Career ace in the hole with ACE Life
"We expect the demand for retirement, medical and life insurance products to increase as a result of the ageing population, a challenge many countries are facing," says ACE Life Hong Kong chief agency officer David Tam, adding that the growing importance of financial planning services is also driving its business.
"Insurance consultants will continue to play an important role as customers' needs become more sophisticated and complex - they want the advice of professional experts."
A member of ACE Group, ACE Life started its Asia business in 2005. It has become one of the biggest insurance firms across the region, with operations in Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia employing a total of some 30,000 agents.
Tam believes that recruitment seminars, internship programmes, campus recruitment activities and roadshows are the key vehicles to recruiting the right people.
"We have a robust recruitment process to select high-calibre candidates. Our best-in-class training and development programmes help to attract and retain the most professional and motivated agents."
Customer satisfaction is based on quality, and a high standard of service delivered by employees who should be "committed to a long-term career in financial planning; open-minded to opinion and criticism; passionate and energetic, with a positive attitude; result-oriented and self-motivated to attain goals; and willing to learn, among other traits," says Tam.
Training for the new recruits starts with a compulsory "Future Career Success" programme, covering an introduction to the company, product training, selling techniques and managing a professional image. ACE Life also offers agents programmes and workshops to improve their product knowledge and soft skills, such as effective communication and relationship building.
"To enhance their competitiveness and professionalism - not only for the protection of customers' interests, but also for the betterment of the