Robert Hollander (Monuta): ”We want to communicate in a way that is as relevant and as personal as possible”

For the second time in a row, Monuta has won the WUA orientation study of taking out a funeral insurance policy in The Netherlands (article in Dutch). But the differences in the market are getting smaller, so Monuta needs to get to work. An interview with Robert Hollander, business manager direct distribution at Monuta. About winning, competitors who aren’t sitting still, the importance of life-changing moments, and the unique customer journey of the orientation on funeral insurance.

Congratulations, Robert Hollander. You are the winner of this WUA digital experience study of taking out a funeral insurance policy. How important is it for you to be the best?
“For us, it is very important how customers experience our services, so in that respect it is definitely a great acknowledgement! The differences are small, so this WUA study also shows us that we’ll need to work hard to stay ahead in the market! The competition is clearly not sitting still…”

Of all providers, you got the highest score. What is going so well for you?
“We are doing well, but I daresay we can do even better. It all starts with our brand awareness and brand positioning. I think we are successful at conveying our core values to the public. Fundamentally, Monuta a funeral director, and we notice that when taking out an insurance policy, many people really value this fact. Research shows that talking about your own funeral is becoming less of a taboo. Four out of five Dutch people aged 45 and older have discussed their funeral wishes with family or friends. Monuta wants to actively contribute to raising awareness and talking about funerals and funeral wishes.

When discussing funeral wishes, often the financial side of the funeral comes up in conversation as well. So on our website we try to explain the concept of funeral insurance using clear language that is easy to understand. For many visitors this is the first time they read something about funeral insurance, so we have to keep it simple and transparent. Of course, we are also working daily to optimise our insurance module.”

What is the role of customer research and customer focus in your daily work?
“It really plays a very big role. Customer research is the way to learn first-hand how customers value our services. In addition to the usual customer satisfaction surveys, we organise customer panels on a regular basis. We invite insurance customers as well as funeral contractors to our offices to engage with them in conversation. How do they view Monuta as an organisation? What can we improve on? Every time, these customer panels deliver interesting input we can use to improve ourselves.”

What is your biggest digital challenge?
“The customer journey of taking out a funeral insurance policy is very unique. We often see that people have a very sudden need for this type of insurance, triggered by the attendance or arrangement of a funeral. In addition, life-changing events such as moving in together and having children play a very important role. Orientation on funeral insurance happens within such a short period of time, that it can be difficult to properly inform the visitor and really jump out as a company. Communicating in a way that is as relevant and as personal as possible during this one visit to our website, that is the challenge we are working on every day. So during their first visit we try to ensure that the information immediately matches the customer’s wishes and personal situation.”

How do you view service in relation to sales? Could service eventually become the new sales in insurance?
“I definitely agree! These past 2 years we’ve been working hard to improve the customer experience in our service delivery. Not only digitally, but also in our new customer contact centre. We’re not quite there yet, but we’ve already made some good progress. I want communication to be as consistent as possible across all channels. Whether someone calls us, chats with us, sends us an e-mail, or visits our website. Everywhere we must offer the same, rich experience clients can expect from a funeral director.

“Our goal is to inform all of our 1.4 million customers once a year about their insurance policy and to make them think about their personal funeral wishes. After all, it is utopian to think that an insurance policy that was taken out 20 years ago still perfectly matches the client’s current situation. ‘Bewust verzekerd’ (or ‘Consciously insured’) is what we’ve called these campaigns.”

Are there any cool things in the making at Monuta within your focus area? What digital innovations are you working on?
“After the summer, we are launching our new Mijn Monuta environment. I cannot wait! Not only does the new environment look much nicer, we’re also taking a huge step forward in the online services we’re offering. Customers can certainly keep calling us with any questions or changes that need to be made, but we now also offer many extra options to communicate changes online.”