Profile: Mark Kenning, Cigna Insurance
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Mark Kenning
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What do you do?
I am responsible for managing the CIGNA Contact Centre of which 90% is outbound telemarketing and the balance is inbound sales and customer service. Our main objective is to achieve sales targets for CIGNA and our partners in a cost effective manner, while maintaining a strong quality focus.
The Contact Centre is a key part of the company’s business; generating 85% of new business. Therefore it is critical for us to deliver on our targets. In addition, I am a member of the CIGNA New Zealand senior management team.
What results are expected in your position?
A large proportion of CIGNA’s new business revenue is generated through our outbound sales teams. We are expected to achieve the desired sales results without comprising the quality of the customer experience. The majority of our calls are made on behalf of our partners (i.e., we phone their customers) and they each have differing expectations of the way the interaction should be handled. My role is to provide direction and guidance in delivering the above.
What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Setting up the CIGNA Contact Centre from scratch has been my biggest highlight. This involved recruiting a great team to help me develop all our systems and processes. While this was a challenge and a big learning curve, it was also immensely satisfying and a lot of fun.
What is the best and worst thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is the challenge of achieving the required results and coming up with new ideas and processes to grow the centre.
The worst thing is dealing with staff turnover. We put a lot of effort into developing people and it’s always hard to see great people leave.
Any tips on how to get and stay ahead?
The key for me is people management – creating a team that is prepared to be flexible and work with you to get the job done.
From a Contact Centre point of view, Team Leaders are the key to success - how they interact with their people, coaching and spending time with the teams will determine the Centre’s results. Team Leaders have a direct influence on 10-15 staff and if they are strong at inspiring and leading their teams, then this will lead to a lot of successful people on the phones.
How do you encourage loyalty with your staff and clients?
Honesty and support – I think people like to know where they stand and receive encouragement to develop their skills and abilities, if they are receiving this and growing they are more likely to remain loyal.
Ownership and empowerment is another key area – providing my team with the scope to have ownership for their performance, they go home knowing they have made a difference
What do you think employees want from their employer?
Employees essentially want to come to work, enjoy what they’re doing, do a good job, and be rewarded for it in both an emotional and financial manner. They want their employer to provide an environment that fosters this.
In addition most people like to be stretched and challenged in a safe supporting environment
What does your company do for its staff that you feel is different from what other companies provide?
A recent staff survey was conducted in the Contact Centre and this confirmed that overall our staff are extremely happy with their jobs and workplace. One hundred percent either agreed or strongly agreed that we provided a good work environment.
We achieve this by ensuring our Team Leaders spend maximum time with their staff (giving our people lots of attention) and investing money and time in maintaining a fun, focused environment where employees have the opportunity to grow.
What are the biggest human capital issues your industry is dealing with? …and what should be done about it?
Our main issue is the retention of good telemarketing staff. Telemarketing can be a fun job, but it can also be emotionally tough! We work closely with our staff to keep them engaged, focused and stretched.
