Problems of Insurance Company in Bangladesh
Poor Knowledge of Agents:
The marketing of insurance is greatly hampered in the remote village of Bangladesh where the agents are appointed from respected locality. This is because; educated young people are seemed to be reluctant to become insurance agents. Such agents cannot play efficient role in convincing a prospective policyholder.
Illiteracy:
Mass illiteracy is another factor that adversely affects the marketing of insurance. Majority of the population is floating in the sea of ignorance. Illiteracy leads one to think that the insurance is deception; it is no value in life. They cannot think rationality because they do not know what is insurance and what its importance as security for future.
Religious Superstition:
Religious attitude of the people also stands against efficient insurance. The religious people believe that the future is uncertain, it is in the hand of Allah and they do not think it necessary to buy life insurance policy for them.
Low Awareness:
Insurance awareness is poor. Agents are not skilled enough. These agents cannot perform their job properly to make the people aware of life insurance.
Low Savings:
People of Bangladesh have a very small saving potentially and thus have less or no disposable income. Almost the whole of the income is exhausted in the process of maintaining the day-today life. Thus they are left with little amount, which may not deemed to sufficient for the payment of premiums. This factor discourages many to buy life insurance policy.
Shortage of Fund:
Most of the policyholders cannot continue their policies owing to price spiral and shortage of fund.
Insufficient Service:
In Bangladesh insurance company people failed to provide better service to the mass people that’s why the people who want to take the insurance policy they loss their interest from insurance. At same time in foreign country insurance workers goes to customer’s house and offices regularly to aware themselves and influence them to take insurance policy. In that’s case Bangladesh insurance company people are not that much expert.
Lack of Marketing Policy:
One of the major problems in insurance company is lack of marketing policy. Management is not taking initiative to increase their mark expansion. They provide tiny amount advertisement, which is not sufficient for increasing business development.
Prospects of Insurance Business in Bangladesh
As well as the problems mentioned above, there are many good signs for the insurance business in Bangladesh. The factors that can facilitate the insurance business in our country are discussed
below. These facts can be measured as the prospective fields for insurance business in Bangladesh.
Higher GDP:
The GDP of our country is increasing than the previous year’s which results in increase of per capita income. So this growing GDP and income holds bright prospects for insurance companies.
The major problem is the incapability of our people to pay the premium charged by the insurance companies. With the growth in the income more and more people are now willing to take an insurance policy for safeguarding themselves from any danger.
Increased population:
There is a big opportunity lies ahead for the insurance companies as the population of our country are increasing day by day. Although most of people of our country live under extreme poverty level and want to avoid insurance policy number of potential policy holders in Bangladesh is growing with growth of the population. There is somewhat relationship between growing populations with the number of public vehicle. As we know all public vehicle must have an insurance policy. So growing population also increase the motor insurance too. That is growth in population opens greater scope for every kind of insurance business that results in growing prospect for insurance companies.
New business’s individual insurance:
There are so many new businesses starting every day and manufacturing sector is booming with global demand. Every business is insured under an insurance company to protect its company from any kind of accident. Therefore growing industry, mill, factories are creating better scope for the insurance companies to flourish their business.
Developing mass awareness about insurance:
People are now much more conscious about their safety. So they are encouraged to take an insurance policy for making their life free from any unexpected occurrence. Increase in literacy rate is helping predominantly to create awareness among the people regarding taking insurance policy. Besides this insurance companies are also trying to eradicate the negative attitude of people towards the insurance company by organizing various programs such as seminars, programs including social responsibilities etc.
Micro insurance:
Micro insurance can be a great prospective area for the insurance business in our country. Most of the people of our country are unable to have costly and long term insurance policies. Micro insurance can be provided to individual personnel or to small business owners against little insurance premiums and with easy terms and conditions. When they will afford to minimize their risks at a lower price, they will take that opportunity and they will become to get used to it. This can cover a huge portion of the society who can be a prospective target market for this business.
Scope in non-traditional sector:
Nowadays, along with traditional insurance services, they can offer various non-traditional insurance services to their customer. Target market of insurance company may expand and they can offer different types of non-traditional insurance services such as health insurance, personal accident insurance, travel insurance, burglary insurance and pension scheme.
Scope of investment:
Insurance companies can usually make more profit from investment activities than from their regular insurance business. The private insurance companies are realizing this fact and playing role in the financial market. Insurance companies are making large investment in government bonds, ICB projects and in private sector business. There are opportunities to enhance profit through effective and efficient money, management by employing capable and experienced personnel. Scope of investment expansion persists in the areas leasing, housing, health and money market.
Service diversification:
Insurance is not just a tool of risk coverage. It is also an attractive instrument of savings. The mixture of risk coverage with savings gives the opportunity for innovative product designing which means service diversification. In a dynamic insurance market one can expect to see new products being promoted at regular intervals. So far very little efforts have been taken to innovative and introduce need oriented insurance services in response to existing threats. The prospect of the insurance business in various sectors that affect our economy can be differentiated in the following way.
Agriculture sector:
The economy of Bangladesh is predominantly an agrarian one, with most people engage in farming and fishing. The uncertainty of agriculture due to crop failure caused by climate variation, drought, cyclone, flood and pests affects farmer income as well as government revenue. Furthermore, in the last few years commercialization has occurred in some sections of the agricultural sector. Increase in investment in the agricultural sector is creating a new opportunity for insurance industry. Various agricultural insurance services are becoming common these days.
Demand for insurance protection against crop loans, livestock loans, fisheries loans and equipment loans are also increasing day by day.
Business sector:
Nowadays in Bangladesh the SME plays an important role in the economic development. But they are deprived from taking loans from bank for large amount. If insurance business focuses this section in Bangladesh they are able to contribute more in the economy .Thus insurance business has a bright prospect in business sector in a developing country like Bangladesh
Education sector:
Insurance companies can provide different types of scheme to expand education plan insurance.
Recommendation for Insurance Business of Bangladesh
From the presiding discussions of the report, we can realize that the policy makers within the government and the insurance company should adopt effective measures in order to make good use of the opportunities and to tackle the threats for ensuring a healthy development of the insurance industry. The following actions are suggested
- The insurance companies of Bangladesh should practice marketing through the use of promotional tools such as advertising, sales promotion, public relation and publicity, personal selling and direct marketing.
- In order to create the growth of insurance business in our country, insurance companies should expand their target market by providing responsive services and establish efficient departments to perform such task.
- Government must minimize the restrictions on premium so that insurance companies can fix their premium according to their demand. This will increase the profitability of the insurance companies.
- One of the basic requirements for the insurance industry to have sustained growth is to enhance training facilities. Bangladesh Insurance Academy is providing training facilities and professional education to those engaged in insurance business in the country. The syllabus, curriculum and training programs of the academy need to be modified to meet the modern needs of the insurance industry.
- To regain and maintain a positive public image the insurance companies should overcome the dissatisfaction in regards to services and claim settlements and should maintain a service standard.
- The collected premium should be invested in large and beneficial sectors so that insurance companies can return their clients expected return in timely.
- Government should have a regulatory body for the surveillance on insurance companies so that they must perform their business maintaining the ethical issues properly.
- Insurance companies need to modify their recruitment strategies with increased focus on the marketing and sales training because, insurance being a service marketing industry it requires special attention.
- In response to the opportunity of growing market the insurance companies can expand their target market by identifying and providing responsive services. In order to do so each company should established and effectively operate research and development department.
