Miway leads the way with excellent service

Insurance maverick MiWay is living up to its promise of excellent service, according to feedback from customers.

MiWay tops the insurance league table in every category on independent consumer website HelloPeter.com. Not only does it have the highest number of compliments in the industry, it also has the best conversion rate from complaint to compliment and is the only company to have more compliments than complaints.

"We understand that insurance is a grudge purchase," says MiWay CEO René Otto. "That is why we think it's absolutely critical to provide brilliant customer service. If you have to phone your insurance company, it's already a bad day: we want to make it better, not worse!"

Customers posting directly to MiWay's public comment forum at  are especially happy with MiWay's well-trained and helpful consultants.

"They call back when they say they will," says a comment from client Nokuthula on July 1st. "They deliver every time without fail. The consultants are professional, yet not robotic in their call handling, I am just so happy to be a client."

"Comments like that make our day," says Otto. "But even the negative comments are welcome. We sometimes get things wrong - nobody is perfect - but at least when people are expressing their unhappiness directly to us, instead of just to their friends, we have a chance to fix the problem."

By taking its customer conversations public, MiWay has ensured that problems are quickly identified and solved. The company is committed to offering the best turnaround times in the industry, with a focus on problem-solving rather than finger-pointing.

There are other advantages to transparency too. Because the company has put its reputation on the line, members of the public who post on miway.co.za can expect quick, helpful responses. More than that, they can expect to be genuinely listened to - an increasingly rare experience.

With the entire team committed to accepting public scrutiny and public engagement, MiWay is uniquely accountable for its actions and the way it deals with its customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. This accountability not only keeps everyone in the organisation on their toes, it also creates valuable opportunities.

MiWay uses customer comments on its website to identify areas where it can improve its service, its communication or its product offerings. "People said we were foolish to allow negative comments on our own website," adds Otto. "But we are truly committed to having a transparent, open relationship with our customers. We know it's not the usual way of doing business in the insurance industry, but the fact that we get so many comments on our website every day shows that people are hungry for real contact."

Otto says MiWay is pleased that the happy customers posting to its own website are equally active on HelloPeter.com.

"HelloPeter is a very well-regarded independent forum," he says. "It's a great way to get an idea of what customers really think about a brand - they tell it like it is out there. It's a traditional marketer's worst nightmare, so we're thrilled that people are responding to our transparency in such a positive way ."