Motor insurance is a crowded and frankly shrinking market with lots of players vying for the customers’ attention and few dollars. A lot of motorists are just content to buy compulsory third party insurance and never bother to acquired the additional bells and whistles that companies offer.

In a bid to stand out and better compete for those small dollars, ZIMNAT has said that they will be introducing courtesy towing services to their insurance clients whenever they have an accident that puts their car out of commission.

Customers can also have a courtesy car to use in the interim while they wait for their claims to be processed. This car is available from about 3 days after the accident and it’s for free. The modest waiting period is probably when they do their due diligence.

Claims can also be processed via WhatsApp calls. Everything from pictures of the accident and the police reports can be send via WhatsApp to ZIMNAT. This is a win win arrangement. Customers can make claims wherever they are without the hassle of having to visit ZIMNAT’s offices and ZIMNAT can have centralised control and save on administrative costs.

Zimnat General Insurance today launched a new motor claims process and a towing and courtesy car service to make life as easy and stress-free as possible for its comprehensive motor insurance policyholders if they are involved in a road accident.
“Being involved in an accident is quite traumatic. We want to help our clients and relieve some of their stress and not add to it,” said Zimnat General Insurance chief executive Stanley Mazorodze.
To achieve this, one of the measures Zimnat has taken is to invest in a tow truck and a fleet of courtesy cars, which those involved in a road accident can take advantage of.
The claims process has been simplified to make it as simple and convenient as possible. If involved in an accident, the policyholder can dial a 24-hour toll-free call centre number, 08080063/4/6 where he or she will be assisted with the claims process and offered the to service and a courtesy car, if the client’s vehicle needs towing.
The new measures are intended to offer immediate relief to the client, those attending the launch at a Harare hotel were told.
The client will have the use of the courtesy car free of charge for three days, during which he or she can make the necessary arrangements for alternative transport.
The new claims process is activated immediately when the client calls the 24-hour call centre from the scene of the accident.
After recording the claim and allocating it a claim number, the call centre sends the policyholder via email or WhatsApp a police report form for submission to the police.
After police clearance has been obtained, the policyholder sends the completed police report and a copy of the driver’s licence to the call centre via e-mail or WhatsApp.
The policyholder receives back a list of preferred garages for repair quotations. Three quotations are required. These are then sent to the call centre in the same way. There is no need to visit a Zimnat office.
Explaining the rationale for the new claims process and the introduction of a courtesy car and tow service, Mr Mazorodze said the best insurance brands in the world stood out because they provided the best customer experience.
He said that eight out of 10 clients rate their claims experience as one of the key drivers of customer satisfaction.
In line with this, Zimnat was continually looking at ways of improving its clients’ experience, at making life better for them.
“Accidents happen to even the most careful drivers. We want to ensure, therefore, that our claims process is as simple and stress-free as possible and do everything we can to make life easier for our clients,” he said.
After the launch presentation, clients attending the launch were invited to view the Zimnat tow truck and some of the courtesy cars.
The tow truck and courtesy cars displayed at the launch were branded Shumba Car Hire, which, clients were told, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zimnat.
ZIMNAT’s product launch full statement