Improvements For Our UAE Members In 2022

When Tariq Siddiqi joined William Russell as Commercial Director in February 2022, his aim was to understand any obstacles and challenges that needed solving to enable us to serve our members and clients with ever increasing levels of customer service.

Tariq has made a number of visits to the insurance team in UAE with the intention to gain insights to help answer the following question:

What prevents brokers from increasing the frequency with which they recommend William Russell to their clients, and increasing the business they place with William Russell?

Key areas of improvement were identified and the team have been working incredibly hard to make these improvements happen. We’re pleased to announce that we have delivered on these changes, and we’re excited to share our progress with you.

1/ What our members can expect from Nextcare

We’ve revamped our service delivery model with Nextcare, our third-party administrator in the UAE.

Here are the key changes that are in effect from 01 October 2022:

1. Dedicated helpline number: Our members will have a dedicated helpline at Nextcare
2. Prioritised call routing: Nextcare’s telephony system will recognise and prioritise our members’ calls before they’re answered by a medical adviser
3. Automated welcome: The automated welcome message on our helpline is bespoke, referencing William Russell by name so members know they’ve called the correct number
4. VIP flagging: All our members have a VIP marker in the Nextcare system, meaning over and above the bullet points listed, our members will benefit from expedited decision-making where necessary

2/ We’ve brought clarity to our branding

Previously, our brand was a confusing mix of William Russell, Global Plans, Dubai Insurance Company, Nextcare, and CEGA (our assistance providers).

Now, we’re operating solely as William Russell. We’re no longer co-branding with Dubai Insurance Company. They remain our insurer and brilliant partner in the UAE, but we’ll reference them only in the footer of our website and documentation. We’re phasing out the Global Plans brand over the coming months.

3/ The William Russell membership card is much clearer

The old membership card was confusing our members. My design team has revamped the card and from 01 October 2022 we’ll be issuing new members with an updated version.

We anticipate that most members will simply download the updated membership card from their Nextcare smartphone app, which has other benefits as well. But of course, we’ll produce physical membership cards if members prefer.

To access their updated digital membership card, members can follow these steps:

1. Delete the current Nextcare app on your mobile device (if you’ve already downloaded it)
2. Download the new Nextcare app on your device
3. Register your account
4. Download the digital membership card to your mobile device

4/ We’re revamping our telemedicine proposition

We previously only had a limited telemedicine offering, providing video consultations with GPs via Health at Hand.

We’re delighted to confirm that we’ve partnered with Trudoc to provide a full, complementary telemedicine service to both our individual and corporate members in the UAE, available from 1st October 2022.

This development fills a clear gap in our current value proposition and will provide significant benefits to both existing corporate and individual clients, as well as making William Russell an increasingly relevant and attractive option for your existing clients, both individual and group, insured elsewhere.

For clarity, the availability of Trudoc does not affect premiums for new members or existing members.

We’ll be providing more information on the Trudoc service shortly, but for now, here are some flyers provided by Trudoc:

• Trudoc proposition for corporates
• Trudoc proposition for individuals

Join our growing community

By becoming a registered broker with William Russell you can rest assured you’ve partnered with an independent insurance provider who are big enough to provide world-class protection, but small enough to care.

We offer members international life, health, and income protection with exceptional customer service. We are offering 7.5% discount off all our health plans starting on or before 31 May 2023, with a 3.75% discount at first renewal.

Why partner with us?

William Russell remains a family-owned and run business. That means our responsibility is with our members and partners, not shareholders.

1. Responsive: When you call, you’ll get straight through to one of our insurance professionals
2. Reliable: Our plans in Dubai are insured by Dubai Insurance and reinsured by the Allianz group, one of the world’s largest insurers
3. Fair: We ensure our customers and partners are properly informed about the products we offer. Our staff are sensitive and compassionate, and importantly we will always honour our plan agreements
4. Professional: With extensive knowledge of local markets and medical providers, our staff provide the customer care you’d expect from a family-owned company