NAGICO’S offices in Philipsburg have been a work in progress over the last nine months, as the company completed several building upgrades including indoor expansion and external signage and recently embarked on the final phase of the upgrade project which will see the integration of the final portion of floor space on the third floor vacated by a tenant last year.
NAGICO now occupies three-quarters of the office space in the NAGICO building on Cannegieter Street, having acquired all the sections with the exception of the Gibson Law offices.
Customers have already benefitted from improved customer service areas on the first floor which entailed the expansion of NAGICO’s claims department into the area formerly occupied by TELEM. This phase of the physical work was completed last November and the space was opened to the public with customer friendly service counters in spacious surroundings and a meeting area for private client consultation.
The Medical Department moved to the first floor in a bid to make it more accessible to the general public and facilitate the walk-in traffic which previously needed to go to the second floor to do business. The Front Office or general Customer Service section remains on the first floor and this signals a consolidation of all the customer specific business areas to a more convenient location for clients. This convenience is even more enhanced by the addition of marked parking spaces for NAGICO customers, available on a "first-come-first-served" basis.
The physical expansion of departments also continued on the second floor, as a result, the NAGICO Agency Department which focuses on support for its agents in St. Maarten and across the Caribbean has been able to improve its functionality and accommodate new staff to make its service more efficient. On the third floor, the Executive Team has had their work spaces improved with the creation of an Executive wing which will also see the addition of another conference room and more offices.
The outdoor signage has also systematically received a face lift during this period, with larger and more modern corporate signage now identifying NAGICO, including an emphasis on the brand marks such as the umbrella which has made the building façade more attractive.
Prompted by the departure of TELEM, these changes to the office layout have enabled NAGICO to put a short term plan in place for the comfort of staff and customers. As a result, even though the new building is still going to be built, it now forms a part of a longer term plan. CEO McSood Amjad explained, "NAGICO will definitely begin work on the building in the future but we have also taken the current economic situation into account and intend to ensure that NAGICO maintains its practice of prudent budgetary and financial strategies which has enabled the company to weather tropical or economic storms in good standing. We expect construction to start by the end of next year or early 2011."