Symmetry of attentions in 2024: Innovation serving people

The concept of symmetry of attentions can be summed up as follows: “A happy and fulfilled employee means a satisfied customer!” . But what exactly needs to be achieved in order to make your teams and your customers happy? For both the former and the latter, satisfaction is at an intermediary point between operational performance and interpersonal excellence. The poet Maya Angelou puts it well:''People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel'’.  So, how can creating a positive overall experience be a factor in helping to develop the loyalty of both customers and talented people, and retaining them? Find out how we, at AXA Partners, embody this corporate culture in 2024.

Our strategy in this area is unique – for both our customers and our employees. The inclusive experience with which we provide our employees begins as soon as they join us, and continues throughout their employee journey (from when they first take up their position, during their onboarding and training, and during their career development.  Our aim is to enable them to feel useful, to work confidently and to enjoy a learning environment in which they can flourish with carreer and development opportunities.

Be useful

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our assistance agents support our customers in all circumstances – with everything from speedy emergency repairs to managing a major crisis. They therefore have to manage extreme situations, with the same level of detail and pragmatic approach, and they are extremely proud to do so. AXA Partners has been sharing examples of what we do does since November 2023 via a series of "Real-Life Stories” experienced by our customers. The series highlights what our assistance agents do in their everyday assignments.

Supporting and showcasing our teams of assistance agents gives them recognition and is a way of acknowledging their professional approach, and their commitment to managing the critical situations in which our customers find themselves. This symmetry of attentions ensures that our customers enjoy service of an exceptional quality.

Work confidently

We showcase the commitment and flexibility of our employees that they draw on to develop innovative and customised solutions for each customer. For each AXA Partners department, the customer pathway is co-developed with our assistance agents, whose field experience often catalyses the emergence of new ideas, and our transformation specialists, product owners and the IT department. This collective creativity is vital for providing our customers with bespoke solutions. The experience is generally designed based on a specific use case – specific to a given country or business sector. Once it has been designed, the customer pathway is tested in real-life conditions.

A learning environment in which people can flourish

We provide people who want to join us with the resources they need to do their work in the best possible conditions, and right from day one, we encourage them to develop their potential on a continual basis. Our employees follow an onboarding programme, and have access to websites that help them design their customised career plans. All of this is in a modern and flexible working environment that features co-working spaces, sometimes a gymnasium and relaxation areas.

From a personal perspective, the AXA group attaches particular importance to people's well-being and their mental health. In October 2023, the AXA group launched its “We Care” program designed to support employees during the various stages of their lives and at key moments. For example, employees affected by domestic violence, or family and sexual abuse have access to a dedicated point of contact in each entity, together with psychological support, specialist help services, opportunities for flexible working hours and five days of fully paid holiday. Similarly, for prevention purposes, the group has created the “Healthy You” program. This features a face-to-face physical medical check every four years for all employees aged 40 and over, as well as a virtual medical check every two years for all employees.

Providing employees with opportunities to develop their expertise while at the same time protecting their health and well-being positively impacts the customer experience.

At AXA Partners, we place the needs of individuals at the heart of everything we do so that customers end up getting assistance and support that exceed their expectations. “Customer first” is one of the AXA Group’s four pillars. By involving employees in this customer-centric culture, we maximise their engagement and their understanding of customer needs, thus creating a virtuous circle in which customer interests and employee interests dovetail and strengthen one another.

Listening to customers and customisation

Tools for listening and for conducting customer surveys in real time enable us to gather instant feedback and adjust our services to meet our customers' immediate and bespoke needs. When customers feel as though they are genuinely heard, understood and respected, they are more likely to remain loyal. The result is a long-term relationship underpinned by trust. Every year, we get feedback from our customers via 1.6 million satisfaction surveys, customer panels and commercial partners. We also conduct the B-Pulse survey which helps us gauge the satisfaction levels of our commercial partners, as well as understand their needs and expectations.

The positive feedback from our customers can also improve the way that our employees view the value of their work. When our employees see that their work contributes to the satisfaction of our customers, it boosts their engagement and their satisfaction at work. When it comes to showcasing the work done every day with our customers, our best ambassadors are our assistance agents. Every day, they support our customers at each stage of their coverage journey. We are keen to celebrate their work and to showcase the high quality of the relationships that they foster with our customers.

Generative AI to breathe new magic into the customer experience

Generative artificial intelligence is a major trend in 2024. It improves the customer experience by customising interaction with them and providing rapid answers. AI-driven chatbots are used so that human agents can focus on more complex problems, maximising efficiency and improving customer satisfaction.

According to the 2024 Life Trends study published by Accenture at the end of 2023, 77% of people know conversational AIs, such as ChatGPT, and nearly 42% are open to the idea of getting product recommendations from them.

At AXA Partners, several projects are under way to do with generative artificial intelligence being used to help customers. Whether they involve simplifying the customer journey, putting the customer in contact with an assistance manager more quickly or enabling human agents to focus on tasks with more added value, the aim is to continually improve the quality of their interactions and their experience.

Digital when possible, human when it matters

Automation and digital tools – when used judiciously – can relieve employees from repetitive tasks with low added value so they can focus on resolving complex problems, or supporting and listening to customers. The emphasis on complementarity between digital and people enhances the value of employees' expertise and their well-being, while at the same time aiming for excellence and fluidity in the service delivered to customers.

At AXA Partners, symmetry of attentions is much more than just a concept. It is the core of our company culture. By maximising employee well-being as much as customer satisfaction, we create a positive experience on both sides of the spectrum. The result is a working environment in which each employee feels valued, confident and supported in their personal and professional development.
Our commitment to our customers enables us to exceed their expectations. Thanks to an effective omnichannel pathway, our employees can focus on resolving complex problems and delivering high-quality services. Our aim is to design and develop the assistance services and protection solutions of the future. To do so, we have a duty to invest in the personal and professional development of our employees, without whom nothing would be possible.
We are determined to innovate and adapt so we can address the challenges of the future, strengthening our commitment to providing our customers and our teams with an exceptional service.