Access America 2005 Annual Report Download - page 7

insurance. Operations in Singapore
launched travel insurance for a
regional e-commerce partner.
THE AMERICAS
Brazil: Continued innovation
drives the entity forward
Mondial Assistance Brazil
consolidated its strong growth in
2005 and confirmed its competitive
position and excellent quality
image in the market place.
Implementation of the GPS
tow-truck tracking system, started
in 2004, was extended to other
metropolitan regions, increasing the
number of equipped tow-trucks by
76%. The entity accelerated its
diversification, increasing sales in
the People and Property Assistance
business lines by 95% and 37%
respectively. It launched a Patient
Relationship Management solution
for the pharmaceutical industry
early in the year, while the end of
2005 saw travel assistance
commercialised directly to
consumers through a dedicated,
integrated e-commerce platform.
Canada : travel insurance growth
and new cost containment
strategy yield top performance
2005 was a year of exciting change
and growth for our Canadian
Business unit. The company
opened the doors of its new
headquarters, a state-of-the-art
contact centre facility with an
enhanced IT infrastructure. The
custom built operations centre
allowed the entity to accommodate
programs for new clients.
Additionally, while the business unit
experienced continued success in
the online travel market, it also
pursued new opportunities in the
retail travel and Snowbird/Long-
Stay markets with a “Behind the
Brand” solution, driven by
partnerships with leading travel
insurance brokers. To help avert
costs, a new Cost Containment
strategy was launched for its
insured business, as well as the
Group’s business, enabling an
increase in PPO network coverage
through a multi-network approach.
The initiative has resulted in
exceptional savings on large loss
arbitration and an increase in
overall average savings. These
combined efforts led to a significant
increase in turnover over 2004,
making 2005 one of the company’s
most successful years to date.
U.S.A: New products and
services lead to high client
satisfaction
2005 was a record breaking year
for World Access, our American
business unit. Company revenues
grew over 21% with new products
and clients added to each business
line. The Travel activity expanded
with many new clients and entered
three new market channels:
adventure suppliers, ski resorts and
timeshares; the Special Market
business activity enhanced its
product portfolio with event ticket
protection and improved concierge
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Region by region
Presented in 3 geographical zones, all the Group’s
entities have contributed in their own local way to the
excellent 2005 Group results.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Healthy growth continues
With a relatively low contribution a
few years ago, the Group’s
business in the Asia Pacific region
now represents 5.6% of the Group’s
total sales. Given the trends
demonstrated in 2005, this figure
should continue to climb.
Lead position in Australia
Our Australian business, currently
our largest in the region, continued
to expand throughout 2005 with
consistent strong growth in
e-commerce, travel insurance and
student healthcare services. Sales
in automobile related services also
grew encouragingly, boosting
Mondial Assistance Group’s
reputation in Australia as a leading
provider of top quality customer
service solutions
Ahead of target in China
Local operations further secured
the Group’s base in China in 2005
with the signature of several
important new roadside assistance
contracts. Late in the year we also
launched travel insurance, which
has already generated promising
early results. And of course, we
continue to develop the internal and
external infrastructures necessary
to support these services in this
vast country.
Strategic alliance in Japan
After 10 years of steady but modest
growth, in November 2005 the
Group signed a partnership
agreement with Millea Holdings,
Japan’s No1 general insurance
group. This partnership will give us
the strength and visibility to
become a leading player in Japan’s
large, expanding market.
South East Asia: growth for core
business lines
In 2005 we reinforced our dominant
position in the Thai roadside
assistance sector and also
achieved solid growth in travel
In 2005, the Group’s global
e-commerce leadership was confirmed.
E-business flourished group wide with
the development and launch of new
online solutions resulting in new client
contracts and successful renegotiations
on both Group and local levels. Along
the traditional activities, healthcare
services continued their dynamic
growth. Furthermore, the second evalu-
ation of Mondial Assistance’s unique
worldwide clinic and hospital network
was completed in 110 countries.
2005 was also marked by numerous
catastrophes, disasters and attacks
during which our entities and our people
demonstrated their professionalism,
their proactivity, their network and con-
nections, and the care with which they
serve our customers in need.
E-business flourished group wide
with the development and launch
of new online solutions resulting
in new client contracts and
successful renegotiations.
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