It's a request from the marketing department that sounds sosimple: mail a billing insert to current monoline auto customerswho have had good claims experience for at least the past fiveyears thanking them for their business and offering them a discounton a package policy.

Unfortunately, that seemingly simple type of customercommunication request presents a real challenge to fulfill in atypical insurance-systems environment. Instead of handling thisprocess in one system, IT staff has to tap thepolicy-administration system to identify longstanding monolinecustomers, query the claims system for loss history and coordinatethe billing system with document print-production systems.

The inability to easily create these and other types ofcommunications that can drive revenue and increase the number ofservice touch points is rooted in insurers' siloed systems.Although companies have worked diligently over the last decade toeliminate silos in their core systems—integrating, creating commonfront-ends, replacing legacy systems with new and opentechnologies—they may not have paid close enough attention to whatwas happening outside of the core. 

In areas such as document management, content management,customer relationship management (CRM), customer communicationmanagement (CCM) and others, insurers have tended to deploydepartment-centric applications, rather than enterprise solutions.These various systems don't easily talk to each other andfrequently depend on their own data sources. Each works differently(even ones with the same purpose) and has a different userinterface.

Not only is this inefficient, and not only does this riskalienating customers, but it's also a potential compliance problem.With each system preparing and handling documents in its ownway—and some communications taking place outside the control of anauditable system—how can an insurer be completely certain it isfollowing both internal guidelines and insurance regulationsregarding customer communications?

A Non-Siloed Solution

Insurers are already seeing the benefits of consolidating coreprocessing (i.e. policy, claims, and billing) for all lines ofbusiness on a common set of systems, and they should take a similarapproach for customer communications as well.  Aconsolidated platform will deliver key advantages in the areas ofconvenience, control, collaboration, consistency andcompliance. 

• Convenience. Web-based technologies offerinsurers a route to consolidating data sources—regardless of filetype or format—for use by knowledge workers, making it available inone place, from a common interface. A modern communicationsplatform is also convenient for customers and supports theirdelivery choices, including mobile. Customers expect to be able toreceive and access information in any format and through anychannel they choose—and to be able to change that choice wheneverthey wish. Providing that dynamic capability cannot be done in asiloed environment requiring individual system modifications andhard-coded calls. Additionally, since a web-based customercommunications platform does not rely on locally installedsoftware, it can be easily implemented either enterprise-wide or onan as-needed basis. An insurer could choose to implement the systemas a pilot for one department or line of business and then expandit strategically throughout the enterprise as it proves itstactical advantages.
• Control. An intuitive interface allowsnon-technical business users to take control of the design andpreparation of customer communications. They can link data andcontent without knowing the source of either and without relying onIT staff. This dramatically reduces the time it takes to produceand deliver forms, letters, policies, premium notices, statementsand other critical documents. In turn, this allows users to bettercontrol and manage the documents policyholders and agents dependon.
• Collaboration. A web-based system—availableanywhere, anytime and from any networked device—provides acollaborative environment with self-monitoring workflows thatautomate the design, editing, approval and production andmulti-channel distribution of customer communications. Rather thanrelying on asynchronous email for collaboration, a consolidatedplatform allows multiple parties to the process to connect at thesame time, in real time.
• Consistency. Documents and forms arecentralized, and controls ensure that they follow corporateguidelines consistently for design elements such as fonts, logotypes and sizes, and other features. Any changes to those documentsare made only through controlled workflows that incorporatenecessary approval. Customer information is also consolidated,ensuring that not only the right document format is delivered, butthat it contains correct and relevant information. Additionally,this centralized content can be readily repurposed and reused,allowing insurers to move quickly into new markets and respond toopportunity.
• Compliance. In a siloed customercommunications process, there is no reliable way to ensure that allforms and documents reflect regulations and guidelines, becausedocuments are produced in different systems as well as outsidethose systems via email and desktop word processing. A platformthat centralizes customer communications is the cornerstone toeffective compliance. It also provides the checks, balances, andaudit trails to track the lifecycle of every customercommunication.

Given the current focus on customer centricity and the continuedgoals of streamlined operations, speed to market, organizationalagility, and more, it's time for insurers to address the silos thatimpede effective customer communications. By taking the lessonslearned in eliminating silos in core processing areas of theirorganization, insurers can target other areas of the enterprise aswell and make a business case for investment in a consolidatedcustomer communications solution that leverages the capabilities oftoday's web technology.

Without that investment, insurers' customer communicationchallenges will only grow as the systems environment becomes morecomplex and as customers' expectations for cross-channelconsistency and convenience increase.