Health insurance innovations at Swiss Post branches
Customers can now test services offered by Groupe Mutuel at three Swiss Post branches. This is part of a market test on opening up the postal network to third parties. Policyholders can get specific assistance – and people interested in insurance can obtain professional advice on-site.
Nico wants to get to know Groupe Mutuel’s insurance solutions better – so he goes to his Swiss Post branch in Geneva and gets advice from an insurance specialist. The Groupe Mutuel employee answers the young man’s questions and explains to him what the app can do. “That may come as a surprise,” says Thomas Baur, Head of PostalNetwork. “But it’s a good example of how we plan to open up our network of self-operated branches in the future and make them available to third parties.”
Wide range of collaborations possible
This joint market test between Swiss Post and Groupe Mutuel, which offers personal and health insurance, has been running since October 2020. At the Geneva 1 Mont-Blanc, Geneva 4 Plainpalais and Dietikon branches, customers benefit from the advice and services offered on-site. Swiss Post employees offer Groupe Mutuel policyholders support with changing master data or using digital applications such as the Groupe Mutuel app. They can also put customers in touch with Groupe Mutuel sales staff on-site if further advice or detailed information is needed. The test will initially run until the end of June. Further collaborations are already planned – for instance, with banks, other insurance companies and public authorities.
Regional service centers in place of a service desert
“We want to offer added value to the people in our communities and towns and make their everyday lives easier and more straightforward,” says Thomas Baur, explaining the motivation behind the decision to open up the postal network to third parties. “The main focus is on people who want personal contact.” With its approximately 900 self-operated branches, Swiss Post is the natural choice to operate service centers in the different regions. “We also see great potential for additional revenue in service provision, which will help us to reduce our deficit in the network in the future – and enable us to maintain the network in the long term.”
Certified green power for the branches
When the lights are turned on at Swiss Post branches, the power comes from sustainable sources. Since 2019, the new-look branches and My Post 24 terminals have been supplied with “naturemade star”-certified eco-electricity. In addition to the use of renewable energy, LED lighting also contributes to improved energy efficiency at the branches. Swiss Post obtains its electricity from 100 percent renewable energy sources from Switzerland, 20 percent of which is already eco-electricity.