Intogreat Insurance Academy

The recently inaugurated Intogreat Insurance Academy is a training and coaching initiative that aims to help our team members to achieve success in their roles, whether in insurance back-office outsourcing or insurance support services.

Because Intogreat values its people, the academy has crystal clear intentions:

• To equip our staff with the knowledge and skills they need in their armoury to perform their jobs effectively.
• To improve performance across the board.
• To empower our team members, thus enabling them to add more value for their clients.
• To identify their potential for development and growth.

We spoke to Rhum Sabana, the Intogreat Insurance Academy coach, about the scheme, his role, the importance of training, whether insurance is a good fit for offshoring, and more.

He said of the scheme’s aims: “I hope to develop people to a point where they know and understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. It will help them to go beyond what they were initially able to provide and thus add value for our customers.”

At I2G, we understand that many of the skills used to support other regions of the world are transferrable by addressing the gaps in terminologies and technologies, which is why the Intogreat Academy has developed a series of modules that will fill those gaps to ensure our talent is successful. So keen are we to share this knowledge and improve our insurance support services, that team members can be enrolled (as long as the client approves) on the first day they join Intogreat.



Rhum has some words of wisdom for those working in insurance back-office outsourcing who are embarking on the training course: “My advice would be that they should be willing to read and learn because the interpretation of how a policy works requires a good understanding of its wording.” He adds: “They must approach it with a thirst for knowledge and I am sure it will open a whole new world for them.”

Intogreat’s goal with the academy is the support of operations and helping our team members to improve their performance. It will do this by initiating a series of activities to identify opportunities and plan the training and time required.

It is not only rewarding for Intogreat’s insurance back-office outsourcing and insurance support services staff. As Rhum says when he refers to what he gains from his role: “The most satisfying things are meeting new people and completing the course and knowing that people have improved.”

To make use of Rhum’s insurance expertise, team leaders can simply reach out to the academy to seek assistance in addressing skills-related issues.

But why did he move into training in the first place?

“Even as a service manager, team lead, or operations stream lead, I have always advocated for people’s development. I often create PowerPoint modules for my team to impart knowledge. By moving into training, I am able to accomplish more with my advocacy and the opportunity to facilitate a class and meet new people always feels amazing.”

However, it hasn’t always been a smooth path to success. As Rhum reminisces: “The best and worst aspects when I was starting out were the initial points of discovery. Everything seems new. You learn to appreciate the new information but at the same time you feel overwhelmed because it seems like you are trying to claw your way around things,” he says. “That is why, when you complete a finished product it is both a celebration and a feeling of relief.”

Intogreat’s ethos is to nurture our talents and facilitate business growth among our clients. By increasing the team member’s skills, our clients can focus on managing their customers, safe in the knowledge that their insurance support services staff are on the ball.

The Insurance Academy conducts training needs analysis and tracks the current skills of the team members to identify which courses they can take to improve their abilities. A calendar of courses is sent out to, for example, insurance back-office outsourcing team members. With the help of their respective team managers, they can communicate their interest and take their places on the training modules.



Rhum explains the dangers of people “not going beyond the processing part and stagnating.” People who don’t tune up their skills run the risk of insurance support services being performed automatically or being replaced by robots.

Intogreat offers three courses:

Insurance Course

Also known as the “Bridging Course,” is a module that usually lasts for three and a half days, covering a wide range of topics to bridge the gaps between Australian insurance knowledge and insurance knowledge gained elsewhere. It is designed to equip team members to be successful in their roles in areas such as insurance back-office outsourcing or insurance support services.

Performance Course

Also known as the “Targeted Course,” is a brief tutorial designed specifically for staff to address certain skills issues in the performance of their roles.

Development Course

Is an initiative whereby people can express their interest in attending classes on specific dates which are designed to provide additional skills for existing staff.

Who can be enrolled in the academy?

After securing the agreement of the client, staff who have been hired without an Australian insurance background; existing staff who are deemed to benefit from the course; and existing staff with skills issues.

How much does the Intogreat Skill Bridging Program cost?

The Intogreat Skill Bridging Program is provided to clients and staff at no additional fee. However, the salary cost and Intogreat management fee for the employment of the staff member is charged to the client from the staff member’s first day of hire, including the period when they are taking the Intogreat Skill Bridging Program.

How can I be certain that my staff won't leave after we have invested so much time train them?

We have staff without Australian experience agree to training bonds to signify their commitment to their roles for a period of at least 12 months.

Is insurance a good fit for offshoring? And, if so, why?

Rhum replies: “Definitely but companies should be willing to invest in providing training or learning materials to develop the insurance team members. Otherwise, they will simply end up doing their jobs without having a solid understanding of why they are doing them.”

More about Rhum Sabana

• He has 14 years’ professional experience, with eight years in the insurance space.
• Rhum spent a year in Australia, learning the ins and outs of Australian insurance through on-the-job channels and completing a course: the FNS41415 Certificate IV in General Insurance.