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| NJI Newsletter (FORWARD) |
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| EDITOR’S NOTE |
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 Dear clients, reinsurers and colleagues :
This quarter we bring to you “Incentivising for Profitable Growth” written by our officers in Operations Department.
Another interesting read is a personal account of a “satisfied customer for life”, of what? You have to read the story to find out!
A roundup of branch activities is their performance charts in the centrefold, visit to Multan by our management and a picnic by the Saddar Branch for their staff.
Sports continue to be sponsored and played by NJI and so is our CSR activity. Hajj Balloting and one of our employees exemplary honesty make remaining coverage.
We hope you will enjoy reading the issue: we thank you for your interest in our activities and progress.
Sunnu Golwalla |
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Incentivising for
Profitable Growth
 On March 6th 2011, NJI had its 6th annual Sales Conference that was earmarked with a multitude of changes, new developments and an additional dose of team spirit. The purpose of the sales conference was to assess and deliver the particularly new developments in the company as well as prevailing challenges, which was gradually built upon panel discussions and introduction of re-branding, especially the new Incentive Scheme. A case study was carried out by the higher management of the company and the assessment of many factors introduced this initiative. The core philosophy of the incentive scheme comes in coherence of ‘Synergizing’ every level of human resource as a team.
A change in a company is often expected when circumstances forces decision to be taken out of its comfort zone. Likewise, there was little need for a substantial change NJI because it has always been an outstanding company when compared with industry averages, and yet this conference was defining substantial developments at many levels. NJI chose to be proactive by calculating future risks and opportunities and developing a preemptive scheme to enable itself to overcome uncertainties. This scheme has been short-listed out of many other strategic alternatives for NJI’s growth because it has tactics that provoked teamwork and better premium collections, without compromising on underwriting practices. This scheme is also precisely a reflection of the company’s new vision which will be effective from 2012.
The incentive scheme is a lateral compensation strategy that was introduced not just to enhance aggregate growth but to encourage synergy within branches. This is done by incentivizing the entire team which includes the backend workforce along with the frontline sales team. When the branch realizes that they will proportionally benefit from a sales lead, every sales effort will be complemented with a motivated team work and minimised uncertainty. Simultaneously there is consistent appreciation for incremental increases in premium collections so that there is a consistent effort through the course of a year. Since the new incentive scheme applies ground-up, which even the new marketing officers will begin to benefit, so that there is immediate motivation to set new performance benchmarks for themselves. New marketing officers will begin working with personalised insurance policies that will take benefit their ability to make a meticulous market search.
The enthusiasm from the key performers in the company reflected that it is their ‘inner drive’ and firm belief in their product that makes them stars of the year. This will be a strategic decision that will complement newer objectives of NJI as a company with a renewed focus on relationship building, judicious underwriting services and a defined philosophy of ‘overcoming uncertainties’.
Many people from NJI follow a common view about the new incentive scheme. The Branch Head of New Unit, Mr Nauman Kadri commented that: “It is a very good scheme and hopefully will prove beneficial for our branch and NJI. All our producers are well aware of this scheme and share the above opinion. Result as at June for all of them is positive.”
The Branch Head of NJI Plaza branch Mr Tariq Ziauddin, suggested that although the targets are quite challenging for the sales team but it is a very good initiative from the management to introduce an incentive scheme. He is certain that this will prove as an essential platform for the frontline sales team to build on and it will evolve with market forces in future.
The Branch Head of Jodia Bazaar branch, Mr Amin Haroon shares his opinion: “We are very excited about the new incentive scheme! Internally we have re-worked our targets with our marketing force to factor in the qualification criteria, so that we can take the best advantage from the scheme and augment company’s growth.”
One of NJI’s marketing officers from South Zone, acknowledged well about the introduction of the new incentive scheme. He believes that the introduction of the new incentive scheme is a sudden blessing for the progress of the company and for the officers.
One of the Deputy Managers of NJI Lahore Zone, appreciates the fact that the new incentive scheme provides a great boost of motivation for the marketing and sales team. Additionally: “Keeping in view the economic recession especially prevailing in the service industry, our management has taken a historic decision by announcing a very good incentive scheme which will not only boost the business figures but also motivate the entire NJI team including our marketing and sales force. While achieving this milestone, our management has kept surveillance by keeping business procurement cost and claim ratio under control.
“The incentive will not only lead to strengthen team work but also create sense of harmony between the marketing personnel and core staff which will be beneficial for our organization in the long run.”
Mr Kamran Arif, Senior Vice President from the Business and Finance Center Branch, shared: “The new incentive scheme is very beneficial for the marketing force and the non-core staff. Even a couple of officers have already qualified for the incentive scheme.”
An important insight from NJI Multan Branch about the incentive scheme explained that their team also foresees much growth potential coming from this initiative. However, there are some external factors that invite a different challenge for the marketing force, such as the cotton season. A major revenue stream runs from agricultural sector and due to seasonal revenues it will get challenging for them to take best advantage of the incentive scheme. Nevertheless, strong efforts are still being made in different potential sectors.
One of the top performers from Mall Mansion branch believes that the incentive scheme has some very good qualities that make it a highly favorable step from NJI. The scheme has clarity and it is easily understandable for the sales and marketing force which subsequently has resulted in strong efforts in order to qualify for the incentive scheme. It is suggested that any new initiatives, such as the new incentive scheme, should be circulated well across every relevant team member so that they can re-work their objectives with immediate effect.
A top performer coming from Sales Unit 1, Lahore, finds the new incentive scheme a wonderful change in the organization, especially the involvement of the non-core staff, which will maintain the quality of service and improve the profitability of the company. The team-work evidently is making serious efforts to match up to the criteria but the sales force particularly finds the claim ratio to be challenging. He suggests that educating the team about industry practices will definitely clear all hurdles as it will improve their ability to assess their clients and employ good risk management skills in practice. 
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Customer Satisfaction -A View from the Roadside
 Any one who travels on Ziauddin Ahmed road cannot but fail to see a newspaper Hawker peddling morningers, eveningers and magazines to the occupants of vehicles waiting at the traffic signal near PIDC chowk. His territory is the strip of 150 yards between the Polo Ground and the traffic lights at PIDC. He patrols his territory tirelessly six days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm without fail, be it a hot and humid day with mercury touching 40-44C, or raining cats-and-dogs, or a cold wintry day with blustery Quetta winds. He even serves when bombs are exploding in the vicinity as seen during three such incidents in his area: His level of dedication even allows him to take bomb explosions in his stride.
His eyes light-up as soon as he spots one of his customers and makes a beeline to his vehicle to deliver the customer’s favourite newspaper/magazine. He always greets with a quiet “Salam-o-Alukum” accompanied with a smile and, whenever he can (considering the cars zooming past, the din of motor cycles and honking on the busy street), he will quickly enquire about your well being as well. Sadly, despite his pleasant disposition but being in an un-pleasant environment, you tend to ignore him weighed down by your own self importance and supposedly much bigger problems.
 I have the privilege of buying copy of my favourite Urdu evening paper from the Hawker every once in a while, on my way back home. Last evening, however, I was in for a bigger privilege.
As I eased at the traffic signal at PIDC Chowk, I saw the Hawker coming towards me. He greeted me, handed me the eveninger and for the first time in years, lingered at my window. He asked, “Saheb are you going towards Punjab Chowrangi (Sub-Marine Chowk)?” I replied in the affirmative. “Saheb, can I hitch a ride with you”, he enquired. “Sure, hop in”, I said unlocking the doors reflexively. He made himself comfortable and thanked me and said, “I have spotted you at Punjab Chowrangi a few times and therefore took the liberty of requesting you for the lift.” I nodded and we moved on. Very soon we were conversing.
I : How is the business these days?
H: Al-Hamdolillah, business is good.
I : For how long have you been selling newspapers?
H: Since before 1984 when I was in school. I would come right after school in my uniform and sell newspapers at my spot (Adda).
I : Upto how many classes have you studied?
H: Upto Matric (grade 10) which I passed in 1984 and then I did a course in English Language from PACC (Pak American Cultural Centre).
I: Has the business improved over the years?
H: No Saheb. Actually my business has nose-dived because of electronic media which provides news round the clock. People who could not live without their newspaper, now don’t care to buy one, because they get all the news from their TV. Secondly, when the new road ‘Mai Kolachi’ was opened, many of my customers diverted to that route. Hence, I now sell 30-50 newspapers whereas I was selling 150-200 before. But thanks to Allah, I am ok as I also sell a few magazines like Herald, Newsline etc.
I: How many magazines are you able to sell?
H: Just a few Saheb but there is always hope that I may sell more and I thank Allah for His mercies. I have  many customers and Al-Hamdolillah they buy their paper from me.
He then continued:
You know Saheb, the other day, I heard somebody calling my name, “Asif … Asif …”, I looked around and saw a fair complexioned (gora chitta) gentleman calling my name from his car. I approached him with my newspapers but he kept asking me, “Don’t you recognise me? I am your class-mate.” I then did recognise him and we shook hands. I could not believe my eyes as he used to have a very dark (kala kaluta) complexion when we were in school together. I guess Dubai is very kind to him. He has promised to come and meet me again. I thank Allah that my friend remembers me.
I : Do you have other friends and what do they do for a living?
A: Saheb, most of my friends are in Saudi Arabia and doing well. Actually, way back, it was I who used to treat them with gola-ganda (crushed ice with thick sweet syrup) when we were young, as I was the only one who was earning. I too am now planning to go to Saudi Arabia and waiting for my opportunity but in the meanwhile, I am very happy and I thank Allah for giving me what I have.
I : Asif, what does your father do?
Asif: Oh! My father died when I was very young much before 1984.
I: So who looked after you, was it your mother or any uncle, aunt?
Asif: My uncles have their families to look after.
I: Did your mother work to raise you?
A: My mother does not need to work. I am the youngest of 3 brothers. My eldest brother delivers newspapers  in Customs House, my second brother hawks newspapers at the corner of M T Khan Road and Mai Kolachi Road.
I: “But no motorist needs to stop at the corner of M T Khan Road any more because of the newly constructed fly-over. So how does your second brother make any sale,” I asked.
A: Saheb by the grace of Allah, like me, my brother also has his loyal customers who stop just to buy from him. Saheb, all three of us are very lucky and for this we thank Allah.
I: So you have three brothers! What about sisters?
A: I have three sisters as well and all are married but the youngest lives with me as her husband is in Saudi Arabia.
I: Does her husband send her money to maintain her?
A: No Saheb, she has no children and gets no support from her husband.
I : That is quite a burden for you isn’t it?
A: Not at all saheb. Allah gives me for my sister, my wife and three children (sub kay naseeb ka dayta haiy). She only takes her share of my earning which is meant for her by Allah. In fact, I am so grateful to Allah for giving me the strength to look after my sister.
By this time, I was so impressed by the courage, selflessness, hard work, simplicity and above all by Asif’s faith in Allah that for few minutes I could not think of any further question. I felt an overpowering respect for the simple but rich soul seated confidently next to me in worn out attire and thought of people who have everything but faith.
We were nearing Punjab Chowrangi. I broke the silence and asked, “Asif what brings you to this place because apparently you don’t live here.”
A: Saheb, I had loaned Rs.2,700/- to a friend of mine who lives here. My niece is getting married and I need the money. My friend had promised to return the loan today.
I : Can you afford to loan money to your friends?
A: Saheb, my friends are dependable and we help each other.
We had arrived at Asif’s destination. I eased to stop at the curbside. Asif opened the door carefully, said “Khuda Hafiz” and melted into the teeming crowd leaving behind a proud and satisfied customer for life. |
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| Visit to Multan Zone
Mr Tahir Ahmed, the Managing Director, accompanied by Mr Azfar Arshad, EVP-Operations visited Multan Zone in June 2011.
They met all branch executives of the Zone and discussed business matters as well as the growth strategy in a relaxed atmosphere as seen in the pictures above. 
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Hajj Balloting
 The fifth and last Pillar of Islam is the Hajj. It is explicitly stated in the Holy Quran that every physically and financially able Muslim should make the Hajj to the Holy City of Makkah once in his or her lifetime.
The Hajj is considered the culmination of each Muslim’s religious duties and aspiration.
NJI believes that happy workers make good companies great, with this belief NJI sponsor one employee every year for Hajj through Lucky Draw. Permanent employees upto the cadre of Senior Manager from the Head Office and all branches, who have five years of service with NJI are eligible for this draw. Hajj draw is arranged at NJI’s Head Office every year and all upcountry branches who have the facility of video conferencing, view this draw.
All expenses of Hajj upto 95% are borne by the Company and the rest is paid by the lucky winner. Company also allows Hajj leave with pay.
The 37th Hajj Ballot of NJI’s took place at the Head Office on Monday 21st of April, 2011 in the presence of Managing Director Mr Tahir Ahmed and other staff members.
Alhamd-o-lillah total 36 employees have till now performed Hajj on sponsorship of the Company and Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Siddiqui, Manager, Risk Management Department, Head Office is the lucky winner this year.
The Managing Director, management and the entire staff congratulated the winner and said that he is under the blessing of Almighty Allah to perform “Fareezah Hajj”.
NJI’s management urged the lucky winner to pray for the prosperity of the company and the country.
Fasihuddin Khan, DM-HR
Unmatched Honesty
 A cash cheque of Rs 400,000/- was found by our Aziz-ur-Rehman on first floor of our office building.
Since it was a UBL cheque he spoke to one of the bank officers whom he knew, seeking his help to have the cheque returned to the owner.
The bank tracked the account-holder and handed over the cheque to a very grateful customer.
UBL’s GM-Sales, Mr Ali Hasnain, was so moved by Aziz’s honesty that he presented him a reward as seen in the picture. NJI is proud of Aziz’s exemplary conduct. He is working with us through a third party contractor.
Condolence
 Our colleague, Khalid Naeem, Senior Manager at Lahore Sales Unit-II was at a staff picnic on 15th May 2011 when he suddenly took ill and was rushed to a hospital where he breathed his last.
Mr Naeem joined NJI in 2007and having prior work experience in insurance was incharge of Marine and Miscellaenous underwriting at LSU-I He was later transferred to LSU-II where he rose to be the deputy Branch Head.
NJI expresses its deep sympathies to Mr Naeem’s widow and his children on their sudden and irrepairable loss. |
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NJI Sports Show
 After the successful radio programme “Cricket World Cup Show”, NJI sponsored 30-minutes sports show on FM 101 on Mondays and Fridays from 8:30 am to 9:00 am, for 6 weeks commencing 26 April 2011.
The programme was named “NJI Sports Show” as it was not only cricket which was discussed during the show, but also other sports, viz tennis, soccer, hockey, Formula-1 car racing. The programme included latest news, updates, analysis, statistics, previews and reviews of all sports, with emphasis on cricket matches of Pakistan and West Indies, as Pakistan was on West Indies tour at the time.
The show was hosted by Mr Munir-ul-Haq, Head of Saddar Branch, with Mr Azfar Arshad, EVP–Operations; Mr Imran Rabbani, SVP-Claims; Mr Azam Khan, PA to the MD; Mr Salman Javed, DM–Saddar Branch and I, as co-hosts on different days. The 6-weeks show was aired in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on FM-101 stations.
The main aim of the show was to create awareness about insurance in general and NJI products in particular. Once again NJI top executives impressed the audience with their keen technical knowledge and passion not only for cricket, but all sports. Their statistical and historical information on various sports and their players, was the highlight of the show.
 TCF Students at NJI
15 students from The Citizens Foundation school visited NJI, along with 6 mentors. Our officers Dr Fauzia Siddiqi AVP-A&H; Maheen Javed DM-Operations, Sadia Sheikh AM-A&H and Zohra H Ali, AM-CUI spoke to the students about various career prospects in the face of limited resources in Pakistan.
Dr Fauzia also took the occasion to demonstrate the marvels of technology to these young visitors.
Cricket Bonanza
 The Cricket Bonanza 2011 was a limited 8 overs cricket tournament held in Lahore on 3rd April and 10th April 2011, at Valencia Cricket Ground and Crescent Model School Ground. It was the second Cricket Bonanza organised by Lahore Insurance Institute. Total 16 teams participated in the tournament and initially they were divided into two groups of eight teams each.
Opening two matches for every team were on knock-out basis and two teams from two groups directly reached the semi-finals. The final was staged on April 10, 2011 at Crescent Model School Ground and President of Lahore Insurance Institute was the Chief Guest. He presented the winning trophy to Universal Insurance who won the tournament, beating Alfalah Insurance.
On behalf of New Jubilee Insurance our LZO cricket team played its first pool match with “IGI” at Valencia Cricket Ground on Sunday, 3rd April 2011 and comfortably won the match by 9 wickets. Khawaja Ghalib Ali of Commercial Unit-II put the highest individual score and was declared “man of the match”: seen in the picture above. NJI LZO lost its second match against ALICO by small margin and here the race ended for them to qualify for the final. NJI team is seen above.
Fasihuddin Khan, DM-HR
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Saddar Branch Picnic
Saddar Branch went on an overnight picnic on Saturday 23rd April 2011 at a farmhouse near Super Highway. It was very enjoyable as the employees relaxed or had fun playing cricket, swimming and having a delicious Bar-B-Q dinner.
We reached the farmhouse around 7 in the evening and immediately the fun started. Some went straight to the swimming pool while others enjoyed playing Carom or Volleyball and some more played cards. Early next morning the weather was lovely and some went for a walk to enjoy the cool breeze.
The farmhouse also had a lush-green cricket ground where the employees played cricket by dividing themselves into 2 teams.
Overall it was a very enjoyable trip and the employees are waiting for another one!
Munir-ul-Haq, Head of Saddar Branch
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New Jubilee Insurance Company Limited, All Rights Reserved.