Client Partnerships and Relationships

Perhaps the most important question to be gleaned from any procurement process is the nature of the relationship to be created between the parties. I was recently looking to engage a consulting firm to assist Andesa.  Every firm we considered had competent staff, demonstrable experiences and proven methodologies. I wasn’t looking for a vendor; however, I was looking for a partner.

Numerous prospect meetings I have attended over the years begin with a discussion about the importance of values and partnership; then quickly move to functions and features, security questionnaires and demonstrating how a premium is entered into the administration system.

When recently surveyed, 96% of client respondents would recommend Andesa as a service provider for corporate and bank-owned life insurance administration.  88% of those same individuals would recommend us for servicing any life and annuity product.  All but one of our clients used the word “partner” or “partnership” in describing their relationship with Andesa.

“With Andesa, we feel as though whenever we bring a problem, challenge, or an opportunity to the table – we have a partner that is going to work hard to try to address and/or figure out what we need”

“Long history of being treated as a true partner; access to amazing personnel Over the years in terms of flexibility, responsiveness, expertise, and commitment ”

.. Is a partner; “there are people at Andesa who really care about our business and our success and they work to get things done to the best of their ability”

“…views Andesa as a strong working partner and as being an extension of its own business. “We have had such a strong partnership with them that there is nothing that we would change”

-Excerpts from 2015 Andesa Client Satisfaction Survey

“We believe in a true partnership relationship with our clients and will strive to achieve this end” is one of Andesa’s core values. These recent client satisfaction results validate our values and serve as a reminder to our team about the importance of long-term relationships.

We work with several of the premier life insurance companies in the United States. While there are commonalities in the industry and in the products we administer, each of our clients is unique, is at a different point in their product life cycle curve and emphasizes a marketing differentiation for their particular brand.  While we attempt to capitalize on the efficiencies of standardization and repeatable processes, our objective is to bring a unique experience to each and every client.

Partnering is about relationship building. The primary consideration is the relationship and the long- term view of the integrity of the organizations and the individuals.  We are committed to intense listening, caring and trying to figure out how to best work together for the long-term with each our client’s situations and positions. It’s about digging deeper, being as invested in the success of our clients as in our own success. Transparent, honest and open communications are a hallmark of our relationships. This often requires explaining exactly where we are in the process, what we are working on and how we can work together to help our clients regardless of their or our current situation.

Life insurance organizations understand this long-term trust and commitment.  After all, it is what they themselves are honoring each time they execute a policy – a long-term commitment to a policy holder. The majority of our clients operate from a set of values in close alignment with our own.  Thus, we enjoy strong relationships with our clients’ staffs. When we visit with clients, we are greeted with genuine affection, not formal handshakes.

There has been tremendous change in the business world since Andesa first opened its doors more than 30 years ago. Advances in technology, financial product sophistication, regulatory burdens and increasing customer expectations are examples of external factors that force an organization to adapt or become irrelevant. And while Andesa has evolved and modified its business model and leadership over the years, the strong ethical environment and commitment to client partnerships established by Dr. John E. Walker, our Founder and Chairman, has been a constant beacon guiding our direction.

We are genuinely interested in working with organizations who partner with Andesa to provide them a solution to achieve their goals as well as our own. Creating partnerships is not nostalgic – a throw-back to some business ideal of generations past. It is not a “nice to have.”  It is central to our success. It is the mandate we accept as leaders and staff at Andesa, because it is the way we want to be treated and the way we want to treat others. It is a deeper, fundamental belief held by the majority of the employees at Andesa that this is the way business is supposed to be.