How digital innovation in insurance drives human connection

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Due to the pandemic, many carriers have accelerated their plans to develop a digital customer experience that allows customers to meet their needs without talking to a live person. However, there are still situations where it may be important for clients to talk to someone directly. Human interaction is useful when clients need to resolve difficult situations. In addition, this type of interaction helps customers connect with agents on an emotional level, which strengthens their relationship with the business. When customers interact directly with agents, the quality of that interaction is critical.

In my latest blog series, I talked about what’s in store for insurance companies that want to add value by improving the customer experience. I noted that man + machine approach is an important feature of tomorrow’s customer interaction. By reviewing the Reimagine Customer Experience materials for Qorus (formerly Efma) Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards this yearI wanted to highlight a few insurance companies that are using data, analytics and technology in new ways to support and improve human interaction.

Visi´Home by Allianz Partners

Alliance PartnersThe Visi´Home service expands the possibilities of virtual customer support. It is a diagnostic service that supports customers remotely by evaluating incidents that have damaged a home. It uses video to connect customers directly to a claims handler who can diagnose damage and put them in touch with the right service provider. The Allianz Partners team developed this service following the introduction of physical distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent rapid adoption of video conferencing in France in 2020.

When customers struggle with issues such as a burst pipe or a broken appliance, they may not know what the problem is or how to fix it. When you call, an experienced agent can resolve the issue immediately, eliminating the need for repair and maintenance technicians to make the initial home call to assess the situation. They are also better prepared to find the right repair technician and leave instructions on what parts or tools they will need to do the job. This ultimately saves a lot of time, money, and even emissions, as repair technicians only have to make one trip—no need to go back twice to get the part in the store.

Visi´Home brings the insurance company closer to its customers and helps them provide personalized services when they need it most. Providing operational support positions the operator as a trusted friend, which ultimately promotes loyalty and trust.

I see this type of innovation preparing the insurance industry for the transition from connected customer service to embedded customer service. Our recent report Technology Vision 2022talks in detail about the application of augmented reality (AR) in our daily lives and in the customer experience of the future.

One augmented reality application discussed in Tech Vision is the concept of using mobile devices, or (eventually) IoT-connected glasses, to overlay information such as driving directions, restaurant reviews, or packaged food ingredients over the physical environment. Visi´Home is a promising precursor to this type of technology. Although the service currently uses video calls to connect customers with agents, this type of product could easily turn into AR. For example, diagnostics can be performed using artificial intelligence, and agents can “point” through a virtual overlay as they give real-time instructions on a customer’s device.

FWD Care by FWD Group

FORWARDThe company’s healthcare innovations successfully combine technology and human connection. The FWD Care program provides clients dealing with illness, death, or loss of a loved one with a dedicated nurse. Once a critical event application is approved, clients are connected to a nurse who treats them full-time for up to six months at no additional charge. The nurse is trained to handle the medical and administrative issues that the client may have and to be a source of emotional support in times of need. In addition to this service, the program connects clients to other resources.

FWD focuses on deeply meaningful human interactions as a key differentiator. While each person going through a life crisis, such as a major illness or loss, needs emotional support, each individual client has different resource needs. In order to ensure personalization, FWD has established a service network to meet the various needs of customers. They provide a wide range of resources—both virtual and in-person—including transportation to doctor appointments, consultations, and even legal advice.

As the industry shifts to automated customer interaction solutions, it is important for telecom operators to assess where human touch has the most impact and work to maintain or expand the use of human agents in this area. For FWD, this way of investing in their customers provides a high ROI. The program achieved an overall customer satisfaction rate of 99.7% in Hong Kong and Thailand where it was piloted, resulting in increased customer loyalty and retention.

In accordance with new research from Salesforce73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. 94% of customers say that a good experience increases the likelihood of a repeat purchase. three percentage points from 2020.. Finally, 96% of customers say great service is trustworthy. Strategic delivery of care to people can help clients feel that they are important to insurers and that their insurance company is truly ready to help them through life’s most difficult situations.

AI meeting platform by Ping An Insurance

When it comes to internal processes, technology solutions can be implemented to empower human agent teams to deliver the exceptional experiences that customers need and expect. Chinese insurance company Ping An, developed the AI Meeting platform to improve communication between sales agents and customers. The platform allows agents to easily access customer data as well as relevant information resources so they can provide customized offers and support materials in real time. Ping An calls it online and offline interaction that gives customers the benefits of face-to-face communication, as well as data-driven sales efficiency and the convenience of remote meetings.

The platform makes it much easier for salespeople to train and meet with them so they can focus on meaningful conversations. For example, the solution’s built-in companion bot helps salespeople avoid using sensitive words in real time, ensuring agents convey the right message and avoid misleading sales.

The platform also includes a virtual reality (VR) conference room, the first of its kind in the industry. This virtual reality experience allows members of the sales team to greet customers even if they are meeting remotely. With this added flexibility, Ping An is able to serve more customers in more regions. Agents have been able to adjust to the changes in face-to-face communication brought about by the pandemic through enhanced virtual experiences.

Instead of fully automating the sales process, Ping An augmented its online sales process with tools that could provide what the face-to-face experience had previously offered, namely communication. They have further enhanced this experience with AI innovations that make it easier for merchants to meet customers where they are, while delivering the benefits of the personalization technology that today’s customers are used to.

Ensuring human-machine interaction

These examples are indicative of a wave of innovation in the insurance industry to improve technologies that improve interactions between people, rather than completely replacing them. Going forward, carriers will need to develop a data collection and decision-making strategy to determine where customers need and expect self-service, and where they prefer to interact with a live person.

The innovations discussed above also require people to deliver services at higher levels of empathy and competence. Carriers will need to develop training and coaching programs, many of which will increasingly rely on AI, and perhaps change their organizational culture to provide empathy and expertise that will stand out among customers.

If you are interested in discussing this issue further, please feel free to contact me.

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