Digital-first approach crucial to customer-centricity: AIA Singapore

Technology, data, and analytics, have become keys to personalisation of online and offline customer experiences.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world on its head; and every industry on the planet has to innovate and come up with new ways of doing its business. Office-based workplaces have transitioned urgently into work-from-home arrangements; the retail sector has leveraged off of the global e-commerce ecosystem to continue getting goods to customers; and banks have ramped up their own innovations to stay connected with their stakeholders.

In Singapore, maintaining the integrity of transactions as they rapidly take on digital forms has been a particular challenge. Fortunately, insurance provider AIA has implemented a new solution that it says is giving greater confidence and security to all of its customers.

“Integrating our digital platforms with GovTech’s Sign with SingPass and Kofax’s SignDoc advances our ability to provide fast and even more convenient customer experiences without compromising their data security, which is essential in an increasingly digital world,” says Melita Teo, Chief Customer and Digital Officer at AIA Singapore.

Sign with SingPass advantage

Available to all AIA Singapore customers since November 2020, Sign with SingPass was an initiative spearheaded by the Government Technology Association (GovTech) in Singapore. One of the key features has been its integration with the existing SingPass system, so that users’ identities can be automatically verified with minimal hassle. Signatures made using Sign with SingPass are regarded as secured electronic signatures under Singapore's Electronic Transactions Act, which means customers can now sign legal documents virtually, without face to face meetings.

Previously, the majority of contracts – and almost all insurance contracts – needed to be signed in person to ensure validity in Singapore.

AIA is the first insurance provider to integrate Sign with SingPass with its distribution platform, which has helped to make customer experiences not only more convenient, but also with enhanced security as online transactions become the norm.

“As virtual interactions become the new norm, cybersecurity will form a core tenet of AIA’s ongoing digitalisation strategy,” Melita said. “Partnering with GovTech and automation software players such as Kofax is part of our long-term strategy to make the customer experience more seamless and secure.”
When integrated with Sign with SingPass, our distribution platform will:

• Digitise the end-to-end signing process: Simplifying and expediting the signing of insurance contracts and to be completely paperless, by replacing wet-ink signing with e-signatures.
• Transform the customer experience: Better engaging insurance customers by enabling them to use the communications channel of their choice to e-sign on any device—anytime, anywhere.
• Reduce operational costs: Decrease the manual processing steps to issue a policy contract, and paper-related costs, such as routing and storage.

The full digital experience
Sign with SingPass is just one of the comprehensive suite of tech-focused changes that AIA Singapore has rolled out in recent years, as part of its ongoing digital transformation. Melita says the aim is “to use Technology, Data, and Analytics to make AIA a simpler, faster, more connected organisation”.

“These changes are transforming the experiences of our people, and ultimately helping us to drive better customer outcomes.”

One of the most standout examples of these changes has been the ‘My AIA SG’ customer platform. More than a simple app, this is a dedicated digital platform, with secured 24/7 access for AIA policy holders across multiple devices and operating systems. Users can make up to 28 different types of service-requests, making it the widest digital customer service coverage in the industry.

More than 50% of AIA policyholders are now utilising the ‘My AIA SG’ platform, which has helped to ensure some 90% of day-to-day service requests are submitted digitally, resulting in faster, and more effective resolutions that happen in real time at the policyholder’s convenience.

With the Claims EZ platform, AIA has also successfully transformed and digitalised the claims process from end-to-end. Built in partnership with AIDA Technologies, customers can submit their claims online, which are then auto-assessed by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) decision engine, and claims payout can be disbursed instantly and directly into the customers’ bank account by leveraging onto PayNow infrastructure. Today, 100% of AIA HealthShield claims are assessed by AI Technology.

But it’s not just about the technology alone. Melita says the digital enhancements across all parts of AIA Singapore have been backed up by an equally important cultural transformation among its team.

“We view tech as an enabler, not a replacement to human touch, so our digitalisation strategy is people-first and customer-led,” she says. “We’re doubly committed to making sure that every product, campaign, and initiative we launch is developed with our customers’ needs in mind, while ensuring that our employees are able to benefit from technology.”

All of this goes back to how AIA is redefining the role an insurer plays in society, moving from a payer to a true partner, with that continuing transformation fuelled by digitalisation.