1. Make sure you pack car friendly games and plenty of CDs! A pack of cards or UNO cards can keep everyone entertained for hours.
2. Your iPad is a boredom buster of note – there are thousands of free apps to download that are educational and fun, especially for kids. Visit the app store on your iPad and simply search for “kids apps”.
3. Play some old school games of “I Spy” and the number-plate game if all else fails!

Click here for road safety and home safety tips over the holidays.

Here are our top 3 tips for keeping safe on the roads this Easter weekend:

1. Check that your car is in roadworthy condition before leaving on holiday! i.e. check your tyre pressure; repair any windscreen chips; and make sure your windscreen wipers, brakes, lights and indicators work properly
2. Do not speed! Drive slowly – arriving safe should be your number one priority
3. Do not drink and drive! Never drive while under the influence – the risk is not worth it

Lock up

Don’t forget to get your home ready for the holidays too:

1. Make sure that your home contents insurance policy is updated to include any new items you bought since Christmas
2. Switch the geyser off, unplug all electrical appliances, close all windows, check that your alarm is in working condition and remember to set it when you leave the house
3. If you’re going away for a long time, have a friend or neighbour check on your house weekly to make sure that all is okay (and to water the plants)!

Click here for our latest ADT discounts deal exclusive to MiWay clients!

MiWay call centre hours over Easter

Please note that our call centre will be closed over the Easter holidays, including Saturday, 7 April. It’s business as usual on Tuesday, 10 April!

Our online self-service portal, MiXpress, will be available for you should you need to submit a claim online or make changes to your policy.

Click here for more info on MiXpress.

Here are some helpful phone numbers:

CSA CEO Gerald Majola said he was delight to welcome MiWay to the South African cricket family. “The initial sponsorship period is for this season only,” he commented, “but we will be aiming to sign a long-term deal with this particular product during the off-season.

“The MiWay T20 Challenge always attracts huge public interest and support and has a habit of going right down to the wire as the franchises battle for the prize of competing in the Nokia Champions’ League at the start of next season.

“All six our franchises have qualified for the Champions’ League in its brief history which shows just how competitive the MiWay T20 Challenge is going to be. And there are still places up for grabs in the Proteas’ squad to be selected for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka later this year.”

The quality of this year’s competition is reflected by the outstanding internationals on display such as Paul Collingwood (England), Brad Hogg (Australia) and Chris Gayle (West Indies). In addition those Proteas not involved in the Test series against New Zealand will be available for the majority of matches. This includes the likes of Albie Morkel, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Richard Levi, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron.

There are also outstanding T20 specialists such as Loots Bosman, Roelof van der Merwe, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt and Herschelle Gibbs.

MiWay CEO Rene Otto commented: “We are very excited about this sponsorship opportunity – we think it’s an ideal match for MiWay as T20 offers a fun, unconventional approach to cricket, much like our brand does in the short-term insurance space.

“We love the challenge of taking on and challenging the status quo, and look forward to a thrilling T20 series!”

At MiWay we are changing the way insurance is done. By providing numerous ways to complete Insurance Quotes online or through our call centre; it is evident that we are designing our business around our customers wishes.

Use the options provided to complete an obligation-free insurance quote and start saving today!

At MiWay we are changing the way insurance is done. By providing numerous ways to complete Insurance Quotes online or through our call centre; it is evident that we are designing our business around our customers wishes.

Use the options provided to complete an obligation-free insurance quote and start saving today!

At MiWay we are changing the way insurance is done. By providing numerous ways to complete Insurance Quotes online or through our call centre; it is evident that we are designing our business around our customers wishes.

Use the options provided to complete an obligation-free insurance quote and start saving today!

At MiWay we are changing the way insurance is done. By providing numerous ways to complete Insurance Quotes online or through our call centre; it is evident that we are designing our business around our customers wishes.

Use the options provided to complete an obligation-free insurance quote and start saving today!

But nothing much has changed back at MiWay – they are simply maintaining their unwavering focus on the one area that has brought the company this far: service excellence.

Awesome service is our focus
With its fourth birthday looming in early 2012, René Otto, CEO of MiWay, says the business has an exciting few months ahead. “Our future-looking strategy focuses on achieving aggressive growth and developing new ways to enhance our service offering even further. But one thing is sure: we won’t change the principles of offering our clients awesome service and good value for money.

“Our focus on providing exceptional service to our customers underpins everything we do – it is the foundation of our business and we believe a true differentiator,” he explains.

This focus on service resulted in MiWay claiming the top spot in Ask Africa’s Orange Index for the short-term Insurance sector, an accolade that took the team by surprise – especially since they happen to be the youngest company to ever win the award.

We don’t focus on winning awards; we focus on doing the right things right – and then even better the next time round. For us, the Ask Africa Orange Index provides an independent assessment of the way our customers see us, their experience of our service levels and their feelings afterwards. We measure these internally, but it is always valuable to get an independent view,” he comments.

Our people, our asset
Otto attributes the success of the business to a particularly important asset – the MiWay team.

The fledgling insurer opened its doors to a booming South Africa in 2008, prepared to take on the giants in the fiercely competitive insurance game. A few months later, the global economy collapsed wrecking havoc.

“Our options were simple: quit, or stay and test our belief that there was a portion of the market that really wanted a transparent, service-driven insurer. We stuck to our guns and discovered that our boom-based hopes were conservative. Our business has grown faster and bigger than our initial expectations and continue to do so. But not without us having to innovate and change the traditional direct, short-term model to stay ahead of the curve,” says Otto.

Otto believes it’s not leadership’s role to put greatness into people, but to illicit it; the greatness is already there.

“All our customer experiences are ultimately dependent on the efficiency of our people and, importantly, the way in which each person approaches his or her role. Even team members that don’t directly interact with customers understand this and how their role contributes to the success of our business. Just because you don’t interact with customers does not mean you do not have an influence in their experience either through the quality of your work or through your influence on those around you. This understanding and can-do attitude has grown throughout the team resulting in a particularly high level of personal ownership,” explains Otto.

As clichéd as it may sound, Otto says the business has developed into a close-knit team.

The results speak for themselves: MiWay’s recent win of the Deloitte’s Best Company to Work For award. In fact, MiWay was announced the winner of both the Financial Services – Insurance Category and the Medium Company Category in this prestigious 2011 survey. This was MiWay’s first year of participating in the survey.

Otto says these awards will serve as motivators to work even harder at building a world-class business. “At the end of the day, it is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

The company’s fourth annual charity golfing event took place on 8 September at Blue Valley Golf Estate & Country Club in Midrand and raised R251 851.

MiWay CEO Rene Otto remembers the impact the young Johnson had on perceptions of HIV: “Nkosi touched the world with his bravery, forcing societies to look beyond their long-held views of the disease to see, in some cases for the first time, that it is not simply a sexuality issue. In fact, Nkosi demonstrated that it is not simple at all; HIV reaches beyond physical health, impacting on the way communities interact, governments intervene and people relate. Those of us who had the privilege of witnessing moments of his short life are still moved by his words 10 years on.”

Nkosi’s Haven was one of the first organisations to benefit from MiWay’s community upliftment initiatives, notes Otto. This initial involvement impressed the MiWay team with the organisation’s ability to achieve so much with limited resources.

“Nkosi’s Haven’s has changed the lives of countless people impacted by the HIV/Aids pandemic. In delivering care and support to infected mothers, their children and a growing number of Aids orphans, this organisation provides something more important: hope and dignity. We have built a close relationship with Nkosi’s Haven in the knowledge that the financial support we are able to give them, has a real impact on the lives of South Africans,” explains Otto.

Recent initiatives benefiting Nkosi’s Haven include R36 000 raised during holiday promotions at the end of 2010 and 3 000 Easter eggs donated for the enjoyment of the many children in the organisation’s care.

Nkosi’s Haven has embarked on a number of self-sustaining economic development projects to ensure its continued existence and expansion, says Gail Johnson, Nkosi’s adoptive mother and founding director of the organisation.

“We are still largely reliant on the generosity of the community to maintain our services and grow our reach into the many needy areas of the country. Like everyone else, we have been impacted by the economic downturn – not just in the financial resources available to us, but in the considerable increase of destitute people in need of our help. Without the help of partners like MiWay, we simply wouldn’t be able to reach the number of needy that we currently do,” she says.

Last year MiWay selected Special Olympics South Africa to benefit from its golf day. The R340 000 raised sponsored the attendance of six golfers at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, with R100 000 remaining to fund other expenses of Team SA.

“We would like to thank our customers, partners, staff and sponsors for their incredible generosity and support, we could not achieve so much with our annual golf days without it,” says Otto.

This year’s platinum and gold sponsors of the MiWay charity golf day included Global Golf, Transunion, Internet Solutions, Ad Outpost, Blue Label, Europ Assistance, Glasfit, AVIS Rent a Car, Great South Autobody, Tracker, Dimension Data, Danmar Autobody, SMD, Altech Netstar and PWC.

Now in its 12th year, the Deloitte Best Company to Work For Survey assesses employee perceptions of Southern African companies as employers of choice, and ranks these organisations accordingly. It not only highlights the most desirable employers, but also provides a mechanism that companies can use to benchmark themselves against their peers and competitors in the Southern African employment market.

This is the first year that MiWay has participated in the survey, and surprised many long-time participants with its two inaugural wins.

René Otto, MiWay CEO, says this incredible achievement is directly linked to MiWay’s carefully crafted company culture. “We’ve worked very hard to create an internal culture that promotes happiness amongst staff – because happy people perform better” Otto explains. “This culture is underpinned by our core company values – freedom, accountability, energy and attitude. We have actively fostered this culture among staff who totally buy into the company vision. In fact, I’d like to dedicate thses two awards to our passionate and hard working people.”

Added to this are extensive staff training opportunities and significant prospects for career advancement within the very fast growing company.

Since entering the market less than four years ago, MiWay has carved a niche for itself as an innovative champion of the consumer. Otto says this, combined with MiWay’s passion for its people, make MiWay a “best company to work for”.