NIC launches online complaints portal
The National Insurance Commission (NIC) has launched the Complaints Management Systems (CMS) which will allow policy holders lodge complaints to the regulator from the comfort of their homes, just by a click on their phones or tablets.
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The online complaints system forms part of measures by the regulator to enhance client satisfaction in the insurance industry where customer service has not been the best.
It is also expected to enhance fair customer treatment through an automated, seamless, interactive and easy process that allows the public to have real time access to the NIC without physically being present at any of its offices across the country.
Speaking at the launch, Ag Commissioner of the NIC, Michael Kofi Andoh said the CMS has been live since February 1, 2024 and the response from the public has so far been tremendous.
He said the commission would do more sensitization on the system to get more customers to use it.
Mr Andoh, however, advised insurance companies to put in place their own systems to address customer complaints sufficiently to prevent them from even seeking redress from the NIC
“This will result in ultimate client satisfaction and trust among members of the insuring public. When people lodge their complaints and they don’t hear anything from insurance companies, we don’t tell them anything, they go and come, some of them travel from their villages and come every day and they don’t seem to get any response from anybody, it gives us a bad image”, he noted.
Also speaking at the launch, the Chairman of Insurance Awareness Coordinators’ Group (IACG), Wilson Tei said most of the complaints made by insurance policyholders were minor issues which could have been resolved easily if such complaints got to higher levels of insurance companies rather than leaving customer service in the hands of front desk officers.
He said this trend undermines the quality of service that insurance companies are supposed to provide.
About CMS
The CMS is a web-based system which can be accessed through the official website of the National Insurance Commission www.nicgh.org or www.niccomplaintshub.com.
After a complaint is submitted, a complainant receives a system-generated text message containing a ticket number. Complainants will have real time notification of the stage of their claims and complaint.
Complaints can now be done through the system. The NIC has the core mandate of protecting insurance policyholders’ interests hence this software that brings insurance policyholders closer to the regulator.