From AI-powered solutions to skilled teams and strategic foresight, TPL Insurance sets a new standard for customer care with omnichannel support and predictive insights
Interview with Atif Mehmood — Head of Contact Centre & Client Engagement at TPL Insurance
PAGE: Tell us about your journey. How did you end up leading TPL Insurance’s Contact Centre & Client Engagement?
Atif Mehmood: My career spans over 15 years in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, a journey that has been both transformative and enriching. I’ve focused on optimising contact centre management, implementing customer engagement strategies, and driving operational excellence. I started my career at ibex Global and Interactive Euro Technologies, where I gained invaluable international experience — particularly in Russia — honing my skills in managing global operations.Currently, at TPL Insurance, I oversee the entire contact centre and client engagement ecosystem. I manage a portfolio exceeding PKR 1 billion in insurance retention and lead our digital sales strategy. This role has been both challenging and rewarding, and I take pride in driving innovation at every turn.
PAGE: What’s your approach to improving customer engagement at TPL Insurance?
Atif Mehmood: Customer engagement is all about creating seamless, omnichannel experiences. At TPL Insurance, we prioritise a digital-first strategy, ensuring a 24/7 integrated customer experience across all touchpoints — whether through chat, phone, email, or social media. We’ve designed our multi-channel communication strategy to meet customers where they feel most comfortable, significantly enhancing both responsiveness and satisfaction. I also strongly believe in the empowerment of our team. By focusing on recruitment, skill development, and ongoing mentorship, I ensure that we deliver personalised, high-quality service. Our ultimate goal is to cultivate a customer-centric culture at every level of the organisation.
PAGE: TPL Insurance is known for its strong customer retention. What’s the secret?
Atif Mehmood: There’s no secret formula; it’s about consistently understanding and anticipating customer needs through data-driven insights. We leverage predictive analytics to provide personalised insurance solutions that truly resonate with our customers, contributing to the retention of a PKR 1 billion insurance revenue portfolio. Our strategy also emphasises cross-selling and upselling, ensuring our offerings align with customers’ evolving requirements. By actively listening to feedback and staying ahead of industry trends, we continually refine our approach to foster high customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.
PAGE: How does technology help you deliver a better customer experience?
Atif Mehmood: Technology is the cornerstone of our operations. We’ve integrated AI-powered chatbots, automated workflows, and an advanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. These tools empower us to deliver personalised customer interactions by predicting needs and ensuring efficient service. With real-time data at our fingertips, our team can provide faster and more accurate responses, resulting in a customer experience that is both humanised and tech-driven. We’re committed to pushing the envelope with emerging technologies to remain at the forefront of customer service innovation.
PAGE: What challenges have you faced in managing TPL’s contact centre operations, and how have you tackled them?
Atif Mehmood: A key challenge has been balancing scalability with the maintenance of service quality. As we continue to grow, it’s crucial to ensure that our customer service benchmarks remain high. To address this, I’ve streamlined operations through process optimisation and invested in staff training programmes, empowering our team to manage high volumes of inquiries without compromising quality. Another challenge has been integrating new technologies while preserving the human touch — a delicate balance we continually strive to achieve. Fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptability has been instrumental in overcoming these hurdles.
PAGE: Looking forward, where do you see the future of contact centre operations at TPL Insurance?
Atif Mehmood: The future of contact centre operations lies in digital transformation. We are expanding our multi-channel strategy with a stronger emphasis on AI-driven customer support and machine learning to better anticipate customer behaviour and needs. We aim to use big data analytics for deeper service personalization, offering even more tailored experiences. We’ll keep investing in our team to ensure human empathy and technology work together. The future is exciting, with TPL Insurance leading this digital evolution.
PAGE: How does TPL Insurance Contact Centre differentiate from traditional contact centres?
Atif Mehmood: While traditional contact centres are primarily known as touchpoints for external customers to address issues and complaints, our contact centre plays a vital role in our internal operations as well. We provide a one-window service for specific channels, facilitating seamless communication between departments. This unique approach not only enhances customer service but also drives revenue generation through offerings like Gap Insurance and Coverage Upgrades. By linking internal functions with customer interactions, we deliver a holistic, efficient service that sets us apart from traditional models.
PAGE: How does customer experience differ from customer service in terms of scope, approach, and key metrics?
Atif Mehmood:
– Customer Experience (CX): The impression and feelings that customers get when they go through a complete journey with your brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase care. CX involves all touchpoints and engagement channels across multiple departments to create memorable and amazing experiences for customers.
– Customer Service: It’s the support provided to customers for any product or service issues, traditionally through human help but now increasingly automated with AI.
Customer Services vs. Customer Experience:
1. Holistic Experience vs. Specific Interaction
2. Reactive vs. Proactive
3. Metrics:
– Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
– Customer Effort Score (CES)
– Net Promoter Score (NPS)
These metrics can also reflect CX, but additional metrics like customer lifetime value (CLV), customer churn rate, and customer retention rate can further elevate the customer experience.