Ceylinco Life salesmen, PDA enabled

Life insurance leader Ceylinco Life last week became the first insurance company in Sri Lanka to deploy leading edge information and communications technology in field sales and customer servicing, with the launch of 'e-assist,' a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)based mobile insurance sales office that will "revolutionise" the way insurance salespeople work.

The company will equip its sales team with sophisticated GPRS-powered PDAs with software developed by NCS Singapore, a leading vendor-independent IT and communications engineering solutions provider in the Asia Pacific region.

Armed with these mobile phone-sized devices and miniature portable printers that clip on their trouser belts, Ceylinco Life's sales consultants will now carry their offices in their hands and into the homes of their policyholders and prospective clients, offering a new dimension in speed, accuracy and convenience.

This new concept 'palm-top insurance' will enable them to feed in information on a prospective customer's earnings, expenses and other indicators to produce acomputer-aided Needs Analysis, produce a quotation within minutes, modify it if necessary in consultation with the customer, accept the first premium and issue a printed receipt, all in a single visit.

The PDAs also contain up-to-date information on all existing policyholders, including their premium due dates, information on proposals or claims pending, as well as any complaints that may have been lodged, enabling Ceylinco Life sales consultants to service customers with minimal delays, and with all the information at hand.

The first PDA-generated quotation and receipt were presented to Ceylinco Consolidated Chairman Dr. Lalith Kotelawala this week, following a presentation on the concept and benefits of 'e-assist.'

"The deployment of PDAs in the field is a first for insurance in Sri Lanka, and the content and functionality that we have built in is possibly a first for Asia," said Ceylinco Life Chief Executive Director R. Renganathan. "This is yet another demonstration of leadership and an initiative that will enhance the level of professionalism in life insurance sales and raise the bar for others in the field."

Besides assisting sales consultants with pre sales support and customer servicing, the PDAs also aid self-organising with a complete product library, diary management feature and access to MIS reports on lapsed policies, renewals and advance payments due and maturity dates coming up, enabling them to plan their customer visits better.

The PDAs also contain updates on on-going sales competitions and

productivity matrices that allow sales consultants to track their own performance and productivity.

"The impact in terms of motivation and efficiency could be tremendous,"

Renganathan added. "The deployment of PDAs will benefit policyholders, prospective customers, sales consultants and the company."

The largest and most successful life insurer in Sri Lanka, Ceylinco Life retained its position as the market leader in the local life insurance sector last year with premium income growth of more than 19% to Rs 6.8 billion. The company's Life Fund stood at Rs 16.8 billion as at December 31, 2007.

New diesel cab for Rs. 6 lakhs

Dimo, reputed for making well- engineered products accessible to all has done it yet again. It was the unveiling of the brand new, Diesel single cab Xenon from TATA at their R. A de Mel Mawatha show room recently.

Before a select gathering of distinguished invitees, was announced the MOU between Dimo and HNB leasing enabling customers to enjoy the driving comfort of the Xenon at lease rentals which would be in line with the car allowances they receive.

DIMO Chairman Ranjith Pandithage says, "With the launch of the TATA Xenon, we are taking the motor car enthusiast into a new league altogether. For the first time ever, they will have the lifestyle single pick up truck at this price with all these superb features."

DIMO's TATA division General Manager Vijitha Bandara said: "Xenon is a brand-new diesel lifestyle pick-up truck that sets the true-blood enthusiast apart from the ordinary motor car driver. It does 10 kilometres per litre yet costs a mere Rs. 18 lakhs."

It packs a 3 litre Direct Injection Common Rail (DICOR) engine with TCIC. For driving comfort, the Xenon offers A/C with power steering which are standard. Power Windows, Central Locking and a locally fitted audio set-up are options. The 3L DICOR diesel technology promises excellent power delivery and low fuel consumption.

TATA Xenon is another in the range of well engineered motor vehicles brought down by DIMO. Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC is one of Sri Lanka's foremost motor car and engineering firms and are sole agents for Mercedes Benz, Chrysler, Jeep, TATA and a host of other world class brands.

TATA is India's largest automobile company. With over 4 million TATA vehicles plying in India it is the leader in commercial vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles. It is also the world's fifth largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer and the second largest heavy bus manufacturer. With the recent purchase of the Jaguar and the launch of the NANO, TATA motors is the owner of one of the world's most expensive and the world's most economical car.

Hatton National Bank MD/CEO Rajan Theagarajah explained the exclusive lease package worked out with DIMO. "TATA Xenon could be purchased with a tailor- made leasing package for an initial down payment of Rs. six lakhs and a monthly payment of just Rs. 30,879. This includes a Rs. 1.2 million Life Insurance Cover as well as a Free HNB Credit Card. Customers have the advantage of walking into any HNB branch and have their leasing package made out for them. Theagarajah added, "HNB has one of the largest networks with over 170 branches islandwide."

Luxury and lifestyle now made more affordable with TATA Xenon.

Sicille feted

Left to right: CEO/Director Lesly Gunaratne, Director/General Manager Henri Pereira, South Asian Travels Deputy Chairperson Dr. Sicille P C Kotelawala, Kuwait Airways Chairman/Managing Director Hamad Abdullatif Al Fahal, Seylan Bank Senior Deputy General Manager Tissa Nanayakkara, Kuwait Airways Sri Lanka Senior Manager Dherar Al Nassar, Marketing & Sales Director Ahmed Al Hilal and Commercial Director Khalid Al Tayyar.

Kuwait Airways Corporation Chairman and directors honoured South Asian Travels Ltd. (Ceylinco Consolidated member) Deputy Chairperson Dr. Sicille P. C. Kotelawala who are the General Sales Agents for Kuwait Airways in Sri Lanka, for the excellent services offered to them during the past 40 years and awarded her a Certificate of Excellence in Kuwait  recently.

Dialog bags three awards

Dialog Telekom, Sri Lanka's premier telecoms service provider was honoured with three awards at the Asia Pacific (AP) GCCRM Customer Management Awards ceremony held in Shanghai recently.

Following on from success at the Customer Relationship Excellence (CRE awards) in 2007, Dialog's Service Delivery excellence secured international recognition on an AP wide stage winning the awards for Customer Management Strategy, Customer Management Technology and Excellence in Retail Customer Experience.

Dialog Group Chief Executive Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya said: "Our focus on excellence in service delivery is inherent to our corporate vision of enriching customers' lives. The desire and commitment to make each and every customer interaction a pleasurable experience is embedded in the work ethic of our service delivery team. I am proud that their efforts and dedication to service have been recognized at international level. I am confident that these awards would motivate our team to continue to innovate along multiple dimensions of service delivery with a view to delighting our customers who in turn are the nerve centre of our business."

Through the AP Customer Management Awards, GCCRM aims to enhance

the standard of customer management by benchmarking customer servicing best practices across different disciplines and industries. Since its launch in 2002, the Awards programme is recognized as the regions foremost platform for the recognition of best in class customer servicing practices and innovation in service delivery.

The CMBody Check (Customer Management Body Check) forms the basis of the evaluation criteria for the Awards which measure Customer Service systems in relation to insight, strategy, innovation, capability and execution.

Dialog Group Chief Customer Officer Ms. Sandra De Zoysa said, "We are delighted that our team received this international recognition alongside many great names in customer service such as Starbucks, DHL, FedEx, & Shangri-la Hotels. A combination of robust processes, cutting edge service delivery technology and a dedicated team has enabled us to provide 'best in class service' to Dialog customers. We are privileged to serve over 4.5 million Sri Lankans 24x7, through a 1,000 strong team of young service professionals whose enthusiasm, loyalty and devotion is manifested in a desire to go beyond the expected in order to delight our customers.  We believe that recognition of this nature serves to consolidate and reinforce our team's commitment."

From DFCC-HNB new investment bank 

Stockbroking, primary dealer ops., separated

Acuity Partners (Pvt.) Ltd., a new joint venture investment bank, that will be owned equally by DFCC Bank and Hatton National Bank (HNB) was launched on Thursday.

The new venture will take on the existing Corporate Finance and Capital Markets businesses of DFCC and HNB. It will also take over and be the Group Holding Company for the other subsidiaries of the two banks involved in the equity and debt capital markets, ie, DFCC Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd., HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd. and the primary dealership business - HNB Securities (Pvt) Ltd.

DFCC's and HNB's respective track records account for some of the largest and most notable transactions in corporate finance and capital markets including the largest transaction on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

The Acuity Group will provide the broad service range of a fully integrated investment banking operation including:- Corporate Finance & Advisory: mergers & acquisitions; divestitures & asset sales; restructuring & reorganizations and capital raising.

Equities: Origination, structuring and management of IPOs, follow-on issues and convertible issues; private placements and global offerings; underwriting, sales and distribution, proprietary trading and research.

Fixed Income: Primary dealership of Government securities; origination, structuring and placement of corporate bonds and commercial paper; proprietary trading and market making; research.

Loan Syndications & Structured Finance: Structuring and arranging of syndicated lending, management of loan syndications; acquisition and leveraged finance; origination and placement of asset backed and mortgage backed securities.

Derivatives & Treasury Products Interest rate swaps; currency swaps and forward rate agreements and Capital Markets: Investment advisory & transaction execution services.

The Acuity Group will also explore business opportunities in the region in time to come.

Acuity Partners will have an initial capital of about Rs. 500 million, which is ample to support the regulatory capital required for its subsidiaries. As regards earnings, the Acuity Group will be an amalgamation of existing and profitable businesses and therefore will make profits from Day One. All operations will shortly be relocated under one roof in new premises to provide a seamless 'one-stop-shop' service.

While the stock broking and primary dealer companies will continue to be run as separate legal entities subject to the regulations applicable to their respective businesses, common operations including businesses currently undertaken by the two stock broking entities and support functions across the board would be merged and centralised to achieve efficiencies.

Within the Acuity Group, the emphasis will be on cross selling and multi-tasking whereby the human resources and talent would be pooled to create an entity greater than the sum of its individual constituents.

DFCC CEO and General Manager Nihal Fonseka will be the first Chairman of Acuity Partners while HNB's Senior Deputy General Manager (Business Development & International) Jayantha Perera would serve as the first full time Managing Director.

The rest of the directorate will comprise senior management of the two banking groups including HNB Managing Director Rajendra Theagarajah, DFCC Stockbrokers CEO Ray Abeywardena, DFCC Corporate Banking & Investment Banking Senior Vice President Tyrone de Silva, HNB Stockbrokers CEO Deva Ellapola, DFCC Senior Vice President - Treasury Manohari Gunawardhena and HNB Securities CEO G. Ramanan. Meanwhile, the staffing of Acuity Partners would be drawn from professionals serving in the investment banking operations of DFCC and HNB.

AACO - Amadeus tie up

A global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with 12 member airlines of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO).

Global technology heavyweight Amadeus has been selected by Air Algerie, Afriqiyah Airways, EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Syrian Arab Airlines, Tunisair and Yemen Airways from the AACO as their exclusive distribution partner in their respective home markets.

Following the signing, the 12 airlines will each establish 10-year distribution agreements with Amadeus, which will be effective from January 1, 2009.

These 12 airlines in the Middle East and North of Africa (MENA) account for 66% of reservations made by travel agencies in the region.

Amadeus is a leading technology provider to the travel industry with over 94,100 travel agency locations and more than 32,500 airline sales offices using Amadeus to run their reservations and sales function.

In addition, Amadeus' new-generation Customer Management Solution (CMS) portfolio and Amadeus A/tea CMS serves network and regional carriers.

The Altea portfolio based on a community platform concept enables improved operational efficiency and increases revenue. The portfolio consists of the A/tea Reservation, A/tea Inventory and A/tea Departure Control solutions.

The Amadeus Altea CMS suite is currently being used by five airlines in the region-EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Libyan Airlines, Middle East Airlines, and Qatar Airways-to manage sales, reservations, inventory and departure control functions.

AACO Secretary General Abdul Wahab Teffaha said: "The agreement crowns almost 18 months of intensive negotiations with leading Global Distribution Systems (GDSs). AACO's strategy is to achieve the best possible cost and value structure for the airline members partnering with a leading-edge technology provider which has a strong global presence. This is the fourth contract of its kind in the past 17 years, but by far the largest in terms of the number of AACO airlines involved and it delivers greater value for the signing carriers. "

Amadeus' Executive Vice President, Commercial, David Jones said: "These agreements endorse our strategy to bring the most relevant airline content to travel agencies and also to provide the agents' desktops with the latest technology. In addition, our infrastructure and continued investment in the region ensures we continue delivering the best on site support to sustain the travel industry's growth in the Middle-East - one of the fastest growing regions of the world.

"Amadeus global distribution reach and expertise paired with our comprehensive e-commerce and IT solutions offering were key to the success of our agreement with AACO. Furthermore, our continued investment in technology and our partnership approach to business were a perfect fit for the airlines. The recent inauguration of our regional operation centre in Dubai is a reflection of our commitment to these markets and partners," he added.

Meanwhile Singapore Airlines, the world's most awarded carrier, will revolutionise its management of passenger services with its next generation customer management platform provided by Amadeus.

Singapore Airlines selected the Amadeus Altea CMS after a detailed evaluation. With this agreement, Singapore Airlines will replace its existing passenger service systems with Amadeus' suite of solutions to help drive sales and reservations as well as manage its global inventory and departure control operations.

A key factor in Singapore Airlines' decision to select the Altea CMS was the assurance that Amadeus' experience in migrating from legacy applications and platforms to newer technologies will ensure that its customers are minimally affected, even as the carrier transplants the Altea CMS into its complex and diverse day to day operations.

AmEx builds two schools

As part of its continuing tsunami relief initiatives, American Express (AmEx) recently opened two new pre-schools in Tangalle. The construction of the schools was carried out at a cost of Rs.2.468 million, which, in addition to the civil construction, includes the cost of installing a playground and basic equipment as well as sponsoring teacher salaries for one year in respect of both schools.

The funding was made at the request of Nations Trust Bank (NTB) and granted through Give2Asia Foundation. With a view to ensuring the long-term maintenance of the schools, it was decided to fund a programme in which the process for execution and maintenance was already in place; hence, the schools were built under the Janasuwaya Pre-School Development Foundation.

The schools were opened recently by UNP MP Sajith Premadasa and the keys to the school were handed over by NTB Chief Executive Officer Zulfiqar Zavahir.

The two ceremonies were held amidst much fanfare and celebration by the delighted villagers, especially the excited little ones who would directly benefit from the pre-schools.

The first school is a brand new pre-school named the Janasuwaya Sri Sucharitha Mihindu Pera Pasala, located in Pattiyapola, a remote village off the Netolpitiya area; while the second pre-school is the Janasuwaya Sri Sucharitha Pathum Kekulu Pera Pasala in Kahandawa. Both schools have been built along similar lines, with two rooms each and an elevated area that could be utilized as a stage for performances by the students. Adequate toilet facilities as well as outdoor recreational and physical training equipment have also been supplied.

The project selection and execution were carried out via the John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation (Foundation) through which the John Keells Group channels its corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Speaking on behalf of the Foundation, John Keells Holdings Director Sumithra Gunesekera said, "When NTB entrusted the Foundation with funding from AmEx for construction of pre-schools in tsunami-affected areas, our main concern was the continuation and maintenance of the pre-schools. So often, one sees many schools, homes and other facilities fall into wrack and ruin because of neglect. This was essentially why we collaborated with the Janasuwaya programme in order to ensure that the pre-schools are maintained. In addition to the funding for the construction of the two buildings, AmEx is also sponsoring their maintenance for the first year."

He added, "We are pleased with the manner in which the funds have been utilized. The pre-schools are delightful buildings in which the toddlers can learn their ABCs and we are glad to have played a part in building a foundation for their future."

Calvin Klein at Odel

Sri Lanka's iconic fashion and lifestyle store Odel is challenging its male customers to show what they are made of inside, with the launch of the Calvin Klein (CK) Summer 2008 men's underwear collection.

Sourced directly from Calvin Klein International and available exclusively at Odel's flagship outlet at Alexandra Place, this would be the only mega designer men's underwear collection in the country guaranteed to be original, the store said.

"Fake branded men's underwear is omnipresent in many clothing outlets in the country and can even be picked up off pavement vendors," said Hayley Louise Evans, the Menswear Buyer at Odel.

"Now, we are offering the real thing, from the leading international brand for men's underwear, and its time to see who measures up."

Displayed in its own branded showcase, the collection comprises a range of styles, fits, colours and sizes, and caters to numerous taste preferences, from loose-fit boxers to close-fit Y-fronts and cycle short styles, all in the distinctive Calvin Klein packaging that makes it easy for an original to be distinguished from a fake.

"One look at the distinctive waist band is all it takes to see why the originalmakes a statement for the wearer," Evans said. "Quality is guaranteed, and wearing CK identifies the wearer as being discerning and exclusive. No problems of bad sizing, stretching and falling apart that are characteristic of the B grades and fakes."

She said the collection has already started moving off the shelves at a respectable pace, indicating that there are many discriminating male customers happy to make a statement with originals albeit for the most part invisibly.

Sri Lanka's iconic fashion and lifestyle store Odel is challenging its male customers to show what they are made of inside, with the launch of the Calvin Klein (CK) Summer 2008 men's underwear collection.

Sourced directly from Calvin Klein International and available exclusively at Odel's flagship outlet at Alexandra Place, this would be the only mega designer men's underwear collection in the country guaranteed to be original, the store said.

"Fake branded men's underwear is omnipresent in many clothing outlets in the country and can even be picked up off pavement vendors," said Hayley Louise Evans, the Menswear Buyer at Odel.

"Now, we are offering the real thing, from the leading international brand for men's underwear, and its time to see who measures up."

Displayed in its own branded showcase, the collection comprises a range of styles, fits, colours and sizes, and caters to numerous taste preferences, from loose-fit boxers to close-fit Y-fronts and cycle short styles, all in the distinctive Calvin Klein packaging that makes it easy for an original to be distinguished from a fake.

"One look at the distinctive waist band is all it takes to see why the originalmakes a statement for the wearer," Evans said. "Quality is guaranteed, and wearing CK identifies the wearer as being discerning and exclusive. No problems of bad sizing, stretching and falling apart that are characteristic of the B grades and fakes."

She said the collection has already started moving off the shelves at a respectable pace, indicating that there are many discriminating male customers happy to make a statement with originals albeit for the most part invisibly.

HNB Assurance signs up SLT

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) signed an agreement with innovative insurance solutions provider HNB Assurance, providing the company with a total data communication solution.

The solution offers mission critical data services with seamless connectivity for 70 branches/locations via IP/VPN (Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network) solution. This results in inter-branch data communications via the corporate network, helping to save costs directly.

HNB Assurance will have access to a centralized IT network at any given time, enabling effective communication between head office and the branches. It also enhances the capabilities of HNB Assurance through online information,customer's financial information and the company's investment information, etc among  others services through their real time system.

SLT Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Ajantha Senevirathne said, "HNB Assurance is a company renowned for meeting insurance needs professionally with a mission to provide innovative, customized solutions. The solution we offer helps the company to be both flexible  as well as scalable to suit the company's future expansion needs. The agreement is also projected to cut down costs of inter-branch data communication as well as increase productivity, resulting in cost effective real time communications."

HNB Assurance PLC Managing Director Manjula de Silva said, "This agreement provides us with a lot of opportunities. We have connected all of our branches to head office, giving our branch staff access to all of the IT resources available at the head office.

We can provide a service similar to what the customer can get at the head office, which is a major plus point. We have also set up a Disaster Recovery Centre at a remote location, so if there is any issue at head office, we can continue to operate our systems. This is made possible by the IP/VPN network, which SLT has provided us. The other benefit is that the top management has been given access to the system resources from wherever they operate."

The solution also enables the offering of more products & services to customers via mobile phones.

SLT is providing IP/VPN data solution for their branch network, Broadband internet, inter-branch communication system over a period of time. This IP/VPN is capable of carrying voice and mission critical data securely and reliably. IP-VPN is the main service provided by the SLT's islandwide Broadband network (IP/MPLS backbone) to its valuable corporate customers.  In addition to this, HNB Assurance has access to SLTnet, the largest ISP in Sri Lanka having 2.2 Giga bps international internet backbones with multiple accesses to global Internet networks.

Honoured for pursuing "Indian Dream"

The US-India Business Council (USIBC), premier business advocacy organization of USA and India recently honoured Bharti Enterprises Chairman & Group CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal with the 'Global Vision' award at Washington DC.

The annual awards are accorded to luminaries from various fields for their significant contribution in bringing India and the USA closer together.

 Previous recipients include Boeing Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney, Ratan N. Tata and Mukesh Ambani.

The award is a recognition of Mittal's "revolutionary foresight in bringing telecoms connectivity to benefit the lives of the common man, for his entrepreneurial zeal, and for his efforts to organize India's agricultural sector-unlocking wealth on the family-run farm and bringing efficiencies to India's farm-to-market supply chain."

Mittal said, "It is an honour for me and a tribute to India's vibrant business environment that has provided opportunities to entrepreneurs like me. Entrepreneurs across the world have always been inspired by the ideals of dreaming big, embodied in the American Dream that believes everybody can achieve their goals in life. This award is a testimony of that ideal. I would like to thank  USIBC for having considered me worthy of this award."

Nugegoda br. refurbished

Suntel Ltd., pioneers of CDMA technology in Sri Lanka re-opened their newly re-designed centre in Nugegoda recently.

The Nugegoda Centre is the first Suntel Service Centre that has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme, with other Suntel centres around the island set to follow within the year.