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5 Ways to Re-Imagine the Customer-Agent Experience in Insurance for the Digital Age

Transformation & Tradition

Thursday, February 23, 2017 | 12pm ET

About us.

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We do customer experience.We’re a customer-experience agency who

partners with insurance companies. We’re

leading global digital initiatives with MetLife,

ProSight, among others, for launches that span

life, group benefits, P&C, and specialty. We use

customer data to achieve results, focusing on

increasing policy renewals, driving profitable

growth, and creating digital experiences to get

you closer to customers and allow for more self-

service.

We build stuff people love using.We start every project by studying the needs of

every group of users who’ll be involved in the

experience. Our research methodologies ensure

we uncover actionable insights based on human

behavior that are current and relevant. Those

insights help us plan an accurate trajectory for a

solution that achieves our clients’ business

goals and leaves users feeling valued. Placing

people at the heart of the process is how we

deliver results.

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W H O W E A R E W H AT W E D O

We’re social.

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facebook.com/cakeandarrow/ @cakeandarrow linkedin.com/company/cakeandarrow

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Christina Goldschmidt

Christina has 20+ years of digital experience in a wide

variety of industries, including financial services,

insurance, legal, healthcare, advertising, broadcast,

media, technology start-ups and e-commerce. She has

helped design innovative experiences and products

and integrated lean and agile methodologies into the

design process for an array of Fortune 500 Clients

including MetLife, Wolters Kluwer, American Express,

The Discovery Channel, Omnicom Media Group, and

Morgan Stanley. She is a champion for the end-user

and has expertise in interaction & visual design, user

research and testing, data visualization and mobile-

first experiences.

D I R E C T O R O F U X

Jane Lindner

Jane Lindner is a strategist who is passionate about

product and service design. She loves to develop

frameworks to align user and business needs, and

bring together technical, design and analytical

talents. She started with early ecommerce ventures in

1997 for Nickelodeon and Dick’s Sporting Goods, lead

digital strategy at Grey Global Group’s G2 and worked

with brands like Disney, Chase and Adobe. And like

any great NYC digital industry veteran, ran a NYC

start-up. For the last 8 years, Jane has focused on

areas she knows to be the only real game changers:

experience research and design for notable products

and services such as Pizza Hut, GE and MetLife.

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P R O D U C T S T R AT E G I S T

T R A N S F O R M AT I O N & T R A D I T I O N

5 Ways to Re-Imagine the Customer-Agent Experience in Insurance for the Digital Age

• Carriers are mislead that the only good experience exists in a DTC market.

• Agents and customers are both dealing with burdensome paperwork and data entry.

• The technology is broken.

• The process takes too long.

T H E P R O B L E M

The Customer-Agent Experience is Broken

35 daysaverage time it takes to complete an

insurance sale (in life)

A lack of trust between carriers, customers

and agents.

T H E E N D -T O - E N D C U S T O M E R E X P E R I E N C E P R O B L E M

C&A USER RESEARCH 2013-2017 SEATTLE, WA | PROVIDENCE, RI | CINCINNATI, OH | NYC

CENTRAL NEW JERSEY | TOKYO, JAPAN | SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA

5 tips for re-imagining the customer-agent experience

1. Know the Actors

2. Don’t Digitize Business as Usual

3. Enable Self Service

4. Focus on What You do Best

5. Let Trust Trickle Down

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AG E N DA

ONE

Know the actors.

1 3

Improving the customer-agent experience must start with user research.

Agents, employees, & customers are all

end users. Conducting ethnographic

and usability studies with all actors

involved in the customer-agent

experience will help you articulate a

vision for service design that benefits

everyone.

1 4

O N E

Know the actors.

240 producers

O U R F I R S T H A N D E X P E R I E N C E

120 consumers

60 employees

C&A USER RESEARCH 2013-2017 SEATTLE, WA | PROVIDENCE, RI | CINCINNATI, OH | NYC

CENTRAL NEW JERSEY | TOKYO, JAPAN | SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Tips for understanding the customer-agent experience.

1. Investigate everyone: Plan to conduct research with agents, customers and employees.

2. Observation first: conducting ethnographic research and contextual inquiry is better than relying on what people remember and recount.

3. Validate hypothesizes: always take your work back to users to make sure it matches their needs and to catch any misalignment.

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O N E : K n o w t h e a c t o r s

56

Assignment Increase sales, build a direct relationship with customers and turn them into enthusiasts.

• Conducted interviews with employees to get an understanding of areas for improvement.

• Observed different customer segments to understand their behavior and mindset.

• Developed and validated a working prototype over three user testing sessions.

• Launching March 2017.

C A S E S T U DY: KINDsnacks.com Redesign

CO N F I D E N T I A L

Results

USER TESTING VALIDATED THAT THE DESIGN IMPROVED BRAND PERCEPTION AND HELPED COMMUNICATE KIND’S VALUE PROPOSITION.

Fast Research Conduct right-sized research - creatively and nimbly to get

the right amount of info. We recommend conducting

multiple, additive research events per project and

leveraging specialized recruiting methods and

relationships to get hard-to-reach, high-cost targets both

inexpensively and quickly.

Rapid Prototyping Unlock the power of your team and users through design

thinking workshops to sketch a hypothesis for your

experience. Using prototyping software like Invision can help

you quickly visualize an entire experience for feedback.

User Validation Validating an experience with user testing is key. You

should not launch anything into market without running

usability sessions with all key user types. These testing

events are great for confirming your hypothesis as well as

catching any interaction and content issues.

DIY

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O N E : K n o w t h e a c t o r s

TWO

Don’t just digitize business as usual.

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Focus on user experiences. Not business processes.

You’ll be rewarded for both.

Improving a processes quality and speed are great.

But what if you could remove certain processes all

together?

Digital transformation only occurs when the focus is

customer or user centric. Otherwise there is no

compass to guide the business, marketing and IT

team priorities. And new technologies and

automation could serve obsolete functions.

2 1

T W O

Don’t just digitize business as usual.

Map customer journeysand pinpoint moments of

greatest vulnerability. How we resolve key moments of uncertainty or unease at purchase consideration—or fear after an occurrence and at claims filing—determine

the brand-customer relationship.

# 1 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Do I need to call the police?

ACCIDENT

Emotional State

Oh no! It’s late?

Yay!

DOCUMENTATION FNOL REPAIR RETURN

What details do I need to capture?

Do I really need an ambulance?

How do I get a copy of the policy report?

Will my photos be good enough for an estimate?

Do I record the witness statements, too?

Whose insurance do I call and when?

What other info will I need to know?

How do I do this right the first time?

Is the repair shop reputable?

How long will it take?

How much will it cost me?

How do I return my rental car?

When do I pick up my vehicle?

What if I’m not happy with the repairs?

Claims Customer Journey

Design solutions that give users transparency and control.

When the burden of complexity is transferred to the software, business and underwriting rules are

simplified to accurate, real-time interactions.

Customers and agents will be more confident with their decisions. And more trusting.

# 2 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Coverage amount age-based rule guidance and validation in plan configuration.It prevent errors which ensures no coverage NIGOs for even the newest agents.

Whole Life Medical Insurance120 Day HospitalizationSpecial Provision, Premium Exemption

Challenge irrational or legacy business rules. Remove or automate

required interactions for users. Compliance requirements are generally the benchmark for the type of business requirements to be accepted*.

All others need vigorous vetting. Less fields, forms and workflows. Automating inputs or lookups is critical.

*even compliance requirements have to be interpreted properly as to what is “really” required.

# 3 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Useless fields. If a code must be pass to identify user type, promotion or channel, it must be automated. There are many other examples of useless fields.

Automatic lookup saves the consumer time in finding their license and auto VIN while confirming a check that will have to be made regardless.

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Assignment Create the agent-customer experience that transforms the front-office process to increase satisfaction and reduce NIGOs.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife E-Mirai

C&A INSURANCE AGENT - USER RESEARCH SUBJECT TOKYO, JAPAN

Most insurance sales are complex, and the forms require a lot of data entry.

It’s important for me to create the right customer plan.And for the sales process to feel seamless.

“

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Critical steps:

• Observe agents and customer behavior with plan creation and review, and application completion.

• Validate solutions for deeper collaboration in face-to-face and phone-based interactivity.

• Identify and vet requirements with SMEs and key stakeholders.

• Validate the desirability and viability of the UX with agents and customers through testing. Measure productivity and ensure the best STP.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife E-Mirai

CO N F I D E N T I A L

Results

AGENTS AND CUSTOMERS PREFERRED THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE FOR PLAN CONFIGURATION AND APPLICATION COMPLETION OVER PAPER

50%Reduced underwriting time by

further improving user experience due to reduced NIGOs and faster policies

Focus on user experiences. Not business processes.

You’ll be rewarded for both.

Improving a processes quality and speed are great.

But what if you could remove certain processes all

together?

Digital transformation only occurs when the focus is

customer or user centric. Otherwise there is no

compass to guide the business, marketing and IT

team priorities. And new technologies and

automation could serve obsolete functions.

3 3

T W O

Don’t just digitize business as usual.

Prioritize UX

1. Map customer journeysand pinpoint moments of greatest vulnerability.

2. Design solutions that give users transparency and control.

3. Challenge irrational or legacy business rules. Remove or automate required interactions for users.

3 4

T W O : D o n ’ t J u s t D i g i t i z e B u s i n e s s a s U s u a l

Map customer journeysand pinpoint moments of

greatest vulnerability. How we resolve key moments of uncertainty or unease at purchase consideration—or fear after an occurrence and at claims filing—determine

the brand-customer relationship.

# 1 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Do I need to call the police?

ACCIDENT

Emotional State

Oh no! It’s late?

Yay!

DOCUMENTATION FNOL REPAIR RETURN

What details do I need to capture?

Do I really need an ambulance?

How do I get a copy of the policy report?

Will my photos be good enough for an estimate?

Do I record the witness statements, too?

Whose insurance do I call and when?

What other info will I need to know?

How do I do this right the first time?

Is the repair shop reputable?

How long will it take?

How much will it cost me?

How do I return my rental car?

When do I pick up my vehicle?

What if I’m not happy with the repairs?

Claims Customer Journey

Design solutions that give users transparency and control.

When the burden of complexity is transferred to the software, business and underwriting rules are

simplified to accurate, real-time interactions.

Customers and agents will be more confident with their decisions. And more trusting.

# 2 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Coverage amount age-based rule guidance and validation in plan configuration.It prevent errors which ensures no coverage NIGOs for even the newest agents.

Whole Life Medical Insurance120 Day HospitalizationSpecial Provision, Premium Exemption

Challenge irrational or legacy business rules. Remove or automate

required interactions for users. Compliance requirements are generally the benchmark for the type of business requirements to be accepted*.

All others need vigorous vetting. Less fields, forms and workflows. Automating inputs or lookups is critical.

*even compliance requirements have to be interpreted properly as to what is “really” required.

# 3 Wa y t o P r i o r i t i z e U X

Useless fields. If a code must be pass to identify user type, promotion or channel, it must be automated. There are many other examples of useless fields.

Automatic lookup saves the consumer time in finding their license and auto VIN while confirming a check that will have to be made regardless.

56

Assignment Create the agent-customer experience that transforms the front-office process to increase satisfaction and reduce NIGOs.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife E-Mirai

C&A INSURANCE AGENT - USER RESEARCH SUBJECT TOKYO, JAPAN

Most insurance sales are complex, and the forms require a lot of data entry.

It’s important for me to create the right customer plan.And for the sales process to feel seamless.

“

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Critical steps:

• Observe agents and customer behavior with plan creation and review, and application completion.

• Validate solutions for deeper collaboration in face-to-face and phone-based interactivity.

• Identify and vet requirements with SMEs and key stakeholders.

• Validate the desirability and viability of the UX with agents and customers through testing. Measure productivity and ensure the best STP.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife E-Mirai

CO N F I D E N T I A L

Results

AGENTS AND CUSTOMERS PREFERRED THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE FOR PLAN CONFIGURATION AND APPLICATION COMPLETION OVER PAPER

50%Reduced underwriting time by

further improving user experience due to reduced NIGOs and faster policies

THREE

Enable self service.

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But be there when they need you.

Some customers prefer to do things on

their own, some prefer to work with an

agent. Making self service an option will

give agents a chance to service the

customers who actually want to talk to

them, while enabling those who don’t

the chance to do things on their own.

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T H R E E

Enable self service.

C&A USER RESEARCH SUBJECT SEATTLE, WA

I'm a mom of a toddler. Its actually better to not have to talk to someone on the phone. I only have a few minutes

between naps to get anything done.

“

Be there when they need you.

1. Customers want immediacy, and human touch when it matters.

2. Agents want more time serving the customer, less time with administrative tasks.

3. Technology must be real-time and flexible to react to business demands and quickly adapt to user needs.

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T H R E E : E n a b l e s e l f s e r v i c e

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Assignment Grow the direct-to-consumer market share and lower the expense ratio through a pure digital channel. 

• Created a fully responsive digital product that allows a user to quote, purchase and manage their auto insurance policy online, without the need to speak to a representative.

• Result: +22% increase in customers choosing self service over calling a phone representative.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife P&C Direct to Consumer Sales and Servicing

MetLife Auto & Home placed second for end to end mobile

experience in their “US Mobile Auto Insurance Functionality

Benchmark”

S O U R C E : 2 0 1 5 U S M O B I L E AU TO I N S U R A N C E F U N C T I O N A L I T Y B E N C H M A R K , F O R R E S T E R

R E S E A R C H , I N C . , O C TO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 5

Start with Agents Conducting research with agents is key. Using something

as simple as a card sort can help you understand their

actual priorities. Focus on the items that take the most of

amount of their time and the things that add the most

value. Inquire deeper to understand their pain points.

Anything low value that also takes lots of time is ripe for

self service.

Move to Customers Conduct behavioral and contextual research to understand

their mental models and how they actually solve problems –

don’t just trust what they say, observation is so much more

powerful. Inquire further to understand the motivation behind

what they do. That context can inspire areas for improvement.

Cross Reference Both Build a matrix of your findings from both agents and

customers. That will help you quickly determine features

that are meaningful for both user groups and removes the

administrative burden from the agent. The last step in

building your self service road map is to confirm technical

feasibility and help determine prioritization.

DIY

5 2

T H R E E : E n a b l e S e l f S e r v i c e

FOUR

Focus on what you do best.

5 3

Invest in your differentiators. Leverage existing tech.

Carriers have a dizzying array of options to focus

their time and energy on, all in service of their

agents and customers.  It’s important that

manufacturers invest resources into only those

areas that provide a true competitive advantage:

customer and user experience, risk rating

models, data insights.  For all other functions,

large distributors and carriers should seek out

best-in-class vendors and software  partners.

5 4

F O U R

Focus on what you do best.

SOURCE: SURVEY, MCKINSEY & CO 2014 IT UNDER PRESSURE

IT has become less effective at enabling business goals.

“

33%2016

S O U R C E : S U RV E Y, M C K I N S E Y & CO 2 0 1 6

45-55%by 2021

External IT solution growth:

Invest in your true competitive advantage.

1. Be nimble with SaaS & PaaS technologies : if you haven’t already, move as much of your infrastructure to cloud-based, on-demand environments.

2. Maintain your intellectual property: sign up with vendors that provide you an excellent platform to design unique experiences for your consumers as well as access to your raw data.

3. Plug ’n play with services as needed: Migrate away from monolithic sales, servicing, and policy admin systems; instead develop your capabilities over time by adding discrete services for specific functions.

5 7

F O U R : F o c u s o n w h a t y o u d o b e s t

56

Assignment Ensure rapid speed to market for a specialty insurers dynamic and evolving product offering. Personalize sales and service tools based on user industries.

C A S E S T U DY: ProSight

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Critical steps:

• After research and prototype validation, perform a feature analysis to prioritize investments.

• Identify a vendors for each feature and analyze based on strong APIs that deliver flexible and extensible front-end solutions.

• Develop an atomic design system and a component library to easily optimize the experience design.

C A S E S T U DY: ProSight

CO N F I D E N T I A L

Results

AN ANGULAR FRONT-END APPLICATION WAS

DEVELOPED TO ENABLE TAILORED SERVICE

OFFERINGS.

A SELF-SERVICING CLAIMS SYSTEM WAS LAUNCHED,

WITH A CORE UX WITH PERSONALIZATION FOR

USERS IN MEDIA, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND

TRANSPORTATION.

FIVE

Let trust trickle down.

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Building trust starts with carriers and agents.

Being easy to do business with goes a

long way to support agents in their

relationship with customers. Agents

know when your quotes are not accurate

and are frustrated by manual

corrections. They will do whatever they

can to shield their customers from

those frustrations and sometimes that

means choosing a different carrier for

their customer’s business.

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F I V E

Let trust trickle down.

AG E N T S T H AT AG R E E W I T H T H E B E L O W S TAT E M E N T :

99.5% “EDB is critical in choosing which

carrier gets the business.”DEEP CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS INC.

SURVEY OF 5,000 AGENTS

Areas of focus for improving trust

1. Quotes are accurate and issued without rework

2. Underwriting responsiveness and flexibility

3. Policy servicing

4. Effective technology

5. Handles claims promptly and fairly

6. Marketing support

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F I V E : L e t Tr u s t Tr i c k l e D o w n

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Assignment Reimagine the agent platform for sales and servicing, ensuring it is usable (for all agent types), convenient and grounded in technical feasibility.

• Conducted interviews with employees, research with agents and a review of competitors’ systems to synthesize into an experience strategy.

• Created a rapid prototype of key templates and components and validated it over 4 usability tests, all in just 2 months.

• Consulting during development and it is lunching June 2018.

C A S E S T U DY: MetLife Auto & Home Agent Portal

Intuitive and extendable

templates help agents quickly

produce quotes, complete

servicing tasks and share with

their customers.

Developers leverage components

and templates in implementation.

Foundational Templates

This again has everything when my client calls. I can dig in deeper if I need to but it’s really all there. It makes my job so much easier.

“INDEPENDENT AGENT

C & A U S E R T E S T I N G DAY TO N , O H

Ensure Accurate Quotes Expose your risk ratings, order reports early and make sure

that the level of accuracy is the same between comp-raters

and your proprietary system.

Align Technology with Agent Needs and Your Rules Make sure your technology accurately represents your rules

and that it is transparent to the agent. You want to make it as

easy as possible for them to use your systems so they can go

about their jobs.

Servicing & Claims Transparency Service the customer efficiently and fairly and inform the

agent of what’s happening with their customer. Agents

appreciate knowing key actions like a late payment or claim

so that they can manage expectations with the customer.

DIY

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F I V E : L e t Tr u s t Tr i c k l e D o w n

Involve Agents in Changes Sharing plans and getting feedback from agents on in-

progress work not only gives you valuable feedback but it

can convert agents into your initiative’s most powerful

marketing tool with their colleagues and customers.

5 Tips for re-Imagining the customer agent experience

1. Know the Actors

2. Don’t Digitize Business as Usual

3. Enable Self Service

4. Focus on What You do Best

5. Let Trust Trickle Down

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S U M M A RY

Thank You.