed by their service, he just chuckled good-naturedly and said to me: "Get used to it - this is the service you get from us!"