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Applying
Machine First™
Principles to
Insurance
Platforms
WHITE PAPER
Abstract
Life and non-life insurers across the globe use several commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms to power core operations across the value
chain. While these platforms have ushered in innovation and facilitated
transformation of global insurance business, we believe there are ways to
further enhance value. To achieve this, insurance companies will have to
rethink business models rather than merely digitalizing and automating their
business processes and services.
Applying the Machine First™ approach can help insurance companies
reshape business models and tap into the power of automation, artificial
intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and advanced analytics to provide
unprecedented improvements in operational efficiency. This white paper
explains the relevance and significance of adopting the machine first
approach to implement insurance platforms and highlights how it can
enhance business value and return on investment (RoI).WHITE PAPER
The Case for Machine First Approach
In the pandemic-stricken world, consumers are increasingly utilizing digital technologies
to manage their insurance needs. J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Auto Insurance StudySM reveals that
customers prefer to interact digitally with their insurers through company websites rather
than agents.1 Accelerating digital transformation is therefore fast becoming an imperative
for insurers as well as agents to compete and thrive in the new world.
A growing number of insurers – both startups and incumbents – have accelerated
digitalization using emerging technologies. AIA Hong Kong, a life insurance provider, has
launched a chatbot to offer round the clock self-service.2 Lemonade, a startup, uses AI bots
to provide homeowners, renters, and pet health insurance, create policies, and handle
claims.3 In the post-pandemic world, companies that are agile and respond quickly are
more likely to attract and retain customers – and this is where the machine first paradigm
comes in.
The machine first approach provides a structured approach to digital transformation by
automating business process activities, and where possible, turning them into intelligent
processes using automation, advanced analytics and AI technologies to transform
insurance business models across acquisition, underwriting, policy servicing, and claims
processing.4 The machine first approach can empower insurers to respond swiftly to
market and macro-economic shifts and engender innovational changes to their business
models as well as deliver key benefits that drive business outcomes. Some of these
benefits include:
Consistent and Sustainable Customer and Agent Experience
Customers want more choice and best-in-class service at affordable prices. Insurers that
make data ubiquitous, apply analytics tools to understand the changing patterns of
customer behavior, and continuously tweak their business models will be in a stronger
position to cater to the rapidly changing needs. By leveraging intelligent conversational
bots, analytics-driven personalization, and social media sentiment analysis, insurers will be
in a position to offer attractive prices and superior service, thereby enhancing the
experience for the customers and the agents.
[1] JD Power, Auto Insurance Websites Surpass Agents in Importance to Customer Interaction, J.D. Power Finds, June 2020, Accessed January 2021,
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-us-auto-insurance-study
[2] AIA, AIA Hong Kong launches industry-first customer service robot artificial intelligence chatbot offers 24-hour instant self-service customer support,
May 2018, Accessed January 2021, https://www.aia.com.hk/en/about-aia/media-centre/press-releases/2018/aia-press-release-20180502.html
[3] Lemonade, The secret behind Lemonade’s Claims, Accessed January 2021, https://www.lemonade.com/claims
[4] TCS, Making organizations AI-ready by combining the here and now value of automation with a future-proof architecture, Accessed February 2021,
https://www.tcs.com/mfdm-enterpriseWHITE PAPER
Unique but Simple Products
Post the pandemic, the demand for simple products that offer coverage for different types
of risks, such as those arising from continuous remote work, will increase, especially from
small business owners and personal lines consumers. Adopting the machine first approach
enables insurers to leverage AI based analytics to analyze non-traditional data variables
and data from devices and sense evolving customer needs. To gain an edge over the
competition, insurers must design simple, personalized products to meet such needs. In
addition, simplifying product structure and underwriting processes across both personal
and small commercial lines of business will be key to thriving in the new world.
Touch Free and Straight-through Processing
Insurers are looking to improve straight-through processing (STP) capabilities across
underwriting, policy acquisition, and claims processing. Introducing machines to perform
virtual inspection for risk and damage assessments can help insurers enable low-touch or
no-touch service. Analytics based risk models and evaluations provide not only the
requisite speed of servicing but also help optimize operational efficiencies and costs.
Applying the Machine First
Approach to Insurance Platforms for
Better Business Outcomes
In applying the machine first approach to insurance platforms, we envision
purpose-driven machines that are connected, intelligent, secure, and deployed on the
cloud. In conjunction with insurance platforms, these machines can:
Interpret natural language and converse with users or customers
Suggest next best offers based on contextual awareness of insurers’ product and
service portfolio
Automate using first- and last-mile automation techniques
Enhance data accuracy and reliability
Integrate seamlessly with platforms in the ecosystem, multiple niche products, and
automation platforms such as robotic process automation and so onWHITE PAPER
The machine first approach can be applied to insurance platforms across a plethora of
processes (see Figure 1).
Bot based monitoring
Intelligent and self-healing
application
support
Intelligent conversational
Adaptable with personalized digital
Agile Customer, advisory services
service vendor,
and distribution
systems Augmented virtual reality for
remote risk assessment, AI
Touchless and machine assessment and
Secure
underwriting STP in claims processsing
Insurance
operations,
Platforms claims
process
Purpose-driven
ecosystems IoT, AI, and ML accelerators for
Intelligent integration with cognitive and
innovative solutions
Contextual
automation Cognitive levers for DevOps
and currency updates
Figure 1: Insurance Processes Suitable for the Machine First Approach
Before embarking on a transition to the machine first approach, insurers need to:
Augment technology with context
The foundational step is building a ubiquitous networked environment that offers
real-time information at all times. Data collection and analysis are key to a machine first
approach to digital transformation. Insurers should begin by identifying the physical and
knowledge-based work that the machines need to do. This will help identify the
processes to automate in order to deliver value and understand changing customer
behavior. Insurers need to collaborate with ecosystem players like internet of things (IoT)
service providers, analytics-based scoring model providers, and independent agencies to
collect data in real-time. Combining this information with internal data residing on their
systems will help insurers offer contextual insights to each stakeholder within and outside
the enterprise. Predictive analytics, working in tandem with AI, is essential for an insurer to
accelerate the delivery of products and services and maximize business value by moving
beyond rigid planning and operational barriers. Adopting niche predictive analytics
solution for litigation and subrogation in claims processing, data driven insights on loss
ratios, profitability, and discretionary credits for commercial property underwriting and
automated rate adjustment can help insurers monetize real-time data, embrace risk, and
drive growth.WHITE PAPER
Redefine Business Value with Focus on Customer-centricity
Insurers must formulate a customer-centric strategy by adopting new business models with
limitless access to addressable markets. By embedding analytics and enhancing digital
experience, insurers can offer a personalized experience and increase business value. The
several low or no code software tools for designing and modeling business products,
configuring rules available in the market, can help insurers successfully adopt the machine
first approach. Additionally, no code or low code-based tools accelerate the deployment of
digital platforms to help deliver a unique digital experience. The machine first approach
ensures optimal alignment and integration of technology, process, and support personnel
within and across the overarching insurance landscape and surrounding ecosystems,
resulting in better synergy across intra-IT functions. It also ensures quick value delivery and
continuous improvement in the quality of customer service.
Accelerate Value Realization with Purpose-driven Ecosystems
Insurers must continue to enhance the business value of their insurance platforms by
creating purpose-driven ecosystems that deliver superior customer experience.
Marketplaces offer insurers plug-n-play solutions that allow collaboration with niche
solution providers and insurtech players inside and outside the supply chain to further
enhance the products and services and accelerate the ecosystem development.
Sustain Enterprise Security, Operations, and Maintenance
Insurers must implement monitoring mechanisms on the security architecture and devices
to adapt to post pandemic scenarios. An emerging trend in security is the use of security
process automation (security plus operations or SecOps) teams to ensure system and data
security both on-premise and on the cloud.
Incorporating machine first principles into insurance platforms enables operations
management and service deliveries across all facets of IT infrastructure, application
services, and business processes to become intelligent and automatable. Bot-based
monitoring and self-healing can be deployed to monitor the health of insurance platforms.
This scalable and robust framework becomes the central contact across organizational
input channels seamlessly connecting end users with the automation systems.
Next Steps
In the post pandemic world, insurers will have to adopt the machine first approach to
enhance the business value of their investments in insurance platforms. To realize this
vision, insurers will have to invest in reskilling employees to work with intelligent machines
and leverage the machine first approach to maximize the benefits from the out-of-the-box
features of the insurance platforms. Firms must focus on ensuring resilience and infusing
adaptability into their business models and systems and processes. Insurers that respond
swiftly and positively during testing times and build the agility required to rapidly adapt to
paradigm shocks will emerge as leaders in the post COVID-19 world.WHITE PAPER
About The Authors
Saravanan Jagannathan
Saravanan Jagannathan is a solution
architect with the Insurance Transformation
Group of TCS' Banking, Financial Services,
and Insurance (BFSI) business unit. With
over 12 years of experience in IT and
insurance domains, he has worked with
leading insurance clients across
geographies and successfully delivered
several transformation engagements across
policy, claims, digital portals, and legacy
modernization. Saravanan holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and
Electronics Engineering from the Anna
University, Tamil Nadu, India.
Prasanna Sekhar
Prasanna Sekhar is an enterprise architect in
the Insurance Transformation Group of TCS'
Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance
(BFSI) business unit. He has over 19 years of
rich IT experience and has primarily worked
with leading insurance clients worldwide,
advising them on key transformation
engagements in policy, underwriting,
banking application, electronic funds
transfer, and legacy modernization.
Prasanna holds a Bachelor’s degree in
Computer Science Engineering from
Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, Contact
India.
For more information on TCS' Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance unit,
please visit https://www.tcs.com/banking-financial-services or https://www.tcs.com/insurance
Akram Abdulrazak
Akram Abdulrazak is a practice director in
Email: [email protected]
the Insurance Transformation Group of TCS’
Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance
(BFSI) business unit. Akram advises large About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS)
insurers on business and technology
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions
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organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in
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and India. Akram holds a Master’s degree in
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