Mondial Assistance's Emergency centres placed under the same roof

							Mondial Assistance’s Emergency centres placed under the same roof (May 2003)

Recently the name of Elvia Assistance, Elvia’s emergency centre mainly for medical assistance, has already
been changed into Mondial Assistance. It is the same name as the one born by the sister emergency centre in
Driebergen, which is mainly active in the field of technical assistance. The final step in the scope of further
integration was the removal of this emergency centre from Driebergen to Amsterdam, which has already taken
place in the meantime. So, now there is one single large emergency centre for both medical as well as
technical assistance under the name of Mondial Assistance.

René Vermeule, director of Marketing & Sales of the Mondial Assistance Group in the Netherlands explains the
main advantages of this removal: ‘things have become more obvious to our employees and our clients. As a
result of this combination we will also be able to work in a more efficient way, for instance think of the cases
that speak for themselves, such as the joint night duties for technical and medical assistance. The travel
insurer Elvia and the emergency centre Mondial Assistance are now placed in the same building. Both Elvia as
well as Mondial Assistance are now members of the international Mondial Assistance Group, a worldwide
market leader in the field of travel insurances and assistance. The Group for its part is a member of Allianz.’

A logical combination
According to Vermeule it was a logical step to combine the technical and medical assistance; ‘Mondial
Assistance operates for many clients and, for instance, some of them have the need for both medical as well
as technical assistance. In case of emergency insurers with a portfolio, in which both car insurances and health
insurances are included, now can offer the customers their help from one single organisation. And because
there is often a question of a portfolio with buildings insurances/household policies, we will also extend our
assistance with the Home Assistance in the near future. The advantage of having all services under the same
roof also means that a client can make an emergency* number available to its customers. This number can be
reached in case our client’s customer has a problem himself, or a problem with his car or his house. Because
we also answer the telephone under our client’s name this way of handling will have an added value to his
customer. Furthermore, our assistance is very efficient, because our client does not have to enter into a
contract with various Emergency Centres and so can use one single central emergency number’.

Our clients
Mondial Assistance works for a large number of clients. ‘Among our clients, which we also consider our
partners, are insurers, car importers and leasing companies. Our business partners’ customers will not come
across the name of Mondial Assistance very often, because in general we act under our partner’s name, or in
other words under a “private label” as it is officially called. Elvia is also one of the clients for our emergency
centre, so Elvia Assistance actually still exists in this form, but now under a private label of Elvia. Mondial
Assistance is an emergency centre, which is already taking care of all the technical assistance for more than 1
million Dutch cars out of the total number of 6 million both in the Netherlands as well as abroad. We take care
of the medical assistance for almost 3.5 million Dutch customers abroad on a daily basis. In our plans we
expect a strong growth for the coming three years, we think that we are able to double the number of cases, in
which we render our help.
It would certainly be nice if we succeed in this growth, but our main objective is to be recognized by our
employees, our business partners and their customers as the most customer-oriented provider of assistance
and travel insurances. It is there where the challenge really lies for us. If we obtain the recognition then the
growth will certainly comes as a matter of course. As a matter of fact we are convinced that, on the long run,
quality shaped in this form will be the decisive factor. It is not without reason why we mentioned the recognition
of our employees in the first place. We do not make a tangible product ourselves, but our employees do, or at
least: they are the ones taking care of the service. An insurance or assistance only comes into being as a result
of a claim on the insurance. As from this point our employees will help you and it is there where the recognition
starts getting a shape. If the service is optimal, then our business partners and their customers will certainly
experience this. We are doing well at this moment; we are often recognized thanks to our customer orientation.

Recognition
At this moment we are talking about being recognized in our vision of the future. Why? Because we find future
recognition an even larger challenge, which can only be realised if we can act on the highest level at each
moment and in all cases’.

Specialist
The removal and change of name of Elvia will not be of any consequences to our business relations. ‘The fact
that we now have one single emergency centre, doesn’t have any consequences to our service’ Vermeule
says. Elvia Assistance remains the name, under which all assistances will be carried out on behalf of Elvia.
Elvia Assistance will remain Elvia’s own emergency centre, unique to Elvia and essential to a travel insurer.
Elvia and Mondial Assistance are falling under one central management, so that the activities with regard to the
travel insurances and the assistance can be optimally geared to one another. Furthermore, in case it is really
necessary, decisions can be made rapidly and efficiently, for instance in case of a disaster, in which tourists are
the victims. Thanks to this the decision, for the insurer’s approval in the costs of the bringing into action of an
aeroplane to repatriate the tourists, can be made through very short lines throughout our organisation. We do
not have to consult an external organisation in order to take such a decision, which is a unique thing. Because
of this Elvia is the only specialised travel insurer of the Netherlands. Not only because Elvia has a wide range
of travel insurances, but also especially because Elvia fully manages the entire course, before, during and after
the travel. In order to prevent calamity this service already starts with giving advices and providing customers
with cancellation insurances before the journey begins, the emergency centre is always on stand-by during the
journey, and the damage, which eventually has arisen, will be compensated after the journey. And if you add
our worldwide network of 40 own branches on all continents (so no regional offices) to this, then it is obvious
that our future ambitions did come into being without any reason whatsoever. We really have something in our
hands, which we will fully use in order to make our business partners’ customers satisfied, both those of Elvia
as well as those of Mondial Assistance.’