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Europ Assistance brings Homio app to SA

Kgaogelo Letsebe
By Kgaogelo Letsebe
Johannesburg, 20 Oct 2017
Christelle Colman, CEO of Europ Assistance South Africa.
Christelle Colman, CEO of Europ Assistance South Africa.

Assistance services provider Europ Assistance South Africa (EASA) is digitising its business as it prepares for the local launch of the Homio app and Web platform.

The app aims to increase service turnaround times during emergency situations.

According to Christelle Colman, CEO of EASA, the move is part of its business strategy to have a digital approach and operation in an attempt to speed up services provided to locals.

EASA offers consumers real-time direct access to reputable and peer-reviewed service providers across various industries, including legal, medical, insurance, plumbing, electricians, and road and trauma assistance.

At present, the local business has an external network of 8 000 service providers and assists eight million families in the country. Globally, the business has served 300 million customers in 208 countries.

Colman explains that the Homio app was initially launched in Europe to offer plumbing, electricity, painting and flooring services to consumers in Europe.

"We have now brought this global technology to SA and adapted it for our own purposes. We anticipate that the app will greatly benefit the customers of our existing clients, which are companies that offer value-added services, such as insurers, medical aids, banks and the motor industry," she says.

"All suppliers will undergo an audit and will be certified before being added to the platform. The provision of instant access to our credible service provider network means that our clients will be confident they can improve their customers' experience when it comes to assistance services."

EASA group executive VP for the home and family business line, St'ephane Charbonneau, says the app is expected to provide consumers a wider selection, and in so doing, allow them to make better informed decisions.

"The whole purpose of the app and Web platform is to create customer loyalty for our clients so they are top of mind for their customers. The app is a white label solution for Europ Assistance's clients to create even more value for their end-customer."

The next phase, following the launch, will be to incorporate emergency services. "This will enable clients to download the app and link up to their service provider, so there will be no need to provide policy numbers in the event of the emergency, speeding up response times drastically. We are launching this [the emergency services option] in Paris soon and the SA roll out will take place shortly thereafter."

Colman notes the Homio app will be available for customers to use from January.