Europ Assistance celebrates 30th anniversary in China
Pascal Baumgarten delivers a speech as the company celebrates its 30-year anniversary in China.
Europ Assistance, a France-based company with businesses covering travel insurance, assistance, health management and other travel services, plans to increase investment in technological innovation in 2019 with pilot programs conducted, it announced as while celebrating its 30-year anniversary in China.
The travel assistance giant is developing a multichannel approach, such as mobile assistance apps and a virtual assistance agent as a leader in digital roadside assistance globally.
The company has been in a pilot with other partners on its Caring Card service, using its global service network and 39 service platforms across the globe to ensure travelers are protected whenever they travel.
Its Medical Network Advisor (MNA) program has been developed in pilot with partners, allowing people who choose Europ Assistance services and have the need to seek medical consultancy to check the EA partnered medical institutions list based on their geo-locations in over 200 countries and jurisdictions.
"There are higher expectations in China in terms of digital tools than in other countries," said Pascal Baumgarten, CEO of the company's Northern and Eastern Europe, Asia and South Africa regions. "China is one of the most innovative countries, and customers expect to connect with us digitally."
"We want to provide access with lots of digital tools, and it's a good thing because it pushes us to be more innovative."
Europ Assistance assisted more than 1.217 million travelers worldwide last year, and its network has connected 750,000 care providers with partners including banks, insurers, credit card companies, airlines, brokers and online travel agents.
The number of clients the company served in the China market last year doubled the figure a year earlier, according to Baumgarten.
"The China market is big and growing, and it has huge potential," he said.
The service percentage of the company globally is 40 percent travel, 40 percent roadside assistance and 20 percent personal assistance, covering health, niche services, and a few other things around roadside assistance.
