Digital Life Insurance and One Touch Connection Sounds Simple…Is It?
If you read Celent’s 2021 Annual CIO Survey Results on Pressures and Priorities, based on the tumultuous year that was 2020, the results were no surprise. Of the top 4 priorities, digital acceleration, process optimization and innovation are the key factors that insurance carriers have either relied on in the past year or scrambled (or are scrambling) to put in place to keep up with the ever changing landscape of customer acquisition and retention.
Our customers have come to us for advice on how to move forward with their priorities, including other areas of their organization where they aren’t already using one of our solutions to look at ways to accelerate their plans. Others are reaching out for the first time as they grapple with their priorities, inefficient processes and stagnant, or in some cases backwards, growth in the last year.
With all the recommended 2021 priorities, how does one get them all accomplished, or even started? It all sounds so easy. Go digital, low touch, optimize automation, provide stellar service. Choose a product and welcome to the world of enhanced illustrations, digital applications, accelerated underwriting, innovative ways to engage with your customer and so much more!
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Maybe you’re one of the lucky few who went speeding out of the gate with no issues and are ahead of the pack. Perhaps you’re stuck in first gear or the clutch has worn out from too many failed attempts (Can you tell the Formula One season has started?)
What are your major speedbumps to acceleration? Many have experienced issues with internal human capital, fear of change, and the knowledge gap in doing something differently or using a new technology. This is a significant hurdle that affects many insurers today. They are watching the ticking clock and seeing their organization knowledge draw closer and closer to retirement. What happens when tribal knowledge is lost? Investing in the time to educate and include your teams in your transformation journey will be as significant as the journey itself and cannot be underestimated.
Your internal IT staff, your underwriters, your CSRs and even your agents all have different perspectives and understanding about how to make the customer experience better for both themselves and the customers, but few know how to actualize their ideas. This is undoubtedly another speed bump you will encounter along the way. Agents want digital optimization through easier and better tools to support quoting, illustrations, electronic applications and status updates to enhance theirs and their customer experience – especially if you want them to write your business. Internal staff need and want process automation in core solutions to help manage workload. Executive management wants to find new and innovative ways to grow the business and improve their bottom line with innovative products and processes.
While the world of digital and one touch connection sounds simple… is it really? Navigating priorities and needs from front office to back office, from legacy core system transformation to add-on accelerated solutions has created a complex sense of urgency and fear of falling too far behind. Choosing a system vendor based on flashy quick start promises and shiny implementation timelines is most likely just selling you a lemon. Something you’ll be begging to trade in when your digital acceleration is anything but.
An end-to-end solution provider with years of experience in the industry, one who understands your specific goals, but more importantly can help you navigate the transformation journey will get you where you need to be. A team (dare I say, pit crew) to work with you to help you make the moves you need, in an order that benefits all, should be your top priority. From point of sale through to claims, the right solution provider will have experience, the vision and the people to help your team navigate the road ahead.
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Jennifer Smith Jennifer is Sapiens VP of Life Product Strategy, responsible for the direction and roadmap of Sapiens digital suite of core solutions and eco-partners that support L&A insurers in the North American market. She started her career working for a large life carrier for several years and then moved into the software side. Jennifer held positions, prior to Sapiens, at EDS SOLCORP (now DXC Technology), SunGard, and Majesco, focusing on life insurance systems transformations and business process optimization for nearly 25 years.