Manulife Japan Achieves Highest 'Three-Star' Rating in HDI Benchmarking for 10 Consecutive Years

Manulife Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (Representative Director, President and CEO: Ryan Charland, Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter 'Manulife Japan') has received the highest 'Three-Star' rating in both the call center (customer service) and support desk (insurance agency service) categories of the 'HDI Benchmarking' conducted by HDI-Japan. This marks the 10th consecutive year for the customer call center and the 7th consecutive year for the support desk serving insurance agencies. In this rating, both departments received high evaluations, exceeding the average scores of the financial industry, including other life insurance companies. The HDI Benchmarking is a customer service evaluation provided by HDI (Help Desk Institute), the world's largest support service industry association. Based on international standards set by HDI, auditors evaluate five categories from a customer's perspective: 'Service System,' 'Communication,' 'Response Skills,' 'Process/Handling Procedures,' and 'Difficult Responses.' At Manulife Japan, under the philosophy of 'Customer Centricity,' the company values personalized responses for each customer. In this evaluation, the call center was highly praised for 'providing a sense of security by empathizing with the customer's situation and feelings' and 'actively providing valuable information with a positive and cooperative attitude.' The support desk was also recognized for 'creating an atmosphere where customers can ask questions with peace of mind through a calm, easy-to-hear tone and smooth tempo' and 'responding efficiently to multiple inquiries in an orderly manner, providing accurate and precise information.' The company is continuously improving procedures to enhance customer experience, focusing on clarity and convenience. For example, the 'Easy Benefit Claim' service is currently used for over 60% of the company's insurance and benefit claim procedures. In March 2026, new features will be introduced, including AI-OCR for document identification and deficiency detection, and a navigation function that allows customers to complete procedures simply by answering questions, realizing even smoother claim processing. Furthermore, in addition to chatbots, voice bots, and LiveChat, the company is utilizing AI assistants for call centers and dashboards that visualize call trends. By doing so, the company is strengthening a system that responds quickly to simple inquiries using digital resources while optimally allocating human resources for consultations tailored to each customer's situation. These efforts have led to high evaluations of response skills and processes. Manulife Japan remains committed to listening sincerely to customer feedback and combining the power of people and technology to provide services that are easier to understand and use with peace of mind. The company will continue to support customers in making 'informed choices' based on appropriate information for their future financial security.