IAG has employed an extra 400 customer-facing staff within Australia to counter COVID-19 disruption to its overseas call centres.

The recruits are being deployed across customer service, sales and claims, and include 100 people seconded from RACV resorts, clubs and retail stores. (IAG owns 70% and RACV 30% of Insurance Manufacturers of Australia, which issues policies in Victoria under the RACV Insurance brand.)

“Due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on our teams and partners around the globe, we are currently prioritising our customer service operations within Australia, which remain fully operational,” a company spokeswoman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“Our new colleagues will join us to help support our customers who’ve made claims, including those who are recovering from the recent bushfires and hailstorms.

“All our new starters have participated in virtual training and are set up to work from home as part of our focus on helping customers when they need it most.”

The Insurance Council of Australia warned last month that overseas call centres “have mostly been shut down by local authorities”.

“Australian staff are taking on this extra load, usually working from home, which means call delays may be longer than normal,” the council said.