Protecting against risk

We help customers achieve the right amount of cover at a competitive price, while pricing products to reflect the risk they present.

Risks can also present opportunities as we develop new products that respond to customer’s changing needs, encourage more responsible behaviour and appeal to previously underserved areas of the market.

We use the latest mapping technology to help ensure customers have the right level of cover. In the UK, our geographical risk assessment tool helps us determine insurance premium levels which reflect the risks to property. It maps factors such as flooding, subsidence, arson and theft down to an individual postcode.

We are applying this technology to developing countries where extreme weather events and natural disasters can have a greater impact due to inadequate housing and infrastructure. In countries with an under-developed postal address system, or where the pace of development is so rapid that the address system has not kept up, we use ‘geo-coding’ based on satellite global positioning technology to map customers’ locations.

Early warning of extreme weather events means we can reduce losses by helping customers and response teams prepare. We are partners in the development of the European weather forecasting tool, Eurotempest. It provides weather mapping and forecasting for northern Europe, covering our UK, Ireland and Scandinavian businesses. The system alerts us to severe weather conditions up to five days in advance ensuring our loss adjustors, claims specialists and emergency response teams are ready to respond. We regularly provide customers with advance warning of adverse weather conditions which may affect them through our websites and email alerts. In the UK, we provide a SMS warning service so customers can receive alerts via their mobile.

We provide customers with advice on how to protect themselves and their property, either directly with policy documents, or through our website and the media. In Canada we regularly conduct safety surveys of our customers’ homes. Safety specialists advise customers on how to protect their homes from theft and fire and other household risks such as damp. The survey checks features such as smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors, and provides information on what to do in the event of an emergency. After a survey customers are sent a list of recommendations along with a contact number for more information.

Home Safety Surveys 

“My job is about preventing losses for our customers. This includes managing our home safety surveys, our service to help protect customers from the headache and heartache of theft or damage to their property. A Johnson safety specialist visits their homes to assess how well they are protected and to educate them about basic safety techniques.

We recently began offering free home visits at the request of customers, to explain how to properly install household appliances, such as ranges and washing machines. We also launched a service to protect homes against water leaks and a home survey kit so that customers can complete their own safety assessments. The kits include a questionnaire, measuring tape, disposable camera, pencil, eraser, brochures on home safety and a postage-paid return envelope. Customers send the completed survey and camera back to us so we can review the results and call them if there are any safety issues.

The service helps build customer satisfaction, as well as saving us money by reducing insurance claims. People really appreciate the fact we take the time to visit them and that we value the emotional as well as the financial value of their home.”

Glenn Kelly
Regional Manager, Safety, Johnson