The Chronicle: Issue 2016-08, February 23, 2016

What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology?

The Organizer's Perk: Being a Fly on the ICTC2016 Wall
Organizing a conference is a lot of work, but it has its perks. A big one is sitting in on meetings with really smart people talking about present and future challenges and opportunities. Let me share examples from panels at ICTC2016. Catherine Kargas, from MARCON, has been following the leading edge of automotive technology for some time. Her conference panel, with an insurer, a regulator and a car sharing service provider, will look at a new concept that is getting the attention of municipalities around the world: Mobility as a Service (MaaS). If you thought giving up driving was controversial, picture giving up owned vehicles entirely. For an overview, watch a short chat I had with Catherine on the subject.

Digital Value Drivers, by Glynda Gill, Guidewire
In my role on the Digital Market Insight team at Guidewire, I spend a lot of time talking to our customers and other insurers all over the world about their digital strategies. It is clear that every insurer is investing in “going digital.” But what is really driving this investment? We ask this because our product strategy starts with the end in mind – what business value and outcomes are insurers trying to achieve, and then we work backwards from there to determine what our products need to do to enable our customers to achieve those outcomes. From those conversations, six key digital value drivers have emerged.

The Intersection: Insurance-Canada.ca Blog
The Intersection
an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog

Technology

GMC Software and SundaySky partner to provide personalized videos to enhance the customer experience
GMC Software, a leader in customer communications management, has partnered with SundaySky, the leading provider of personalized video engagement for enterprises, to offer SmartVideo technology for customers designing communications using GMC Inspire. SundaySky's SmartVideo technology offers personalized, real-time video experiences designed to welcome new customers, explain processes and deliver customer support messages that matter to the consumer, resulting in an enhanced digital experience and deeper customer loyalty. The technology is already in use by many leading brands, including AT&T, Comcast and Allstate, which are powering their personalized customer acquisition and retention strategies with SmartVideo.

Telematics

Octo Telematics: Improving insurance value for insurers and consumers with UBI
Consumers are coming around to telematics and connected car awareness, yet there remains a general sense of unease around insurance UBI programs. Insurers face the task of navigating a traditionally tenuous and inconsistent customer relationship, with the added skepticism of a “big brother” fear. Many consumers have not yet grasped the full value of telematics programs beyond a savings on insurance costs.

Policy Management

Majesco introduces Insurance Technology focused testing services
Majesco, a global provider of core insurance software, consulting and services for insurance business transformation, today announced the launch of its insurance specific testing services. Leveraging implementation and testing of core insurance systems at over 140 carriers and having established a wealth of subject matter expertise, a proven methodology, and an extensive library of test scenarios and cases, Majesco is well positioned to help insurance companies accelerate the testing of core systems and their implementation, resulting in a faster and improved return on investment.

Information Builders white paper: Four Worst Practices For Leveraging P&C Information When Core Systems Change
P&C insurers are investing heavily in core system upgrades and replacements to better support new products, meet customer expectations, and improve operations. The problem is that analytics and business intelligence (BI) are getting lost in the transition. A core system upgrade offers a unique opportunity to assess how overall business performance can be dramatically improved by combining BI and new core functionality. Unfortunately, many P&C companies simply want to plug BI gaps that emerge during the core system upgrade. This white paper identifies four worst practices that should be avoided during core system upgrades.

Distribution

Trillium and CSSI announce new business upload agreement
Custom Software Solutions Inc. and Trillium Mutual Insurance Company are pleased to announce they have entered into a connectivity agreement for New Business Upload from CSSI's The Broker's Workstation (TBW) and also its standalone rating and underwriting tool, Intelliquote (IQ). The project will allow for improved efficiencies company-wide and the ability for Trillium to optimize their partnerships with their independent insurance brokers.


2016 Technology Conference & Broker Forum

Is your business going digital? Can you remain competitive if it isn't?

• Technology Conference (ICTC2016), Monday, February 29:
“The ‘Digital’ Revolution Is Disrupting the Entire Operating Model”
– Anton Tomic, VP - Global Strategy & Transformation, SAP
How the digital revolution is transforming the industry like no other force before.
“Training For A New Core System”
– Daniel Carrier, Director - Applications Development & Integration, Promutuel
– Jérôme Isabelle, Vice President - New Markets & Strategic Alliances, V-NEO Inc.
People are a critical resource in all business, and education is key to their success. Learn how gamification and other new techniques are enhancing the education approach.

• Broker Forum (ICBF2016), Tuesday, March 1:
“Marketing: From Yellow Pages to Data-Driven”
– Doug Heaman, President, IBAO;
– Ed Meiering, VP, Aviva;
– Greg Purdy, Managing Partner, Pathway Partners
Can brokers market better with a supportive boost from their insurance markets?
“Work is Better When it is Efficient”
– Dorothy Josephson, AVP, SGI CANADA;
– Traci Boland, President Elect, IBAO;
– Steve Wagler, Partner, Josslin Insurance
Customer satisfaction depends on speedy, quality service – which depends on you.

Learn from the speakers; engage with our sponsors:

Sponsors include:

Octo Telematics

Keal Technology

Salesforce

Zywave

Goose Digital

Information Builders

Business of Insurance

Intact Financial Corporation makes strategic investment in Metromile
Metromile, a pioneer in pay-per-mile car insurance in the United States, has announced that Intact Financial Corporation has made a strategic investment in Metromile. IFC is the largest provider of property and casualty insurance in Canada. The venture is in line with IFC's long-term strategy to invest and partner with emerging and innovative businesses.

Human Resources & Careers

Insurance-Canada.ca announces new managing partner, Gerald Legrove
Insurance-Canada.ca, an insurance industry media company specializing in technology and business, is pleased to announce that Gerald Legrove has assumed the role of Managing Partner. Mr. Legrove brings more than 25 years experience in the insurance industry, including roles such as vice president of the world's largest privately owned insurance broker and vice president of a successful commercial insurance company.

Claims

Zurich's new mobile app enables quick response to environmental spill emergencies
Qualified Zurich customers in industries that deal with hazardous materials, such as transportation and manufacturing, now have available to them a technological solution to speed up their response to environmental spills. Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider globally, has launched the new Zurich Environmental Emergency Response (ZEER™) mobile app. ZEER, originally developed for Zurich's environmental underwriting and claims professionals, in collaboration with Spill Center, Inc., an environmental emergency response company, can assist Zurich qualified customers in dealing with any spill that requires emergency environmental cleanup. The new ZEER mobile app can help reduce the time it takes to begin cleanup.

Marketing

Great-West Life CAP Benchmark Report: Plan design can boost employee contributions to group retirement plans
Better strategic design of group retirement plans and raising contribution rates can help employers improve employees' retirement savings, according to the 2015 Capital Accumulation Plan (CAP) Benchmark Report, entitled Good Plan Design Empowers Members' Futures. The report, sponsored by Great-West Life, offers analysis and insights for plan sponsors (employers) across the country who offer a defined contribution (DC) plan and/or a group registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) to members (employees), based on a Rogers Publishing Ltd. survey of 298 plan sponsors.

Consumer Information

Ontario partners with Airbnb on new pilot project
Ontario is recognizing the economic potential of the sharing economy by partnering with Airbnb to launch a new pilot project. The pilot project will raise awareness about homeowners' and consumers' rights and responsibilities when offering or booking online accommodations, informing users about applicable tax laws, consumer protection rights, accessibility requirements, safety obligations, and more.

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