Insurance agency plays along with memes after staff gets called out for getting name wrong thrice

It can be a little infuriating when people are unable to spell or pronounce your name right. So imagine how one Facebook user felt when an employee of an insurance agency misspelt his name three times even after being corrected.

In a post on March 5, Facebook user Teo Jian Rong shared screenshots of his conversation with a Shirley.

Shirley was following up on a call with Teo to ask if he was interested in joining IPA Advisory as a financial services consultant.

However, she addressed him as “Sian Ring”, “Sian Rong”, and “Jian Ring”.

When Teo responded, "Sian Ring, Sian Rong and Jian Ring are ready to start immediately, but I have decided to decline this offer," Shirley appeared clueless about her error.

Even after a further quip by Teo about his "3 BFFs", Shirley remained confused and said, "Not sure who are they. Able to share?"

In his post which has since garnered over 1,900 shares, Teo wrote: "Here's why insurance agencies need to re-train & upskill their agents (don't even mention about closing sales)."

He also said: "I've reached out to her and offered to provide free consultation & copywriting. Let's improve the service quality & customer success of SG's insurance industry."

In one screenshot, Teo apologised to Shirley for his "rant" as well as applauding her confidence and "hustle spirit".

It is unclear if Shirley took up Teo's offer or if she responded after that.

But what is clear was that the company did not appreciate Teo’s post — IPA Advisory has since put out a statement on its own Facebook page to address the incident. It’s also clear that the company is firmly on the side of Shirley, who was revealed to be a recruitment officer and not an insurance agent as Teo stated in his post. 

“Shirley has had the misfortune of conversing with an individual who decided to live-stream their private conversations, and probing his audience to ‘help reply’ Shirley with ingenuity,” the post read. 

“Mockery is often the result of a poverty of wit. We believe to err is human, and being kind and compassionate in return paves the foundation for success.” 

IPA Advisory also clarified that Teo has since issued an apology over the shenanigans. The company, at least, has decided to play along with the jokes that have emerged from the incident.

“…we are very heartened for the outpour of memes, unconditional love and support for Shirley,” concluded IPA Advisory, which shared some of the apparently submitted memes. 

Not to be outdone, Teo has also capitalised on his viral post by crafting a survey form for netizens to fill in their feedback and suggestions on how Singapore’s insurance agents and industry can be improved. 

"You and I had a fair share of encounters with the insurance industry/agents," Teo wrote on his survey form. 

"Insurance is something we can't do without. Therefore, rather than complain about it, why not try to improve the experience?" 

This article was first published on STOMP. Additional reporting by AsiaOne.