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10 trends Insurtech 2017

The author of the material presents a list of 10 Insurtech trends that could have a significant impact on the development of digital insurance in 2017.

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Most of these materials focus on the latest technologies at the time of their writing, the hottest technologies and applications, but a year later it turns out that these projects hardly manage to “take off” and therefore they cannot truly be called “trends”. To define the phenomenon as a key trend of innovation and novelty alone is not enough. It should be widely disseminated in practice. For this reason, the author decided to choose a different approach to determining trends, with the result that the list below is unlike many others.
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The author serves as a consultant to several major insurance companies, speaking at conferences and attending various meetings, and meets with the leaders of the insurance industry on a daily basis. As a result, the author has a fairly reliable idea of ​​what topics are on the agenda of top insurance companies, how fast certain changes will occur in the industry and ultimately, which Insurtech solutions have greater potential to fit into their plans. This in-depth knowledge served as the basis for the list of “10 Insurtech 2017 trends,” including some of the wonderful examples of insurance technologies announced at the previous international forum DIA 2016 .

Trend number 1


Mass optimization of insurance payment mechanisms, operational processes and approaches to attract new customers


Of course, this trend can already be called one of the main ones, but in 2017 its significance will grow even more. Only a few insurers can boast a combined ratio close to 100 or more. The digitization of current processes is absolutely essential to succeed in operations and reduce costs. The digital transformation of insurance companies began in 2015, really gained momentum in 2016 and will become mainstream by 2017 afterwards. Almost every self-respecting player of the market, regardless of its size, will continue to look for ways to increase operational efficiency for all items of expenses: insurance indemnities, operating expenses and costs for attracting customers. The volume of investments and the demand for new technologies for these segments will grow even more. The number of companies supplying relevant technologies will also increase.

Outshared 's CynoClaim solution allows you to handle more than 50% of all insurance payments automatically, thereby reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. The results of the first real cases: cost savings - up to 50%, growth in customer satisfaction - by 40%. Implementation of the solution takes 6–9 months, regardless of whether it is developed from scratch or migration from the old system takes place - an indicator quite impressive for the insurance industry.


Trend # 2


New aspect of digital transformations: innovations aimed at increasing customer interest


Ultimately, digital processes and cost reduction services - the basic requirements for the insurance industry. Only they are simply not enough to keep abreast of all consumer habits, new market mechanisms and growing competition. Never in history has an insurer ever succeeded in turning successful operations into a long-term advantage or in order to seriously change the balance of power in the market. More and more players are starting to understand that working to increase customer interest in services is the next level of digital transformation. Drawing an analogy, we can say that insurance companies need not just a new lipstick or rhinoplasty, but a complete rethinking of their image. Innovations in attracting customers include not just the desire to improve their impression of the company, but also the creation of product-oriented products, new value-added services and business models.

Amodo plays the role of a link between insurance companies and a new generation of customers - active users of advanced devices. Using the Amodo toolkit, insurance companies can take full advantage of digital channels and Internet devices, such as smartphones, plug-in cars, and wearable gadgets to acquire and attract new customers.

Amodo collects data from smartphones and other Internet devices to build a holistic client profile, allowing you to get better and more reliable information about the owner’s exposure to certain risks and his needs for certain products of the company. Analysis of risk reduction programs, individual pricing, personalized and on-demand products help to increase customer loyalty and improve the quality of life.

Trend number 3


The new level of data analysis technologies and AI will truly unleash the full potential of the Internet of things


Many insurance companies in the past few years have launched their own initiatives in the field of the Internet of things. In particular, the use of such technology in auto insurance has already become mainstream, and Italy is leading in this segment. In the field of home insurance there is a lag, but in life insurance or health insurance, things are even worse. Pilot projects and experiments showed insurers that they lack certain skills to cope with the management of data obtained from many new channels. The point is not only to cope with the volume or new types of information, but also to learn how to extract qualitatively new and useful knowledge about the client from them and turn this knowledge into actual, vivid and valuable customer interest. . Insurtech companies that develop advanced analytical tools, machine learning and artificial intelligence, have all the means to unlock the potential of the Internet of things.

The winner of the 2016 DIAmond Award, the BigML company, has created a machine learning platform that allows any company, young and old, to access advanced analytics at very affordable prices. Clients do not need to be doctors of science to use time-tested and scalable platform algorithms thanks to an intuitive web-based interface and end-to-end automation.


Trend number 4


Response to safety concerns


For many clients, the topic of big data is inextricably associated with Big Brother, and therefore insurance companies, leading the processing of personal data, are not accustomed to counting on the fact that customers trust them immediately and without any questions. Of course, such a position is easy to understand. Most insurers' data processing initiatives are driven by their desire to make more accurate pricing and reduce risk, that is, in the end, it’s still the same cost reduction. Be that as it may, the benefits of these initiatives from the perspective of the client does not justify his trust and risk of compromising personal data, because in return he receives perhaps an extra chance to lower the amount of insurance premiums.

In order to truly experience all the benefits of the era of Internet devices and access to large data, which it opens up, players of the insurance market need to seriously tackle concerns about the integrity and integrity of customers' personal data. On the one hand, they need to learn to give more than they take, that is, to increase the value of services so that they justify the use of personal data. On the other hand, it is necessary to create conditions and encourage customers to carefully and responsibly treat their own data management, because in the end, it is customers who are most interested in maintaining confidentiality. In this regard, we can expect the growth of Insurtech-providers that help insurance companies cope with the problems of protecting personal data.

Another 2016 DIAmond Award winner, Traity , allows consumers to create and manage their own online reputation. The company uses all sorts of new data sources, such as Facebook, Airbnb and LinkedIn, to help consumers create their own online passport, confirming that they can be trusted. Among the partners of Traity is the Munich-based firm DAS, which insures the costs of legal assistance.


Trend # 5


Contextual pull platforms


The markets have changed: the so-called push-model, in which the supplier company takes the first step to offer products and services, has replaced the pull-model when the customers themselves have initiated the interaction. Nonetheless, most insurance companies have made almost no adjustments to their own customer engagement strategies and operating mechanisms. In 2017, innovations in customer engagement will lead to the transition to pull platforms. The push model often does not allow customers to choose their own products. A pull-approach, on the contrary, implies an understanding and response to the need behind one or another insurance decision and a keen awareness of the context.

Often, sitting in the office of insurance agents, customers do not think about the risks. Insurance companies should be present in the context of everyday life, certain life events and decisions, and offer new services on top of traditional products. Insurtech companies that offer platforms or access to these broader contexts and ecosystems help insurance companies much more participate in customer lives, be part of the ecosystem, and offer them much more added value.

VitalHealth Software, one of the companies founded by Mayo Clinic, has developed a number of e-health solutions designed specifically to help people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Solution features include all types of remote services for patients, insurance companies, and medical organizations, and support for disease surveillance protocols. The software assumes high-quality integration with medical records. VitalHealth Software is used by insurance companies that want to improve medical services and reduce costs. Among them, OSDE, the largest health insurer in Argentina and Chunyu Yisheng Mobile Health, is the fastest growing pioneer of the digital health care market in China, with a customer base of 100 million people and activities closely related to the People’s Insurance Company of China.

Trend number 6


The market model will find its way to the insurance industry.


We are already seeing how the market model appeared in the banking sector, and pretty soon this will happen in insurance. Almost all insurance companies offer a set of their own products. All of them are developed within organizations. At the same time, more and more players are beginning to understand that it is impossible to be the best in everything, and there are too few available resources to keep up with each new development or meet the requirements of each individual segment. According to the market model, insurance companies will, in fact, provide their customers with access to the services of third-party companies offering the best products in this segment, the highest quality service and the lowest prices. This business model is beneficial to both parties. Customers get uninterrupted access to the best products and services on the market. A market owner can keep costs as low as possible by instantly reacting to changes in demand or developments in the market, interrupting or resuming communication between a client and a third-party company in near real time. This year we will see all sorts of partnerships between Insurtech companies and insurance market players that fit into the concept of a market model.

AXA has joined forces with TrĹŤv, the 2016 DIAmond Award winner, who has received many accolades, in order to focus on providing insurance services to the UK millennials. TrĹŤv offers home insurance services with an individual approach, which is achieved by taking into account individual key elements of the insured objects instead of the traditional average template approach.


Trend # 7


Open architecture


The emergence of a new ecosystem is noticeable. Some of its participants (as a rule, essentially suppliers of Internet devices) collect data, others - develop new profitable offers based on them. Insurance companies will have to raise cooperation with other ecosystem participants to an even higher level. Any player wishing to take advantage of these opportunities constructively must understand that now it’s not only the effective and efficient organization of business processes, but also the search for simple options to simplify the interactions between, as a rule, very different users who are somehow forced to work with each other. .

Here the banking sector, again, is ahead of the insurance. While writing the book Reinventing Customer Engagement. The author has talked with many heads of banks about digital transformations for banks and insurers. German Fidor Bank has established an open API architecture called FidorOS, which allows fintech companies to develop financial services independently on the basis of the existing legacy system. Citi representatives believe that “any financial institution that wants to avoid a rapid loss of market share needs to start working within a more open architecture.”

Omni-channel Backbase platform is based on the principles of open architecture. It maximizes the capabilities of existing insurance contract management systems and extends their functionality with a set of tools to improve the quality of service in accordance with modern requirements. This allows you to create online portals for direct interaction with consumers, integrate the best applications, and improve the quality of existing portals for agents and employees. Swiss Re, Hiscox and Legal & General are some of the insurance players using the platform.


Trend number 8


Blockchain will exit the experimental stage


When Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Banco Santander decided to leave the blockchain group R3, many perceived this event as evidence that the Blockchain technology was obviously unable to justify the hopes placed on it. In fact, the opposite is true. It is not unusual to join a consortium to accelerate the accumulation of knowledge and experience, and then leave it and apply acquired knowledge to create your own plans and gain some competitive advantage, especially in the case of such a powerful technology as blockchain. It is assumed that this scenario will not be repeated in the case of B3i - a joint initiative of AEGON, Allianz, Munich Re, Swiss Re and Zurich - since the insurance industry players are more accustomed to the practice of cooperation and the creation of new ecosystems. In addition to this, there are many cases to solve both problems, both improving operational efficiency and reducing costs, and increasing customer interest. All this is undoubtedly good news for the pioneers of Insurtech, who are developing appropriate blockchain solutions.

Everledger has set as its goal the prevention and prevention of theft and fraud in the diamond industry, causing considerable damage to it. It provides a non-retrospective registry for fixing diamond ownership and associated means of confirming transaction history for insurance companies. For tracking objects used blockchain. Everledger has entered into partnerships with various organizations one way or another connected with the gem business, including insurance companies, law enforcement agencies and certification centers around the world. Using the company's API, each partner can access information on precious stones, including police reports and insurance claims.


Trend # 9


Using algorithms as an auxiliary tool for improving the quality of consultation and customer service


Algorithms replacing people already fall into the headlines. Robotic assistance will certainly have an impact on the situation on the labor market. This phenomenon may seem attractive from the point of view of cost reduction, but in terms of customer involvement, the situation looks somewhat different. To establish communication with their customers, financial institutions need to build communication on an emotional level. Living people invest their emotions, sympathy, passion, are capable of creativity and can, if necessary, deviate from a predetermined line of conduct. Banks and insurance companies need to create similar relationships in the digital space. A large number of living employees working in financial organizations, allows you to use the best of both worlds. Already today, the first insurance companies are introducing robotic assistants who provide support to staff serving customers. This leads to an improvement in dialogue, an increase in conversion and, ultimately, an increase in the quality of the services provided from the point of view of customers.

AdviceRobo provides insurance companies with preventive solutions that use data from structured and unstructured sources and machine learning to evaluate and predict consumers' risky behavior (predicting bankruptcy, bad debt, prepayments, and customer churn). The forecasts of the system are of practical value, since they are developed individually, as applied to a single client, and are provided to the staff serving the clients during a conversation with him.

Trend # 10


Symbiosis with insurance technology companies


The relationship between insurance companies and Insurtech developers will be much more intense. All the findings in the previous nine trends make this obvious. Insurance companies will also try to learn much more from the technology partners they will finance. And the subject of interest may be either these or other opportunities or tools that the former can use to implement their projects, or the culture and way of organizing work in Insurtech companies. Already today, an increase in the number of insurance companies that have adopted the “lean startup” methodology and created accelerators and incubators to encourage innovation has been observed.

Aviva Digital Garage in London and Singapore is a great example of this approach. This place is not a laboratory of ideas for everyone, as the name suggests, but the place from which the insurance giant Aviva manages its digital business. Here, under one roof, there is a whole ecosystem of companies from MyAviva to some third-party companies funded by Aviva Ventures, creating synergistic connections between themselves at many different levels.

The 10 Insurtech threads listed here set the agenda for the insurance industry. They once again emphasize the need to establish relationships between directors of insurance companies and Insurtech leaders for the further development of the industry.

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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/402835/


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