OREANDA-NEWS. November 25, 2010. Allianz Eurasia Agency School has been solemnly opened in St.Petersburg. The North-West became the third Russian region after Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod to host the training centre preparing universal financial consultants in accordance with international standards adopted by Allianz, reported the press-centre of ROSNO.

Today’s insurance market is very demanding in terms of the agents’ qualification. Therefore, the St. Petersburg School of Allianz Eurasia will apply not only the traditional fundamental approach to education of agents, which is practiced by the leading international insurer Allianz, but also some completely new training methods.

The key distinguishing feature of Allianz Eurasia Agency School is that the new training system makes maximum use of the potential of all financial instruments offered by the companies of Allianz Eurasia Group. The School’s graduates — certified agents — become not just sales managers, but professional financial consultants capable of offering a client an individual financial and insurance solution based on the classical risk management principles. Working with clients, they will offer classical insurance, as well as life insurance and asset management.

The School’s training process is of innovative nature — it is organized not in the usual lecture format, but in form of trainings, master classes and seminars, enabling the students to study practical solutions and acquire skills to a maximum possible extent. The School features psychological and speech seminars, product master classes and sales trainings, reflecting an integrated training approach.

Another innovation of the Allianz Eurasia Agency School is the software technology "Salesman’s Terminal", which is to be mastered by those who seek to become successful agents. The Salesman’s Terminal is a set of the required mobile equipment — a laptop with Internet connection and access to necessary corporate software, and a printer. The new system will enable agents to have online access to any necessary information, perform prompt underwriting and appraisal, issue insurance documentation and print it on the spot. Thus, agents will acquire additional mobility, speed, and productivity.

The School has developed courses for several student categories. Newcomers with no work record in insurance pass a basic course; agents previously working for other companies complete a short-term retraining course; and those financial consultants who have been employed by ROSNO will pass a professional development course.

Notably, the School will provide training and professional development opportunities not only to agents, but also to the salesforce employed in other sales channels (corporate sales and partner sales) and to the back-office and middle-office employees of ROSNO’s North-Western Directorate. It will also train representatives of ROSNO’s sales partners. This is already practiced in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.

"Today, we are laying foundation to training the best insurance agents of St. Petersburg", explains Mr. Elnur Suleymanov, Deputy CEO and Sales Director of IC ROSNO. — "The international conglomerate Allianz has always been demanding as regards professionalism and qualification of its sales managers; and in the North-Western region, which is strategically important for doing business in Russia, the presence of a strong agent network is indispensable. The similar project in Moscow has already proven its effectiveness, being praised by our agents and business partners. The fact that the graduates of our School master the entire line of insurance products and apply state-of-the-art information technologies unrivalled in the Russian insurance market makes us confident that the Allianz Eurasia Agency School may become the best professional insurance agent training site in St. Petersburg".

Mr. Evgeny Dubensky, Deputy CEO of ROSNO and head of the company’s North-Western Directorate, notes: "For our Directorate, this is a critical step to robust development in the future. Undoubtedly, we have a lot of work ahead to ensure maximum improvement of performance of each individual ROSNO agent; however, we have a powerful support of our shareholder — the international conglomerate Allianz, which has provided all resources and technologies necessary to achieve success. I hope that the opening of the Agency School in St. Petersburg will significantly strengthen our company’s positions in the North-Western region".