Job Description

Are you a motivated communicator with a passion for helping people and building lasting relationships? At Zestlife, we pride ourselves on providing cover you can trust and service you can depend on. We're looking for a Retention Agent to join our Client Services team -- someone who can engage with clients, resolve challenges, and ensure they continue to experience the peace of mind our products provide.
In this role, you'll play a vital part in supporting our clients, retaining valuable policyholders, and contributing to the overall success of our business. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy problem-solving, and are driven by achieving results, this could be the opportunity for you.
Disclaimer As an applicant, please verify the legitimacy of this job advert on our company career page.
Role Purpose

• To engage telephonically with clients whose policies are at risk of lapsing or being cancelled, with the primary objective of retaining them as policyholders.
• To process cancellations, negotiate payment arrangements, and maintain accurate policy administration.
• To ensure that the principles and outcomes of TCF (Treating Customers Fairly) are practised and achieved in all duties performed and services provided to clients.

Requirements
Formal Education:

• Matric / Grade 12 (required)
• Certifications: FAIS accredited representative for Short-Term Personal Lines; RE5 (preferred)

Experience:

• Minimum 1-2 years in an outbound call centre environment, preferably in gap cover or insurance
• Knowledge of the healthcare, insurance, or client retention industry is advantageous

Duties & Responsibilities
Your functions within the team as a Retention Agent:

• Be logged into the outbound telephone queue for a minimum of six and a half hours daily.
• Telephonically contact clients whose policies have lapsed, are in arrears, debit order collections are suspended, or the cancellation of cover has been requested, with the objective and goal of successfully retaining them as clients.
• Exercise approved retention techniques and propose alternative product options available or payment solutions to prevent the policy from terminating.
• Contact and assist inbound clients requesting reinstatement or product options directly or clients who have left a group scheme arrangement and want to continue cover directly with us.
• Reach payment agreements with clients in arrears and update policy records accordingly.
• Accurately process cancellations, reinstatements, and minor policy changes.
• Use correct system action reasons and ensure policies are in a zero balance at cancellation.
• Forward non-processable requests to the appropriate mailbox for follow-up.
• Maintain professionalism in all communication and act in the best interest of the company.
• Update your "To Do List" and policy records with accurate notes on every interaction.
• Ensure each client's expectations around payments and cancellations are addressed effectively.
• Follow all QA, compliance, and disclaimer protocols before releasing client information.
• Apply coaching and feedback received from QA monitoring.
• Notify your manager of any complaints received from clients.
• Be proactive and creative in resolving client queries and improving client interaction.
• Seek smarter, value-adding ways to improve retention and client satisfaction.

Your daily performance deliverables/targets are set as follows:

• Minimum of 100 outbound calls per day.
• Minimum talk-time of 1 hour and 30 minutes per day.
• Minimum of 2 suspended policy payment arrangements per day.
• Minimum of 4 non-suspended payment arrangements per day.
• Minimum of 70 book contacts made per day.
• Aim for no more than 1 policy cancellation per day.
• Respond to 10 general workflow email requests per day within a 24-48-hour TAT.
• Strive to retain a minimum of 1 policy per day.
• Meet and exceed the team's 90% QA standard.
• Maintain daily, weekly, and monthly productivity targets.
• Develop and maintain product and system competency for effective and efficient work delivery.

Competencies

• Computer literacy: MS Word, Outlook, Excel
• Strong verbal and written communication (English essential; Afrikaans and other languages advantageous)
• High emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability and initiative
• Discipline and good time management skills
• Organised and focused with an eye for detail
• Willing to go beyond the normal working day to achieve target service levels
• Resilience and ability to work under pressure
• Self-motivated with an ability to work independently as well as to function effectively within a team environment
• Results and service driven mindset with a strong sense of responsibility and ownership