Customer Care Survey, Executive & Staff Development for
Change, BUPA Insurance (UK)
Client Issue: BUPA was established in the 1940s, & is now a global health & care organisation with bases on 3 continents & more than seven million customers. As a provident association, they do not have shareholders & reinvests its surpluses into improved health & care facilities such as medical equipment, the latest technology & buildings. Their biggest & original business is health insurance in the UK, both for individuals & corporations, with more than half of the UK's top companies as customers.
BUPA is now becoming more associated with health & fitness, not just illness & treatment, with a high-profile sports sponsorship program, enhanced screening services & sophisticated fitness assessments. In the late 1990s they went through a period of losing members in the UK due to increased competition, so they needed to take a radical look at improving their services & organisational culture. Old policies & procedures were hampering staff in their ability to respond to customer needs, & customers had a poor perception of benefits. There was a need for creative ways to address fundamental change. The Board realised that any organisational development (OD) program would need to involve all managers & staff in addressing key issues.
Solution: UK Customer Survey was undertaken including face to face interviews with BUPA managers & staff; medical professionals; hospital administrators; corporate clients; individual members; & the general public.
Synergy then designed & delivered executive workshops to address key issues & gain ownership for planning the change program; developed a full training program on leading change more effectively (including customer care) for staff; & helped select, train & coach internal change agents to create & support
cross-functional taskforces.
Outcome: Clear view of key issues & feedback on major change requirements. Executive decision to involve all senior staff in addressing issues & changes required. Improved communications across business, with a measurable improvement in customer service/perceptions, & a resulting decrease in the loss of members. Ownership of major change initiatives & raised motivation of staff to make sustainable behavioural change.
