As part of efforts to curb the menace of fake certificates, which has been the bane of the insurance industry, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc has introduced online motor insurance, a devise that enables the insured process and obtain insurance certificate online, without physically appearing at the company office.

The insured will process, pay premium with ATM card and obtain certificate online. With this initiative, the members of the insuring public will also be saved from the hassles of obtaining third party insurance motor insurance policies.

Managing Director, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc, Mr. Eddie Efekoha, at the unveiling in Lagos, said the devise was designed to save the insuring public from the nefarious activities of quacks, who specialise in faking certificates, adding that with the devise, people can conveniently process their motor insurance without the help of an agent or going to the company.

He said "We live at time where people carry mobile phones with Internet services in their hands. In effect, you can obtain insurance services and products even right on your palm. We do not think we should put people on the road any more. You can now get your services from wherever you are. We thought, we should do something that would change the whole industry, in bringing the services close to the customers. With the devise, the insured are assured of an authentic certificate from a duly licensed company by NAICOM. With this, we believe the days of fake insurance would be a thing of the past very soon."

On why the company tailored the devise to motor vehicle alone he said: "Of course, we have decided to take this innovative step in a class of insurance that has attained and continued to rank as the highest income earner for the industry. We know that when we were coming up with the consolidation, our plan was to go to the oil and gas which will hold the industry tomorrow. But for now motor insurance is the mainstay of the industry, and to that extent, we would start from where the money is. That is why we have introduced the innovative device to deepen the industry.

Efekoha noted that it is time for operators to think out of the box and entrench measures to align its operations with what is obtainable across the globe.

Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, represented at the event by Head of Lagos Control Office, NAICOM, Mr. Ajibola Ajibowo, urged the company to develop quality content on the website, adding that the content on the website would attract clients to patronise the company.

"Visitors to the site will need quality, in-depth, timeless information to keep them coming back. We have seen web-sites which were announced on papers but when you log on, it would not open," he added.

He enjoined the company to create benefit-driven sales copies that would compel clients to buy products displayed. Stating that since online does not permit face-to-face transaction; the face copy should do the job of introducing the product, state the benefits and indicate the statutory requirement for the products.

Ajibowo urged the company to ensure that the web-side display testimonies of people who have use the devise in order to attract more clients and boost its operations.