· Economy&Business · 19 December 2022 · T. Joana Rebelo · P. Rights Reserved

Luís Tavares

«The insurance market is constantly evolving»

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Luís Tavares is an accomplished professional with a degree in management. At 47, he holds the position of National Coordinating Director of DS SEGUROS, but in his free time he enjoys sport and the freedom to travel the world. Persistence is his business, in a market that demands constant re-adaptation to times and circumstances. Get to know a little more about DS SEGUROS and be surprised by some of the persistent misinformation of the Portuguese with regard to this area, in the following lines.

What does your role as National Coordinator Director of DS SEGUROS entail?
I developed and implemented the whole concept from scratch. I started the launch of the first agencies, of which there are currently more than 110, and I created a network support team to boost them. As National Coordinating Director, my role is to define, support and drive the strategy towards growth in turnover, in general and by agency; to define marketing and communication, and also to manage all areas of the company. We have grown by more than 50% every year.

Can you please list the values which govern the team’s conduct?
Focus on customer service, always presenting the best solution, as well as professionalism and concern. Focus on supporting the agencies so that business grows and is profitable. Professionalism in all dealings with insurance companies, which allows us to provide an excellent service to the customer, whereby DS SEGUROS is today one of the largest brokers with the majority of insurance companies in Portugal.

Were the results of the insurance brokerage company positive during the pandemic period? If so, what was the secret?
The results for the years 2020 and 2021 were, according to what was projected and the objectives we set at the beginning of each of them, a 50% growth in the turnover of our agencies. It left us very satisfied, given that the difficulties generated by the pandemic did not significantly harm the performance of the agencies, in particular, and of the company, in general. The secret was the adaptability of our professionals who, realising that the customers needed our service, continued to find different ways to be in contact with them.

What makes DS SEGUROS different from other companies in the same field?
DS SEGUROS is a company that, due to the size it has achieved, both in terms of turnover and geographical dispersion, is able to offer its customers the possibility to access the best solutions from practically all insurance companies in the market through a single broker. In practice, this allows the customer to access, speaking only with one broker, the best prices and cover on the market.

«We have grown by over 50% every year»

With the appearance of COVID-19 and the emergence of a war, are customers looking for the same today as they did four years ago?
The insurance market is constantly evolving, whether due to the passage of time or extraordinary events. Customers’ concerns and priorities change, so the demand or need for insurance also changes. Currently, but already before the pandemic and the war, the concern of families and even of companies already showed a strong tendency to insure people, whether through life insurance or through health insurance, contrasting with previous decades, when the concern of families and companies was to insure assets.

What is the most common mistake that the Portuguese make in the insurance field?
The most common mistake is due to lack of knowledge, when both families and companies are not prepared with insurance in case one of the family members is no longer able to work, due to death or disability. The same situation is reflected in small businesses, which immediately jeopardises the stability of the company. There are affordable insurances that protect the family and the company with a financial «cushion» in these situations, so that they have time to restructure. Another big mistake is, once again, due to ignorance, this time of the solutions accessible to practically all incomes that currently exist. A significant number of families have no health insurance, depending on a National Health System with serious flaws and that will not improve in the coming years, putting at risk the well-being and health care of the family.

How would you characterise the insurance sector in Portugal?
Insurance in Portugal is a mature, stable market with many growth opportunities for brokers who can interpret customer needs in the best way, as well as for those who have tools and solutions to offer to customers. This combination of factors fits precisely to what DS SEGUROS offers the market and its brokers, which is based on a strategic orientation towards business development and solutions for our brokers to satisfy their customers. This has led to the great success of DS SEGUROS, with the opening of more than 110 agencies, in about six years, and reaching hundreds of thousands of customers for our brokerage. Today, we are a leading name in the insurance market for all insurers in the market.

«A significant number of families have no health insurance»

What are the goals outlined for the company’s near future?
The goal will be to continue to implement the DS SEGUROS plan, which is to be present in each of the country’s cities and major towns, so that we can be close to the people, families and companies and so that they can benefit from our service in a convenient and easy way. So we will continue to open more branches and to increase the turnover of those that already exist, so that more and more customers can enjoy our service.
By 2023, we aim to have 150 branches in Portugal. In terms of shop turnover, we intend to grow by at least 50%.

How does DS SEGUROS change people’s lives?
People’s quality of life is strongly influenced by the disposable income they have, with regard to their monthly or annual expenses. Insurance has, both in families and in companies, a very significant weight in the annual budget, so the renegotiation of insurance, which leads families to save a good few hundred Euros per year, has a huge impact on their quality of life.
Another no less important issue is adjusting the most suitable covers to the effective needs of individuals or companies, to ensure that, if there is a «misfortune» or claim, it is covered and the family or company is compensated for the loss.

19 December 2022

T. Joana Rebelo