Staff Writer
HARARE: Champion Insurance has launched a micro-insurance product called “Bata Chamu,” a WhatsApp chatbot platform that enables users to interact seamlessly with its intelligent virtual assistants, providing instant access to affordable and tailor-made solutions.
Through the platform, Champion Insurance’s prospective and existing clients will be able to buy vehicle insurance on WhatsApp.
The platform will also include the purchase of various insurance products, including the hospital cash plan, medical aid, fire policy, funeral cover, personal accident cover, legal aid, and home insurance.
Payment methods for these services will be made through Visa Card, EcoCash, Foreign Currency Accounts, and Zip It in both foreign and local currencies.
The platform will also ensure an effortless registration process, streamline policy management, and allow instant customer assistance.
Chamu will provide a 24-hour service, ensuring round-the-clock accessibility to customers.
Bata Chamu can accommodate tremendous volumes of customer interaction, handling multiple clients without compromising turnaround times.
It will also provide real-time assistance, thereby eliminating the need to wait for human assistance.
The company said it felt the need to harness the power of technology and innovation to address prevalent challenges faced in communication networks.
The company’s chief operating officer, Lovemore Madavo, said the development is expected to bring the convenience of instant communication, allowing clients to get quick answers to insurance queries, manage policies effortlessly, and file claims seamlessly, all within the familiar WhatsApp interface.
He said one of the major challenges in insurance is that penetration levels are very low throughout the country.
“It is a few people who get insurance or who have the reach of insurance, so our micro-insurance products are specifically designed to reach the underprivileged and cater for the needs of those who have been traditionally overlooked by the insurance industry.
“We believe that the future of insurance is in SMEs and will be digitally driven. The future of insurance is for people who have never bought insurance before, but the major challenge is distribution, and we believe that the future is digital.
“We have come up with this digital tool that is designed to make the customer experience pleasant and effective in reaching out to our clients.
We believe that if we service our SMEs well, we will effectively contribute to the economy of the country,” he said.
He noted that there will be no need for customers to constantly visit Champion Insurance Company’s service centres but to make use of the innovation.
Champion Insurance is looking to onboard between 60,000 and 100,000 SMEs and more than 200,000 vehicles on the platform by the second half of 2024.
Managing Director Sibongile Tsapo said, “Bata Chamu comes in with sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities, which will help SMEs and the various small business owners to access, understand, and obtain insurance.
