The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has taken a giant stride towards improving its customer service by unveiling a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 9 at Thandanani Offices in Carlswald was led by Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, and Deputy Minister of Transport, Lisa Mangcu, alongside RAF CEO, Collins Letsoalo.
The fund aims to improve service delivery for crash victims and fulfil its constitutional mandate of administering claims to those affected by crashes on the road.
Chikunga acknowledged the RAF’s previous challenges in fulfilling its mandate.
However, the fund is committed to resolving claims more quickly and efficiently to change its reputation.
“We are pleased with the transformational initiative that the RAF is undertaking to address the challenges faced by the claimants. The introduction of the customer relationship management solution signals a crucial strategic intent of the RAF to place claimants at the centre of our transformation journey,” said Chikunga.
The fund aims to create a system that ensures swift and fair resolution for road accident victims and their families, and also to finalise claims within three months, in line with its theme of 2023 being ‘The Year of the Claimant’.
Letsoalo emphasised that claimants should know their rights when seeking assistance from attorneys as the new centre will also curb the abuse of the fund and claimants by unscrupulous lawyers.
“The new system enables people to call the RAF to inquire about their claim, and the RAF will call them back. Claimants must be aware of the amount of money paid to them, as lawyers sometimes take the money without informing them,” Letsoalo explained.
“I think lawyers are going to hate this. We understand why they will hate this because if they attempt to take more than they are supposed to take from the claims and if they do not give the party-to-party costs back to the claimant.”
Mangcu added that the CRM would empower claimants to take control of the claims process without the need for an attorney or a middle person.
The RAF will centralise all customer interactions, regardless of the channel used by claimants or stakeholders.
Resident, Louwrence Melito applauded the system and urged South Africans to drive responsibly.
“Thank you, minister. This could not have come from anywhere else but your department. To our fellow South Africans, let us all exercise responsible driving habits, and regard for our fellow road users.”
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