Western Coast gives 100% on the customer experience

May 16, 2022

Fame Khan, Regional Director of Western Coast mainland region at Western Financial Group, tells us about the importance of customer experience and how Western Coast sets itself apart from its competitors.

I have been in the insurance industry for 22 years, working my way up from an entry position to regional director in Vancouver BC. I am very proud to be part of Western’s family.

I was born in Fiji Island, grew up there, and then I finished my education in Melbourne, Australia. After finishing my studies, I came to Canada with my family. Some of my hobbies include travelling, fishing, and playing volleyball. I also play a little bit of rugby.

Q: How does Western Coast’s customer experience set it apart from competitors?

A: When a customer walks into any of our locations, the first thing you will hear is a warm welcome. “How can we help you?” It’s the same when you pick up the phone or customer walk-in any of our location. You just have to say, “How can we help you?” It’s not just saying hello. Of course, you would never be rude, you should make them feel you want to help them.

Whenever we have a customer either sitting in front of us, or on the phone or by email, we give 100% of our attention and our time to that one customer at that given time.

A few things to consider when you're helping a client, you should always connect with your client.

Make them feel important. You should always be humble & genuine. Be available and provide the most reliable and correct advice. If you don’t know, ask someone who does like your senior or manager. That’s how I think we are different from our competitors.

When a customer walks in a location, you better get up. You don't sit down and make them come to you. No, you get up, you get up and you create the experience for the customer. Everyone should be greeting their customers by saying, “How can we help you?” or some sort of warm and welcoming message. Just remember it takes just about 3 to 5 seconds for this first impression to get formed and it lasts forever.

One day I went to our Langley office and several others, and everyone stood up to greet me. It was just a wow moment for me. What great behavior. I know they do this for their customers when they come in, Stand up and greet. I just wanted to share this.

Q: What do you think motivates Western Coast’s staff to consistently deliver exceptional customer service?

A: With Western Coast, we treat our staff the same as our customers. Our vision is to create long-term relationships with customers, and we do the same with our staff. We simply try to do the right thing. We help to exceed their expectations, and most important I think, is listening to our people.

Q: What are the top two qualities of staff when it comes to the Coast customer experience?

A: I think the No. 1 quality we practice is “We care” attitude. This attitude makes a difference in every situation. The second big thing, that I personally practice, and I know that my staff practices, is keeping that positive attitude. I think motivates us to be more productive.

The priority is always the customer.

I always think positive and if there is any negativity I always try to get positive out of a negative and I think that sets the tone.

Q: What techniques do you use to measure your team’s customer experience?

A: We keep it simple. We simply ask our customers for their experience. I believe if you don't then you are not getting that information. We ask for our service on how we did today with our customers.

Our Net Promoter score is one of the highest in the company. Our Google reviews are excellent for us, too. Every time when we do an interaction, we do ask to rate us for our Google reviews.

When you give your customer a great experience, they will buy more, be more loyal and share their experience with their friends and family circle. It is a win-win for all.