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PROMISING STARTS IN MOBILE MICROINSURANCE: TIGO SENEGAL & TELENOR PAKISTAN INSURANCE MADE FOR THE MASS MARKET: TIGO & BIMA IN SENEGAL
Step 3: Continuously monitor sales quality
AGENT NETWORK MANAGER (1)
MANAGES 7 “This model hinges on the quality of sales.”
TEAM LEADERS
Paddy Partridge, Country Manager, Bima Senegal
TEAM LEADER (7)
MANAGES 4-10 The Bima model stresses the importance of sales quality, not just quantity. Sales quality is critical for a few reasons. First, customers who
MOBILE AGENTS
do not fully understand the product are unlikely to upgrade to the paid version of the service and, if they do, are more likely to let the
subscription lapse. Second, since Kiiray carries Tigo’s brand, an unpleasant interaction with a Bima agent can damage Tigo’s reputation.
MOBILE AGENT (42) Third, Tigo and Bima are using these sales interactions to educate the general public about the benefits of insurance. A population well-
RECRUITS ~10-15 versed in insurance is an investment that Tigo and Bima hope will yield future dividends as they return to these same customers to sell
SUBSCRIBERS PER DAY
future insurance products.
SUBSCRIBER How does Bima ensure sales quality? Dedicated quality control staff follow up with new subscribers to check the work of each sales
agent. On a rotating basis, staff call 20 recent subscribers enrolled by a particular agent. Two staff members quiz 120 customers per day,
which, over the course of a month, generates a representative sample of Tigo’s sales agents. Each customer is quizzed about the Kiiray
product to ensure the product was explained properly, including: 1) the price of the product, 2) how to make a claim, 3) how deductions
Figure 4: Bima’s distribution model in Senegal are made, 4) whether the beneficiary has been informed, and 5) the time period of the insurance cover. The sales agent is then graded
on a scale from 1–3. An agent that receives too many scores of “2” is retrained, followed by a probation period. If the scores do not
improve, the agent is dismissed.
Is a dedicated sales force really necessary? Bima CEO Gustaf Agartson thinks it is essential. He recalls Bima’s experience in another mar-
ket that relied on all-purpose staff in the MNO’s service centre to sell products and enrol subscribers. Mr. Agartson estimates that these
representatives were only about 5% as productive as Bima’s dedicated, well-trained sales agents.
Step 2: Target high-potential subscribers through
an outbound call centre
Bima manages an outbound call centre, which serves as a secondary sales channel for Kiiray products. The call centre focuses on high-
potential insurance customers: existing Tigo subscribers who have already shown loyalty to the GSM network. Tigo provides Bima with
calling lists for the outbound campaign.
The call centre has proven to be a productive sales channel and accounts for 55%–60% of total registrations. Customers registered
through the call centre have also generated higher lifetime value than those registered through other channels; not surprising, since they
are Tigo’s high-ARPU subscribers.
10 11
Step 3: Continuously monitor sales quality
AGENT NETWORK MANAGER (1)
MANAGES 7 “This model hinges on the quality of sales.”
TEAM LEADERS
Paddy Partridge, Country Manager, Bima Senegal
TEAM LEADER (7)
MANAGES 4-10 The Bima model stresses the importance of sales quality, not just quantity. Sales quality is critical for a few reasons. First, customers who
MOBILE AGENTS
do not fully understand the product are unlikely to upgrade to the paid version of the service and, if they do, are more likely to let the
subscription lapse. Second, since Kiiray carries Tigo’s brand, an unpleasant interaction with a Bima agent can damage Tigo’s reputation.
MOBILE AGENT (42) Third, Tigo and Bima are using these sales interactions to educate the general public about the benefits of insurance. A population well-
RECRUITS ~10-15 versed in insurance is an investment that Tigo and Bima hope will yield future dividends as they return to these same customers to sell
SUBSCRIBERS PER DAY
future insurance products.
SUBSCRIBER How does Bima ensure sales quality? Dedicated quality control staff follow up with new subscribers to check the work of each sales
agent. On a rotating basis, staff call 20 recent subscribers enrolled by a particular agent. Two staff members quiz 120 customers per day,
which, over the course of a month, generates a representative sample of Tigo’s sales agents. Each customer is quizzed about the Kiiray
product to ensure the product was explained properly, including: 1) the price of the product, 2) how to make a claim, 3) how deductions
Figure 4: Bima’s distribution model in Senegal are made, 4) whether the beneficiary has been informed, and 5) the time period of the insurance cover. The sales agent is then graded
on a scale from 1–3. An agent that receives too many scores of “2” is retrained, followed by a probation period. If the scores do not
improve, the agent is dismissed.
Is a dedicated sales force really necessary? Bima CEO Gustaf Agartson thinks it is essential. He recalls Bima’s experience in another mar-
ket that relied on all-purpose staff in the MNO’s service centre to sell products and enrol subscribers. Mr. Agartson estimates that these
representatives were only about 5% as productive as Bima’s dedicated, well-trained sales agents.
Step 2: Target high-potential subscribers through
an outbound call centre
Bima manages an outbound call centre, which serves as a secondary sales channel for Kiiray products. The call centre focuses on high-
potential insurance customers: existing Tigo subscribers who have already shown loyalty to the GSM network. Tigo provides Bima with
calling lists for the outbound campaign.
The call centre has proven to be a productive sales channel and accounts for 55%–60% of total registrations. Customers registered
through the call centre have also generated higher lifetime value than those registered through other channels; not surprising, since they
are Tigo’s high-ARPU subscribers.
10 11
