Cebuana Lhuillier Wins International Customer Service Awards for Second Time

Cebuana Lhuillier officers join Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO in posing with the International Service Excellence award was during the company’s Client Experience Awards. (from left to right : Rolando Dario, Regional Manager, Jose Miguel Jimenez, First Vice President and Head of Pawnshop Operations, Ergilio Ong, First Vice President and Head of Information and Communications Technology, Marissa Ancog, First Vice President and Head of Corporate Planning, Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO, Feliciano Vizcarra, Regional Manager, Vincent Gomez, Regional Manager, Joel Da Costa, Regional Manager)

Cebuana Lhuillier, the Philippines' largest microfinancial services provider, won once again the distinction of being the 'Best of the Best' at the recently concluded 2018 International Service Excellence Awards (ISEA) by the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA). The award cemented the company’s legacy as a global leader in service experience.

"To receive this award for the second time validates the positive results of our tireless efforts to continuously improve and provide only the best customer experience to every client we serve," said Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier. The well-respected Filipino businessman and philanthropist added, "On behalf of the company, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to CSIA for recognizing Cebuana Lhuillier once again as a pillar of excellence in quality customer service. We will continue to find new and innovative ways to offer products and services that are more accessible and relevant to our patrons and that adhere to international customer service standards."

CSIA Managing Director Christine Churchill noted that the winners of this year's ISEA are organizations and individuals that are committed to service excellence by using a brilliant combination of their people and cutting edge technology to enhance their client experiences.

"The 2018 awards race was absolutely outstanding! The calibre of entries and variety of industries represented were the most to date," added Churchill who is also the vice president of the International Council of Customer Service Organizations (ICCSO). "It is exciting to see the great strides these organizations and leaders are taking."

ISEA adheres to the International Customer Service Standard (ICSS), which provides a comprehensive and practical framework to assist organizations in delivering consistently high levels of service. This standard, based on the balanced scorecard methodology, reviews organizations to determine if the customer is the focus of the business and how that is supported through culture, processes, procedures, training, hiring practices, and daily actions.

It was in 2016 when Cebuana Lhuillier bagged its first "Best of the Best" award. In the same year, the company also secured its re-certified ICSS Gold status and achieved an overall average score of 8.70, the highest achieved by an organization, for the second year in a row.

Pawnshops Remain Relevant along with the Changing Times

has been an industry that is synonymous with augmenting the needs of majority of Philippine households. In a study released by Ken Research Private Ltd in April 2016, it is identified that 90% of the Philippine household subsist on less than $10 a day, making pawnshops a viable and trusted option for individuals in need of immediate cash.

With more than 17,000 pawnshop branches in the country today, pawning provides individuals with easy and accessible solutions to immediate cash needs of the common Filipino.

In spite the massive scale and the length of reach of the business, pawning is an industry that often struggles with the negative connotation that it preys on the needs of the destitute and the middle-class. There is also a connotation that pawning items is for those who are truly desperate for cash, while others worry on the safety and security of their pawned items.

Contrary to these misconceptions, Philippine pawnshops are highly professional organizations that follow strictest code of operations, based on the guidelines set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and complies the strictest requirements on corporate governance as set by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

In fact, pawnshops has become one of the biggest supporters of BSP’s program in promoting microfinancial services as a means of providing access to the poor and to micro and small entrepreneurs financial access, something that is not otherwise possible via banks and bigger financial organizations. 
Jean Henri Lhuillier, president & CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier, the country’s largest microfinancial services provider, was quick to dispel the preconceived notions that come with pawning. Lhuillier helms the lead in Cebuana Lhuillier, an organization that proudly positions itself as “a business with a social mission of financial inclusion.”

“Pawning has become instrumental in changing the lives of many Filipinos – thanks to its capability to immediately ease and assuage a financial burden. As someone who has grown with the country’s number one pawnshop brand, I have personally witnessed many success stories made possible by pawning—from a mother who sends her children to school, made possible by a few heirloom pieces; to an enterprising young man who got his first business capital by pawning. Pawning proved to be the fastest and easiest means to get access to cash – this can be traced back to the days of ancient China and even to day and age of computers and technical advancements, the value of pawning does not change or diminish, especially when it moves and evolves with the changing of the times,” Lhuillier said.

Here’s how pawnshops is evolving with the times as a means to address the common misconceptions in pawning:

• Strictest quality check for pawned items – pawnshops follow a strict guideline before they accept pawned items. Branch personnel are trained appraisers and follows strict regulations from BSP. Contrary to a common misconception that pawnshops accept stolen jewelries, pawnshop personnel are trained to work together with law enforcement agencies to prevent this from happening.
• Fast, efficient pawning process – In some pawnshops, the whole pawning process is done and over in five minutes. Pawnshops employ a dedicated lane for pawning clients and has adapted well to technology by putting modern systems in place to make sure the pawning process is easy, quick and efficient.
• Putting utmost value and care for pawned items – To ensure the safety of the pawned items, strict security process are followed – from the opening to closing of the branch, to the placement of CCTV cameras and guards stationed in place.
• Pawnshops are modern one-stop shop for microfinancial services – The pawnshop branches of today are bright, safe, air-conditioned offices that functions as a one-stop shop for its client’s microfinancial needs. For example, Cebuana Lhuillier, the largest pawnshop chain in the Philippines, is also considered as the country’s leading provider of microfinancial services. The company supports and actively campaigns the financial inclusion program of the government and has set services in place that answers the financial needs of the vast majority of Filipinos, particularly the underbanked and unbanked. 
• Exceptional customer service in place– Understanding the value of pawned items left in its care, more established pawnshops usually has its own customer service team in place to handle queries and concerns. One good example of this is Cebuana Lhuillier’s 24K Card which serves as a loyalty card, eCard and money card all at the same time.