Qiren Organisation, an authorised representative of AIA Singapore, opened its second "next generation agency office" that includes, among other things, a library, an indoor playground, a café and a lounge for customers' complimentary use.
Jeric Lin Qiren, Founder, Qiren Organisation (QO), and Wong Sze Keed, Chief Distribution Officer, AIA Singapore, shared with us what the future holds for the agency model.
High-touch
In an increasingly digital world, there are many things that humans cannot compete head-on with machine.
Mr Lin said machine is faster and more accurate than humans. So the only way to continue to thrive is to focus on “high-touch”, meaning to say “more love, more care, relationship building”, even as we ride on technology to optimise and serve clients better.
This explains the many client engagement activities QO organises for its clients such as birthday parties, enrichment classes for children, and fitness classes including Zumba, KpopX Fitness, and yoga. Its conducive and welcoming office environment with amenities are built for clients, mainly young families, to use and gather.
Through all these engagement activities and face-to-face interactions, relationships get strengthened and friendships are formed. “What concerns us is not just a sale. What we are focusing on is the relationship,” he said. QO believes that if they are only driven by products, people could easily leave and go elsewhere once they have found something better.
By becoming friends, a financial services consultant can realise what the client’s real needs are and how it evolves, and that’s when an adviser can walk through the journey of life with the client.
Building a community
This new office concept is part of AIA Singapore’s transformational journey and Qiren’s focus on moving beyond the traditional and passive insurance model to build long term relationships with customers.
As Ms Wong said, “What Qiren has just done is really a demonstration of the transformational journey. We want to put customers at the heart of everything we do.
“As you saw, whether it’s the playground, the dance studio, or the library, the whole place is really a fun place for customers to come. And that’s how we want to show customers that it’s not about selling insurance. It’s really about building a community and creating the environment for customers where they feel comfortable to be connected with us.”
She added, “I think customers want to be connected and want to be engaged even more than before. No matter what we do we can’t deny that the personal touch at the end of the day still makes a difference.
"Rather than push a product, if you go to a customer and say, 'let me help you take care of your health, let me help you take care of your family, let me help you take care of your kids', I think there’s still a lot of room to grow and a lot of space for us to be in that segment. So there’s still a bright future for the agency force because they are the ones who continue to go out there and touch the lives of families and provide that personal touch.”
More to come
Mr Lin said, “I would like to thank AIA for providing such a beautiful platform. I feel that AIA is one of the strongest in terms of technology, customer service, and products. With AIA, I have faith that we can go even further.”
Qiren’s office is the beginning to the whole transformation journey as AIA Singapore continues to work even harder to progress. Ms Wong said, “In today’s world, an insurance company is not just about selling insurance. We are here to help our customers to lead healthier, longer, and better lives. And this is our brand promise.”
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