The employees of the company are being informed through the meetings, seminars and training programs organized in their fields of expertise and general fields of interest and through the portal application and information sent via the Internet.
Whereas, our distribution channels are periodically informed about the company practices and procedures through announcements made via the circulars published at the www.aksigorta.com.tr webpage of our company under the title “For Our Agencies”, as well as through traditional and regional agency meetings, preliminary and technical trainings organized and via e-mails.
14. Participation of Beneficiaries to the Management
Participation of the employees to the management is ensured through periodical meetings. Managers from the regional directorates and departments participate in the monthly executive meeting. The meetings held at the departments are oriented toward supporting the executive meetings. In addition, in the information sharing meetings, information has been conveyed to all the employees in groups regarding practices, policy and targets, opinions of the employees were obtained, and their required participation and contribution are obtained in order to ensure efficient management of the company.
Annual performance evaluation meetings are being held with the employees. In these meetings, the employees receive feedback with regard to their performances and it is ensured that the employees deliver their opinions and expectations. With the regional agency meetings, the developments encountered in the insurance sector and the changing competition environment are shared with the agencies. In the “Free Platform” section conducted in these meetings, the agencies that get together with the local and central management units express their up-to date problems. This way, Aksigorta receives feedback regarding the existing policies and takes into account the opinions of the agencies in establishing the company strategies.
15. Human Resources Policy
The Company’s human resources policies are managed in line with the vision, mission and core values. To achieve the Company’s goals, organizational planning is made in accordance with Company strategies, and the fundamental principle is to work with employees who are cognizant of the Company’s values and make it a lifestyle to act in accordance therewith.
The Company aims to enhance the motivation and productivity of its employees through a number of practices including promotion from within, management by objectives, and development activities aimed at fulfilling long-term development needs, as well as social clubs and activities.
The main attributes of conduct expected of employees have been spelled out in the “Competencies Catalogue” in line with the vision, mission and core values, which is shared with the Company employees. Just like the objectives, competencies make a part of the annual performance appraisal. 360-degree evaluation, behavior-based interviews, and development and assessment, which are carried out centrally, serve to identify the strengths and improvement areas of employees, which are then used as a guide in the preparation of the Company’s improvement programs.
Management of relations with employees takes place among the primary responsibilities of managers. Managers take a close interest in the problems of their direct reports and monitor development opportunities.
Creating and maintaining a fair working environment is one of the Company’s key ethical values.
16. Information Regarding Relations with the Customers and Suppliers
Our Company, having adopted the quality policy of providing, as a robust, respectable and reliable company in the sector, high quality service with the emphasis on customer satisfaction and in line with our vision, mission and values, in collaboration with our agencies, employees and suppliers, has established the quality assurance system by taking ISO 9001:1994 standards as a model and has received its BS EN 9001:1994 Quality Standard Certificate in 1998 from BVQI (Bureau Veritas Quality International). System continuity and certification have been achieved since 1998. ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System certification has been renewed, with the renewal remaining effective until 2 July 2013. Our company continues to deliver quality service to all of its customers, business partners, employees, and other Shareholders.
Stimulated by our customer-focused service policy, Aksigorta Service Center, put into operation in 2002 continues to provide nationwide service on 7 days 24 hours basis. Aksigorta Service Center is the important contact point for the customers concerning insurance and cases of emergency. The claims process starts from Aksigorta Service Center and Aksigorta Service Center stands by our customer through the entire claim process by making outgoing calls. The services provided from Aksigorta Service Center are also being provided on our website; our customers can access information regarding claim files and policies uninterruptedly. The complaints of customers regarding our services are being recorded by all our distribution channels through special software and solution durations and customer satisfaction are being monitored. Customers’ satisfaction of our services are regularly measured and followed up through outgoing calls made from Aksigorta Service Center.
In line with the “Customer Relations Policy” developed by our Company with a view to handling customer complaints and demands, and to delivering better service and creating a difference in the sector by further enhancing its quality standards, the Company earned ISO 10002:2004 Customer Satisfaction and Complaints Handling in Organizations quality certification in 2009. The foundation stones of the Company’s Customer Relations Policy are spelled out below:
Transparency: Members of the Aksigorta family are provided with the means to convey their complaints, demands and queries accurately, completely, intelligibly and easily at any time. The Company keeps its communication channels open at all times.
Accessibility: Members of the Aksigorta family are able to access us 24/7 for their complaints, demands and queries via the Service Center at the number 444 27 27 and all other channels of contact.
Answerability: Members of the Aksigorta family get responses to their complaints, demands and queries in the shortest time possible, enjoying the privilege offered by “Aksigorta Service Center”.
Objectivity: Members of the Aksigorta family are provided with unprejudiced and fair treatment with respect to complaints, demands and queries submitted in any matter.
Charges: Members of the Aksigorta family are not charged any fees for the handling and resolution of complaints, demands and queries submitted in any matter.
Privacy: Aksigorta has regarded privacy a matter of utmost significance ever since its establishment. Along this line, all personal data entrusted to us is maintained in strict confidence at all times.
Customer-focus: Members of the Aksigorta family, who always deserve the best, are offered effective, realistic and practicable solutions, and their needs are fulfilled while their rights are always protected.
Accountability: All complaints, demands and queries of the members of the Aksigorta family are recorded, and the Company’s decisions are explained with their justifications so as to be able to furnish better service.
Constant Improvement: One of the strongest companies in the sector, Aksigorta makes constant improvements to all insurance services offered, and continues with its investments uninterruptedly in order to ensure that the members of the Aksigorta family receive better service and correct guidance.
Fast and Efficient Solutions: Aksigorta introduces innovations to the sector to produce fast and efficient solutions in line with the needs of the members of the Aksigorta family.
Professionalism: Aksigorta provides the best service to the members of the Aksigorta family via its expert complaints handling team.
17. Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is an indispensable element of companies’ business strategies nowadays. Companies no longer just set commercial goals for themselves: they also seek to contribute towards the advancement of the communities of which they are a part.
Since the day it was founded, Aksigorta has undertaken many informational and educational projects with the aim of creating value added for society. For Aksigorta, social responsibility is one of the most important components of its corporate culture.
As an insurance company, risk is fundamental to our business. As an inherent requirement of that business, we develop products and services that protect our customers against a variety of risks. In line with our vision of “making life more secure”, we want people to feel that they are safe and secure. Although we undertake social responsibility activities in many areas, the issue to which we really give the greatest attention is risk-awareness.
People’s risk and insurance awareness levels are quite low in Turkey. We live in a country 95% of whose area is exposed to significant earthquake and similar risk. As a society however we tend to forget the disasters we suffer from rather quickly. In all our corporate social responsibility and other activities we strive to combat fatalism and to increase risk awareness among all members of society while focusing particular attention on women and children. Another of our goals is to draw attention to the need for insurance. We want to create a society which knows the importance of insurance as a way of protecting against risks and which is resilient in the face of risk.
Aksigorta has been responsible for many firsts in Turkey. Long before the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake, Sakıp Sabancı spearheaded the formation of Turkey’s first Fire & Earthquake Center (YADEM) in order to increase children’s awareness. Hundreds of thousands of children have since then received training about such matters.
Equipped with what was the very best technology available at those years, the center’s specialists taught children about earthquake and fire safety using high-tech fire and earthquake simulators. About 15,000 children in the 7-14 age groups received such training every year. In 2006 YADEM was donated to the Şişli Municipal Science Center with the aim of reaching an even broader audience. Today about 400,000 children visit the center every year.
Seeking to create natural disaster awareness among all lines of society in keeping with its own “Risk and Security” theme and to teach not just children but everyone how to protect themselves against natural disasters, Aksigorta reaches out even to Turkey’s remotest settlements through the “Life Goes On” project that it designed in collaboration with the AKUT Search & Rescue Association. Traveling around the country with Turkey’s first 3G Force Earthquake Simulator, Aksigorta and AKUT teams show audiences what they need to do to protect themselves in case of disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. The project, which explains the importance of insurance as well, began in 2010 and will continue for five years.
Aksigorta regards contributing towards learning a sound awareness about natural disasters and insurance among every generation as one of its most important objectives. The company will continue to carry out other projects in order to achieve this goal.
In keeping with our “risk and security” theme, we are reaching out to even the remotest towns of our country through the “Hayata Devam Türkiye” project which we designed in collaboration with AKUT to promote natural disaster awareness all over the country.
Traveling around the country with Turkey’s first 3G Force Earthquake Simulator, Aksigorta and AKUT teams show audiences what they need to do to protect themselves in case of disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods while also providing information about compulsory earthquake insurance. This roadshow project has so far visited 20 cities and 100 counties and reached about 2 million people. The third of these annual tours will take place in 2012. Five are planned in all.
We believe that we have a big responsibility as we carry Aksigorta’s deep-rooted past forward into the future. We will continue to undertake other projects that will contribute towards the education of future generations who have a sound awareness about natural disasters and insurance.