Jaroslav Besperát: In a crisis, we are all looking for stability and trustWe have been building such an insurance company for 25 years

Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna (ČPP) has so far gone through the covid-19 crisis virtually unaffected. We talked with the CEO Jaroslav Besperát just after the company won the prestigious Zlatá koruna award: gold in the Business and Industry Insurance category and two bronze trophies for insurance for entrepreneurs Simplex and Autopojištění Combi Plus. Despite the pandemic, ČPP has had a very successful year in terms of overall economic results and is still one of the fastest growing big insurance companies in the country. The company’s CEO is known to like winning. What is his recipe for victory?

In a previous interview for TRADE NEWS, you mentioned trust from clients as a synonym for success. Was it trust that helped you cope with the difficult pandemic period and further strengthen ČPP?

It's definitely trust. After all, Tomáš Baťa also spoke about the crisis of confidence as one of the main reasons for economic failure. We have been investing in customer trust on a day-to-day basis for 25 years, and now we were able to reap the rewards. Stability, reliability, but also product quality and the speed of solving insurance claims go hand in hand with it. We have managed to keep all of this going in the pandemic times. Our clients and insurance brokers have seen time and again that even in such a tense and unexpected situation we keep our word and are ready to accommodate them as much as possible. They could see that we always try to find the best solutions, as we assured them that the situation has had zero impact on the quality of our services and products. You know, there's essentially nothing difficult about insurance business and the insurance companies’ products are often very similar. However, when it comes to the payment of damages, there may be different approaches, and the client may not always be satisfied.

I understand it’s more about reaping the benefits of long-term effort. Have you also had to come up with any news in your business offering?

We have never tried to do a show and dazzle, we’ve always relied on serious approach and quality communication since the beginning. We’ve obviously made adjustments to our offering, as we try to respond to the wishes of our clients and the ever-changing situation.

Can you be more specific on what's new for your clients?

We have come up with a new Covid Plus travel insurance, which covers the costs associated with the ordered quarantine abroad as well as alternative transport back home in connection with the covid-19 disease. It will be appreciated not only by those who are going on holiday abroad, but also by entrepreneurs, as it also applies to business trips. It is complemented by an assistance service, which can help, for example, find a medical facility or contact the police or an interpreter.

In the summer we will launch Alex, a product intended for entrepreneurs as next step in digitizing our services. It will be simple, clear and built on modern technologies. We are currently testing it, and brokers and providers like how it can be easily negotiated, step by step, remotely. In this respect, it will be our first product of its kind in the business insurance segment.

Speaking about technologies- you mentioned that it was mainly information technologies that helped you withstand the first wave of the pandemic and redefine new processes within the company so that similar disruptions would not threaten it too much in the future. What will covid-19 bring for the longer term? How will the insurance market change?

We are discussing all of this as we are trying to find the optimum solution. It is already clear that we will never return to the situation before the pandemic. Many of our internal projects have been accelerated, mainly those focused on innovation, automation and artificial intelligence. This will have an ever-growing importance in the future. On the other hand, we know that a client chatbot is a good thing, but it will never replace an experienced insurer. Insurance companies have for long relied on personal ties with clients and it is difficult to imagine that one day most of these services may be provided by artificial intelligence and a robot-client relationship will be established.

I find it great that we have increased the number of VPNs, so most of our employees can work from home. We have tried and tested that we can work efficiently this way. That means it will not be necessary for everyone to return to the office. We want to approach this on a very individual basis and take into account what is more effective for each and every employee. I believe that this will have a positive effect not only on their satisfaction and efficiency, but also on the company's operating costs.

But that doesn’t necessarily apply to senior management. They may not be able to work from home that often, because I find face-to-face meetings and discussions necessary for the development of the company.

As an athlete, you always think about the next game, about what could be improved. What’s the next goal you want to reach?

I always say that we are not playing for victory today, but when I get on the ice, I want to win. I would like us to move from fifth to fourth place in the official insurance companies rankings as soon as possible.

But I also have wishes outside our business. I would like people to take more responsibility for themselves, take care of their health, do more sports, eat better. Everyone can keep themselves in good shape, not only physically but also mentally, and thus strengthen their immune system. That is why I supported the cooperation of ČPP and Klub českých turistů (Czech Tourist Club). The Česky pěšky (“Czech on Foot”) project is the first step, as walking is an activity that is accessible to everyone, regardless of age and fitness, and you can walk at any time of the year.

Sounds like a good tip for the holidays.

Sure! We put a lot of effort into the selection of the routes. They have different levels of difficulty: some will be appreciated more by families with small children, others are more intended for active individuals who will want to test their fitness. We also wanted to introduce places which may be a little off the beaten track but are no less beautiful.

Jaroslav Besperát was interviewed by Jana Jenšíková

Photo: Archive ČPP