New Zealand’s newest transport and logistics insurance business, Ando Insurance Group, wants to bring innovation and value to the market using technology and a fresh approach.
Ando is led by chief executive John Lyon (ex Lumley CEO), and is majority owned by the leadership team, and is backed bywith backing from Tthe Hollard Insurance Company of Australia,
“Being a start-up company means we’ve be able to hand-pick a great team of experts and we don’t have legacy technology or cultural issues to deal with” says Ando GM Transport and Logistics, Dion Herdson, one of NZ’s most experienced transport insurance experts.
“There was a vacuum in the market, and we saw the opportunity to be smarter with technology, to be different, and to build industry- centric propositionss – a real fresh new approach,” says Herdson.
“There are three essential elements to Ando, one is simplification, the second is being responsive to claims and customer needs, the third is being enthusiastic, with a can-do attitude,” he says.
“Simplification means stripping away the complexity of doing business, such as forms and processes and making it easier for the customer when buying insurance and making claims” says Herdson.
“Responsiveness refers to quick and easysettling claims quickly and easily, and listening to customers and the industry, to find out what they actually need and want. Then developing a tailored proposition rather than just shoehorning everyone into a general product,” he says.
“Being Fresh and enthusiastic about the industry and insurance is always asking ourselves, how can we do that for a customer? It’s about finding ways to say “yes”.” says Herdson.
Rather than take a vertical and siloed approach to underwriting as is the approach from many of its competitors, Ando has uniquely taken a horizontal view of its market. Hence, Herdson’s title is General Manager Transport and Logistics rather than GM – Commercial Motor.
Ando takes a different approach by looking at developing end-to-end insurance products for the entire supply chain, from the moment a product is made or grown through to the time it is delivered to the end user or consumer.
Ando’s Total Transport and Logistics insurance propositionproduct has some great and unique benefits. For example, it doesn’t just cover the loss of use of a truck and its repair after a collision; it also provides a daily allowance for a relief driver so that an injured driver’s recovery time is not rushed and they are properly rehabilitated to return safely to work.
Herdson says focusing on truck drivers holistically was an important factor in developing the Total Transport and Logistics product.
He says he wants to create new insurance products in collaboration with the transport industry as well as introduce risk and fatigue management products that better meet the needs of transport operators, includingnotably smaller owner/operators whose families are dependent on the business for their livelihood.
“We are doing something quite simple by producing a pack on risk and fatigue management for truck drivers to use every day when checking their vehicle but also to share with their spouses and family,” says Herdson.
“It is an inexpensive and viable product that we are designing to help drivers and their spouses identify and recognise signs of stress and fatigue, and it includes some guidelines on making the household environment more friendly to the needs of a truck driver working long and unsociable hours,” he says.
Tanya Clews, Head of Claims, says claims quality and responsiveness is very important to Ando.
Her team’s objective is to ensure that customers will receive either a repair strategy or a cash settlement within 48 hours. If that isn’t possible, they’ll explain why and what is needed to move the claim forward.
Clews says Ando has partnered with Crawford New Zealand to provide a hand-picked team of claims experts who handle all Ando clients. The company has also employed an experienced industry Heavy repair expert Phil Duck as its first Repair Manager.
