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Insurers love NPS- can the IoT help show why it remains an important measure?

 

 

TLDR  What to do, what to do, in the InsurTech, innovation insurance world?  Insurance remains a ‘sold, not bought’, product.  Virtual service is not only becoming a demand of customers, but carriers are embracing the concept based on expectations of efficiency and economy.  Will there be a disconnect between service efforts and how customers perceive it?  As customers change their habits, can insurance change theirs?  What is the common thread?

How an insurance carrier performs is typically known only when an adverse situation occurs, i.e., a claim, and service is triggered for the customer, a customer who doesn’t really know what to expect during a claim experience.  So of course the industry knows this and has devised many ways of gauging service performance: from internal surveys, JD Power ratings (Customer Service Index), and most recently, by asking claim customers how they would rate the service they received in terms of one question,

“How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?”  

 The answers to that clever question are the basis of the calculations for a ‘Net Promoter Score’ (NPS), a service (loyalty) measure devised by Fred Reichheld and other clever minds at Bain and Co.  How does this tie in with InsurTech principles?  Seemingly through another three-letter acronym, IoT (Internet of Things).

 

What are you talking about, you say- NPS is a survey administered measure made available to but a fraction of insurance customers, is but one question, and disregards the experience of the majority of the customers.  IoT speaks to connected devices, ostensibly meant (to many in the insurance world) to detect adverse conditions, track adverse conditions, determine behaviors that might predict adverse circumstances, and by extension reduce carriers’ exposure to claims. One measures experience, and one works to predict experience.

Well, I’m here to say that the two concepts couldn’t be more intertwined, and as innovation within the insurance industry becomes more practical, and as IoT becomes more ubiquitous, the interplay of NPS and IoT will become clearer.

At its root NPS was developed as a means to measure what the folks at Bain found as the key driver of business growth and success- customer loyalty.  Loyalty has been a proven factor in business growth and businesses who foster customer loyalty not only retain those customers’ business, but those same customers are motivated to bring other business along.  Enhancing customer loyalty, adding value to the customers’ lives, and refuting the contention that “loyalty is dead” (see Mr. Reichheld discussing that here ) is the foundation of NPS.  And everyone touts their NPS results, don’t they?

So along comes IoT principles as part of the InsurTech wave, and its primary advocate in the InsurTech world, Matteo Carbone. (In an odd coincidence as with Mr. Reichheld, Mr. Carbone is also a Bain alumnus.)  Mr. Carbone has espoused the concept that “all insurers will be InsurTech”, but in addition to that his IoT Observatory has become a central authority regarding insurance effects of connected devices in autos, houses, and to some extent, wearables.  And a main principle he covers within his recent article, “Smart Home Insurance Strategy 101”, is loyalty :

“This way of enhancing proximity and interaction frequency with policyholders (connected devices and value addition) – while creating new customer experience and expanding relationships – is one of the reasons for adopting IoT in home insurance. These interactions with customers are one proven way to earn higher loyalty and allow the differentiation from competitors.”

There’s that word- loyalty.  In an insurance world where virtual service is becoming the holy grail for carriers, how will loyalty remain a factor that can be influenced by carrier service?  Even the InsurTech poster child, Lemonade, has to have concerns that as long as NPS remains an important measure of customer service (Clearsurance may have ideas about that), interactions with insureds must remain focused on maintaining or building loyalty.  Can a bot do that?

IoT programs have that opportunity to integrate technology, virtual service, and value addition that can build customer loyalty, for example, value-added services as noted by Mr. Carbone.  “But the real opportunity is to solve customer problems by delivering enlarged value propositions for their homes. (Some) services enabled by home IoT are:

  • Safety/Security: remote monitoring and emergency services to provide peace-of-mind to the homeowner;
  • Efficiency: tracking and optimization tools to contain the expenditures (energy and water) at home;
  • Property services: concierge with a platform of certified service providers (such as plumbers, metal workers, carpenters, construction workers or electricians) for home administration;

Seems any or all of those points would serve to build customer loyalty in the absence of direct service from claim staff.  And what of agents?  Insurance sales and servicing of policies remain a predominantly agency-driven proposition in the US and Europe- agents/brokers are beginning to recognize the need for provision of more to customers than just quotes.  In markets where ecosystems and smart device access are the primary entry for customers to insurance, loyalty may be even more fragile as ecosystem change is simply an app away.  In all matters the focus must remain on enriching customers’ lives, on #innovatingfromthecustomerbackwards.

NPS and IoT- the concepts can’t make insurance a more ‘bought, not sold’ proposition, but effectively focusing on IoT in an increasingly virtual insurance world can help maintain or build loyalty, and as the architects of NPS found, that is the foundation of an effective growth strategy.  The two principles have previously marked different paths but are now on intersecting courses.

 

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Patrick Kelahan is a CX, engineering & insurance professional, working with Insurers, Attorneys & Owners. He also serves the insurance and Fintech world as the ‘Insurance Elephant’.

I have no positions or commercial relationships with the companies or people mentioned. I am not receiving compensation for this post.

Subscribe by email to join the 25,000 other Fintech leaders who read our research daily to stay ahead of the curve. Check out our advisory services (how we pay for this free original research).

 

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Life & Health Insurance is critical to our lives. Here is why.

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I’ve always been a Life guy when it comes to Insurance.  While there is a lot of interesting stuff on the Property and Casualty space (P&C), there is always interest (and a special place in my heart) for Life. It’s where I started and grew up in this industry and where I plan to focus for years to come.

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with my friend Andrew Johnston, (Global head of InsurTech Research for Willis Re).  He informed me that the Q2 2018 Quarterly Briefing (which is put together by Willis Re and Willis Towers Watson Securities, with data and graphs from CB Insights) would be focused on Life and Health. This got me very excited and I asked if I could review the report earlier this week before it was publicly released (under embargo of course), so I could be the first one to write about it.

Of the many research publications on Insurtech (not the daily/weekly ones I previously shared), the Insurtech Quarterly Briefing is one that I look forward to the most.

I look forward to it because it is a great combination of 1) numbers/investments 2) thought leadership, and 3) quality company profiles (aka – if a company is in this report, I know they are a quality company).  

This week, I summarize some key findings from the report along the lines of these three areas.  I do encourage you to read the full report here.  I’ve also included a link to all the previous Quarterly Briefings at the end of this article for reference.

Q2 Investment in Insurtech

Funding throughout the quarters

Investments by country

The quantitative analysis can be found toward the end of the report.  Some highlights from these numbers can be found below (taken from the report):

  • There were 71 InsurTech deals with a total value of $579 million
  • The deal count was 8% higher than in Q1 2018, with total funding amount down 20%
    • While deal volume is up from Q1, total funding is down 20% due to a lack of high-dollar transactions, like the seven $30+ million transactions we saw in Q1 (vs. the two $30+ million transactions in Q2 2018)
  • 71 transactions in Q2 2018 represents the highest transaction volume of any quarter to date
  • For Life and Health (L&H), the 27 transactions announced in the quarter were the highest amount since Q2 of 2017 and the second highest on record
  • 43% percent of P&C and 56% of L&H transactions in Q2 2018 involved B2B companies, compared with 35% and 47%, respectively, of all transactions since 2013
  • With a total of 34 investments, Q2 2018 set a new record for the volume of technology investments by (re)insurers and represents an increase of 26% and 6% from Q1 2018 and Q2 2017, respectively
  • Investment from international markets remains strong; transactions outside of the U.S. account for 58% of total transactions since 2013 and 62% in the quarter
  • There were 22 strategic partnerships between (re) insurers and technology companies in the quarter, which equaled the same amount seen in Q1 2018

Further, as noted in Willis Towers Watson Securities’ CEO, Rafal Walkiewicz’s forward, ‘Life & Health InsurTech has attracted more than $5 billion in funding over the last five years, 20% more than P&C over the same time period’.  Further, L&H ‘funding rounds leading to an average funding round size that is 45% larger than the average for P&C.’

What can be derived from these stats?

Firstly, seeing more investment in Insurtech outside of the U.S. should come as no surprise, especially from countries like China, India and the UK.  China has actually leapfrogged a few other countries to go second after the US last quarter – perhaps a sign of things to come?

Secondly, a record number of investments from (re)insurers should also come as no surprise.  After all, just take a look at the number that have VC arms now.

Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there has been more investment into L&H vs. P&C since 2013.

At the many conferences and events I have attended, as well as the daily articles I read, there seems to be a slightly higher focus on what’s happening in the P&C space vs. the L&H.  I’ve even had some people from the P&C side tell me they think the L&H side is boring as compared to P&C.  

I would agree there are more products in P&C to enhance and innovate  (travel, home, renters, auto, business, gig economy, etc etc).

However, with L&H, we have the opportunity to help people live longer and healthier lives.  

How boring can that be? (italics inserted in place for cynicism I can’t express through just writing…)

Data, Customer Centricity and Advisory Services

3 pillars

Regardless of the line of business of focus for Insurtech initiatives, how to harness new sources of data, build more customer centric products and provide services above and beyond just paying claims are on the agenda of all (re)insurers and entrepreneurs.  

For L&H, as Mr. Walkiewicz points out, ‘the complexity of change occurring within the Life & Health insurance value chain is much greater than in other insurance subsectors and the potentially positive impact on the quality of life for the consumer is much more profound.’  

All three of these pillars can help to enhance the L&H value chain to help individuals live longer and healthier lives.  

ecosystem

Use of Data

Data areas of interest

As with other lines of business, there is a lot of data already existent within the L&H processes and more and more data becoming available.

The need and amount for medical information in order to provide preventative advice as well as to pay claims is very high and very messy.  How can this information be shared between doctors and patients to provide better care? How can this information be shared between hospitals and (re)insurers to pay faster claims?

There are new data sets being brought to the foray from use of wearables and genomic reports.  How will this data be used for underwriting (taking into account legal and ethical considerations)?  How will this data be used to provide better advice and engagement to customers?

And how will all of this data be incorporated into existing (legacy) systems, processes and analytics that the company undergoes?

dacadoo is one company helping with this, by creating a Health Score, similar to a Financial Credit Score.  Their solution helps with engagement of customers by providing personalized feedback on their lifestyle.  The Health Score also provides Insurers with a different data set to help them with underwriting and ongoing monitoring of premium rates based on the individual’s health choices.  

Atidot is a company helping on the data and predictive analytics side.  They are one of the only providers I have seen specifically focused on Life products.  Their solution targets three groups of individuals – CFOs and Actuaries, Sales/Distribution teams and Retention/Customer Care teams.  They help all of these teams with providing better insights on their in-force book of business as well as information to reach out to their policyholders (in the case of a cross-sell/up-sell or potential lapsation).  For full disclosure, Atidot has been a client of mine this year.

Customer Centric Products

products area of interest

For all Insurance products, the way in which consumers determine their needs (especially when purchasing digitally) can definitely be improved.  Further, the products that they buy can be more flexible in nature.

In P&C, we have seen UBI products, especially for Auto, which offer policyholders the opportunity to pay for the exact amount of miles that they drive.  The use of telematics will also help in providing policyholders discounts for driving better (and potentially premium hikes for driving poorly!).

For L&H, these types of products (UBI based) are a bit more difficult to imagine.  However, using the advanced data and analytics as described above can help with providing policyholders and Insurers with more information as individuals progress through their lives.  

As such, the process for determining the amount of coverage an individual needs at the purchase of their policy as well as throughout the term of their policy are of utmost importance.  Further, products should be built in such a way that are more flexible for policyholders and less onerous if they have a change in needs (i.e. limited additional invasive underwriting).

Anorak is a fully automated, fully digital Life insurance advisory platform looking to tackle the meaningful protection gap of nearly 8.5 million individuals in the UK who are currently uncovered or under-covered by Life insurance.  The process starts with a ‘check-up’, which is like a needs analysis for the individual on their current situation.  Once this is done, ‘impartial advice’ is provided on what type of cover the individual may need. Then, three policy options are provided to the individual.  Their product offers an API which can be integrated into price comparison sites, agencies, online retailers and more.

As a person that likes to focus on the needs of and suitability of products being recommended to an individual, I love what Anorak is offering.  

Ladder Life is a digital MGA that offers online Term Life Insurance.  Their tagline of ‘Life Insurance Just Got Easier’ can be seen through their quote and application process:

  • Consumer answers a brief set of questions (many responses are avoided through supplemental data).
  • Consumer receives an instant insurance quote with no obligation to purchase.
  • If supplemental information is needed, Ladder sends a medical professional to complete an exam (free of charge to the customer).

In most cases, the need for blood and urine samples for underwriting has been eliminated.  

Further, they offer a solution to allow policyholders to adjust their coverage as needs change (called ‘laddering’), without paperwork, meetings, phone calls, cancellation or penalty fees.

For those of you who have ever sold or bought Life Insurance, I hope you would agree that the process and flexibility outlined above are better than some of the ‘traditional’ methods.

Lastly, they have just launched the Ladder API and a partnership with Sofi, helping to provide a more extensive offering to the individuals in Sofi’s ecosystem.

Regard has designed products to address coverage gaps and rising out-of-pocket expenses that many customers in the U.S. face as more employers shift to high deductible Health plans.

This is a huge and increasingly larger problem for the U.S. health market.  

According to the report, Regard differs from many other InsurTech agencies in three important ways: (1) emphasis on institutional distribution needs as the starting point for product and technology vs. a direct to consumer strategy; (2) its position at the nexus of new specialty insurance products and proprietary technology vs. traditional products with off the shelf IT; (3) its ability to participate in premium income through risk retention in addition to MGA commissions compared to a commission-only revenue model.

Digital Advisory Services

advisory services area of interest

Insurance is in an age where we are transforming from a collector of premiums and payor of claims, to a service provider that helps individuals manage and prevent risk in their day-to-day lives.  

The solutions that are becoming available in the L&H space are helping with this to enable policyholders to connect with their doctors and hospitals as well as have 24/7 services through the use of AI and machine learning.  This will help to make L&H products more interactive for their policyholders with an ultimate aim of living longer and healthier lives.

Boundlss provides a AI-powered health assistant for L&H insurers.  Their platform helps to support individuals with their wellness goals and acts as a ‘personal trainer/health coach’ for users.  

The Boundlss platform collects, analyzes and aggregates data from over 400 wearables and mobile apps, allowing insurers to gain new insights into their member populations and their behaviors.

Further, if the AI engine does not provide a response that is sufficient for the individual, a human coach can be brought seamlessly into the conversation.  

Oscar is a fully licensed Health Insurer operating in New York, New Jersey, California, Texas, Ohio and Tennessee.  I’ve covered Oscar before when writing about my own Health Insurance purchase and I believe they are a company to watch for the years to come.  With their recent rise from Alphabet, you can ensure that building a digital ecosystem will continue to be at the forefront for this company.  I liken the ecosystem they are building to that of Ping An and believe they have begun to build a company that is focused equally on advisory services as it is on delivering a quality product.    

‘The Insurtech Grand Prix’

It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the thought leadership piece in the Briefing by Greg Solomon, Head of Life & Health Reinsurance at Willis Re International.  Greg is based in Hong Kong.   

In this, he uses the analogy of the Grand Prix to identify initiatives that are:

  • ‘In the Driver’s Seat’ – Insurers taking a lead in initiatives to better distribute and interact with their policyholders with examples coming out of South Africa and Asia.
  • ‘Rear-wheel drive’ – developments outside of the L&H sector that are changing the dynamic of how products are distributed and built for customers.  Examples here include the joint healthcare venture with JPMorgan & Chase, Berkshire and Amazon, online search and aggregator sites
  • ‘Emerging Tech: Towing Them Along’ – different technologies such as Machine Learning, AI, Blockchain, cryptocurrency and genetic testing, that could change/enhance many elements of the L&H value chain.  
  • ‘Along for the ride’ – tools like wellness platforms that help Insurers be alongside of their policyholders throughout the life of their policy.  

Summary

From this summary, I hope for two things:

  1. That you are inclined to read the whole report!  You can find the link here. There is a lot more information in there, especially deep-dives on the companies mentioned including interviews from their management team.
  2. That I was able to change some of the P&C folks’ opinions of L&H from boring to at least interesting!

I am pleased to see the amount of investment and transformation in the L&H space.  As with all other lines, it is long overdue.

The opportunity for our industry to be part of helping individuals live longer and healthier lives is extremely exciting for me (and should be for you, too).   

Previous Quarterly Briefings

Q1 2017

Q2 2017

Q3 2017

Q4 2017

Q1 2018

Stephen Goldstein is an experienced Insurance executive and Insurtech dealmaker with a core focus on growing revenue, launching go to market initiatives and advising industry leaders.

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