Promoting consumer trust through mentoring

Making the right, and fair, decisions which impact customers is not something we can learn in a classroom. Claims professionals can learn the rules which apply, the Codes of Conduct and their companies’ policies. They can learn how to interpret policies and how to progress claims. How, though, do we help our colleagues learn the judgment that is necessary to ensure that we treat our customers fairly in order to promote trust in the sector?

Traditionally, we have relied upon experience. The old adage that “practice makes perfect” has generally served us well. In today’s increasingly competitive, not to mention highly-regulated environment, however, this is not always enough, especially where experience has been gathered from decision makers who lack the customer focus which is necessary to create and grow that trust.

That is where mentoring comes in. Put simply, mentoring creates a partnership between (usually) two individuals – the mentor, who will help the mentee by providing them with guidance, the benefit of their own experience and support. The discussions between a mentor and mentee should always be confidential, and sit outside the usual line management structure. Sometimes a mentor can provide technical guidance, but often mentoring can help with a specific objective to help develop more general skills or help prepare a mentee for promotion, for example.

Organisations are increasingly turning to mentoring as a way to support their colleagues, says Rachel Tighe, an Assistant Claims Manager at Markel, who along with law firm DAC Beachcroft founded Mentoring the Market (MTM).

“MTM aimed to address a gap in our sector – to provide support to claims professionals and lawyers handling claims on behalf of Insurers from other, usually more experienced professionals, in the hope of raising standards and creating a sense of community”, says Tighe.

The initiative now has over 400 members and has been nominated for a number of awards, including a British Insurance Award last year.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I was fortunate to be provided with an amazing mentor through the MTM scheme who has provided me with excellent support, advice and coaching during a transitional period in my career” says Sarah Coutts, Head of Advocacy, FINPRO and Management Liability Claims at Marsh, who has benefitted from the scheme.  “Taking on a formal management role for the first time, my mentor was a sounding board for many of the challenges I faced and was a great external source for guidance, as well as practical hints and tips to support, motivate and inspire my team.”

Sue Jenkins, Talent Partner at DAC Beachcroft, who has helped train MTM’s new mentors and mentees in the art of mentoring, says that there is increased recognition of the benefits of mentoring, especially as a way to help promote standards in decision-making. Jenkins advocates mentoring as a way to empower colleagues to make positive decisions, saying “a great mentoring relationship will challenge and broaden perspectives, providing a safe space to reflect, rehearse, plan and grow in confidence”.

While MTM’s mentoring platform is geared specifically to insurers working in claims, many insurers have initiated their own internal mentoring programmes, both formal and informal, with the aim of supporting colleagues to progress in their careers, create positive role models and to raise standards.

These all complement the CII’s own e-mentoring platform, Connect. If you would like to connect with another CII member as a mentor (or offer you services as a mentor) working within the insurance industry, visit connect.cii.co.uk to find out more and register your profile today.

For more information about MTM, please contact mentoringthemarket@dacbeachcroft.com.